Rick and Morty Virtual Rick-ality lands on PSVR
Wubba lubba dub dub!! That’s right Rick and Morty fans, your prayers have been answered. Rick and Morty Virtual Rick-ality is now available on the PlayStation VR. This game is developed by Owlchemy Labs of Job Simulator fame and Justin Roiland, the show’s creator.
In this game, based off of one of the most entertaining shows on TV right now, you will travel to strange dimensions, fight aliens, get yelled at by Rick, and solve puzzles. Released last year on the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive, let’s take a look at how the PlayStation VR version stacks up.
Game Details
Platforms: PlayStation VR (PS4)
Developer: Owlchemy Labs
Publisher: Adult Swim Games
Genre: Simulation game
Modes: Single-player
ESRB Rating: M (Mature 17+)
Explore multiple strange dimensions
The story in Rick and Morty: Virtual Rick-ality is exactly what fans might expect from an episode of the television show. The story is centred around a clone of Morty that Rick has created to do his laundry for him. As you might have guessed, things quickly spiral out of control and you are tasked with more than just doing Rick’s laundry.
About 90% of the game takes place in Rick’s garage. To be honest, I was a little disappointed at this. However, there are a few occasions where you can use portals to travel to different places. Although interesting, they don’t last long and soon you make your way back to the garage.
Here’s a tip. Before playing, make sure that you have cleared the play area around yourself. You’ll need it! This is one of the most demanding VR games I’ve played in a while and will give you a decent work out. You’ll be solving puzzles and making new items by fusing items together on the workbench.
Puzzles that will test your reflexes and require brain work
As I mentioned above, get ready for a work out. You’ll be carrying and moving around objects, which are required to solve some of the game’s rather unique puzzles. They are a little more involved than Job Simulator and require some thought. The entire game is split into nine fun-filled levels.
One of my most memorable moments from the game came was when I had to fix an intergalactic car engine. This required me to put a fuse box together while also combining, mixing and fusing the many different items in the world around me to create the required items needed to fix the engine.
I have to admit, on occasion, the game’s puzzles got me frustrated. This was mostly due to items falling out of my hands for no apparent reason and then having to bend over and pick them up off the ground. Luckily this didn’t happen often so it really wasn’t a big issue.
Additionally, Rick and Morty Virtual Rick-ality has a shooting game sequence where you shoot down alien bugs. It’s mindless action and was a welcomed change from puzzle solving—I found it to be quite enjoyable. Though, to be honest, it doesn’t really add much to your overall experience and is quite short.
The same can be said about the story as well. In all, it took me about 3 hours to complete the game. For a VR game, it’s perfect! And, after I completed the story, there was still plenty of other things for me to see and do such as complete side-quests, find hidden objects, and create my own high score in the alien shooting game.
3D Rick and Morty goodness
From a visual and auditory standpoint, Rick and Morty Virtual Rick-ality looks and sounds pretty much how you might expect a VR game in this universe would. The sense of immersion left me feeling like I was taking part in an interactive episode of the TV show.
Much like the TV show, the voice work from Justin Roiland is hilarious and the writing is fantastic. The banter back and forth between Rick and Morty will have you laughing with tears in your eyes.
I felt that more of the show’s characters could have been incorporated into the game. Summer makes an appearance for a few scenes but that is it. I was definitely left wanting more and I think other fans will fell the same.
Final thoughts
Rick and Morty Virtual Rick-ality is without a doubt a love letter to Rick and Morty fans. It’s filled with references to the TV show and is enjoyable even if you haven’t seen the show. In fact, this game actually encourages those to watch the show and get lost in the Rick and Morty universe.
If you are a Rick and Morty fan, you’ll want to be sure to pick up this game. While the game is far from perfect and does have its flaws, I had an enjoyable time playing through the story and then going back and finding all the stuff that I had overlooked while playing.
+ Value priced
+ Fun for both new and long time fans of the TV show
+ Puzzles are entertaining
+ Fantastic writing and voice over work
– Some may find the game to be short in length
– Requires a fair amount of space around you to play
– Not many of the TV show’s characters are in the game
OVERALL
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 4/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 4/5
