''Pocket Mortys'', also known as ''Rick and Morty: Pocket Mortys'', is a

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developed by Big Pixel Studios and

Tag Games Tag Games is a video game developer and publisher based in Dundee, Scotland. Established in 2006, it is focused on creating games for mobile, tablet and wearable platforms and was one of the first European studios to develop titles for both th ...

, and published by

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. The game was released worldwide on January 13, 2016 for

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and Android devices. The game is based on the television series ''

Rick and Morty {{Infobox television , image = Rick and Morty title card (cropped).png , alt = , caption = , genre = {{Plainlist, * Animated sitcom * Adult animation * Science fiction * Black comedy * ...

'' and the mechanics serve as a

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of the '' Pokémon'' franchise. Two

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adaptations, '' Pocket Mortys'' (2016) and '' Pocket Like You Stole It'' (2017), written by Tini Howard, have been published by

Oni Press Oni Press is an American independent comic book and graphic novel publisher based in Portland, Oregon. In 2019, it became an imprint label following the company's merger with Lion Forge Comics. The merged company, Oni–Lion Forge Publishing Grou ...

Description

''Pocket Mortys'' is based on the multiple timeline concept as described in episode 10 of season 1, " Close Rick-counters of the Rick Kind". The game uses a style and concept similar to the '' Pokémon'' games, with the player (Rick C-123) catching various 'wild' Mortys, battling them with a variety of 'Trainers' in the form of aliens, Ricks and several supporting characters. The game features voice acting from Justin Roiland and

Dan Harmon Daniel James Harmon (born January 3, 1973) is an American writer, producer, and actor. He is best known as the creator and producer of the NBC/Yahoo! Screen sitcom ''Community'' (2009–2015), creator and host of the comedy podcast '' Harmontow ...

Gameplay

''Pocket Mortys'' is in a

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and consists of three basic screens: an

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, in which the player navigates the main character; a side-view battle screen; and a menu interface, in which the player configures their Mortys, items, or gameplay settings. The player can use their Mortys to battle other Mortys. Supposedly the strongest Morty so far is The One True Morty later revealed in the game. Wild Mortys are visible on the overworld and can be battled. "Trainer" fights are also visible and entail fighting against their party of up to five Mortys. When the player encounters a Morty or a trainer, the screen switches to a

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battle screen that displays the engaged Mortys. During battle, the player may select a maneuver for their Morty to use in the fight, use an item, switch their active Morty, or (against the wild Mortys) attempt to flee. Mortys have

hit points Health is an attribute in a video game or tabletop game that determines the maximum amount of damage or loss of stamina that a character or object can take before dying or losing consciousness. In role-playing games, this typically takes the f ...

(HP); when a Morty's HP is reduced to zero, it gets dazed and can no longer battle until it is revived. Once an enemy Morty faints, the player's Morty involved in the battle receive a certain number of experience points (EXP). After accumulating enough EXP, a Morty will level up. A Morty's level controls its physical properties, such as the battle statistics acquired, and the moves learned. The player may combine two Mortys of the same type to evolve them; these evolutions affect the statistics and which moves are learned. Catching wild Mortys is another essential element of the gameplay. During battle with a wild Morty, the player may throw a Manipulation Chip at it. If the Morty is successfully caught, it will come under the ownership of the player. The ultimate goal of the game is to collect and level-up a team of Mortys to battle against the Council of Ricks, who have taken Rick's portal gun until he proves himself to be worthy of getting it back.

Comic series

Two spin-off

adaptations, '' Rick and Morty in: Pocket Mortys'' and '' Rick and Morty: Pocket Like You Stole It'', written by Tini Howard, have been published by

, respectively released on September 28, 2016 and from July 5 to November 22, 2017.

Reception

The game received "mixed or average" reception, according to

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. '' PC Magazine'' gave the game a rating of 3.5/5, and Patricia Hernandez of '' Kotaku'' stated that the game was "brilliant".

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

was not as favourable in its review, giving the game a "mediocre" 5.5 rating, stating that the game "lacks cohesion" and that it was "little more than a diluted Pokémon imitator". HardcoreGamer mirrored this opinion by giving the game a score of 2.5/5. With the commercial success of the game, it prompted Adult Swim Games to acquire Big Pixel Studios two years and four months later on May 21, 2018.

References

{{Pokémon 2016 video games Android (operating system) games Free-to-play video games IOS games Multiplayer and single-player video games Pokémon video games Role-playing video games Tag Games games Video games based on Rick and Morty Video games developed in the United Kingdom Works based on Pokémon