Rick and Morty: Pocket Morties - Catch & Battle Strange Morties

This review of Rick and Morty: Pocket Morties was completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 1 November 2018.

About the app

This section contains details about the app provided by an ACCM Reviewer.

ACCM review

This review of Rick and Morty: Pocket Morties contains the following information:

• The level to which the game was reviewed
• App description
• Reviewers comments
• In App purchasing
• Online information
• Gambling
• Advertising and product placement
• Gender stereotypes and sexual references
• Coarse language
• Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents
• Other

The level to which the game was reviewed

Played regularly for a couple of weeks.

App description

Rick and Morty: Pocket Morties is based on the popular animated TV series of the same name. The game begins when Rick and a team of Morties from another dimension attack the Rick from another Universe and steal his portal gun. The game requires Rick to capture his own team of Mortys from various dimensions, upskill their fighting abilities and battle other Ricks and Morties. Battles are team against team, with each Morty fighting one on one for their team. Attacks are taken in turn with a limited choice of specific attacks. These are executed simply by pressing on the relevant attack button. Strategy must be used as there is a “rock, paper, scissor” element to battle (e.g. if a Morty bearing a “rock” symbol appears to fight, then it’s best to choose your Morty with a “paper” symbol). The aim of the game is to defeat as many teams as possible, and get Rick’s portal gun back.

Reviewers comments

It was quite responsible for the developers of this game to put a 17+ age recommendation on it. Like the show itself, the game contains a lot of inappropriate humour which is crude and suggestive. Game play is quite slow, in that it makes you work repetitively in order to unlock features and progress. For example, in order to unlock the games area, you first must defeat 2 council members. However, to fight the council members, you need to earn a number of medals to do so. Medals can only be earned by travelling to other dimensions and defeating the main team of Morties there (after you’ve already battled various Morty teams in the same dimension). Thus, it took many hours of game play just to unlock a simple feature. Alternatively, the player can pay (with real money) for better Morties and features which unlocks the game area much sooner.

Further to this, there is a feature (similar to a gumball machine) where you can input earned coupons into a “Blips and Chitz” machine and win Morties. Earning coupons in-game takes a lot of time and many players would just pay for this advantage with real money. Also, the likelihood of getting a good Morty is very slim – in fact, the chances of getting the best Morty (exotic) this way is only 2% (see the Morty drop rates below). Hence, although a prize is won every time, the Blips and Chitz machine represents a risk for reward system which closely resembles gambling behaviour.

In App purchasing

Coupons:

5 Coupons: $5.99

15 Coupons: $14.99

40 Coupons: $30.99

125 Coupons: $79.99

300 Coupons: $159.99

Online information

N/A.

Gambling

Elements of gambling noted - see reviewers comments.

Advertising and product placement

None beyond the TV show itself.

Gender stereotypes and sexual references

None noted.

Coarse language

Lots of mild course language, sarcasm, suggestive themes.

Game playing behaviour which may be of concern to some parents

see reviewers comments.

Other

N/A.

Got a suggestion?

You can contact us if you have suggestions of other children's apps to review.