When we heard that Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, creators of Rick and Morty, were embarking on a journey into the world of virtual reality, our minds ran wild with possibilities of how they would translate the fantastic and hilarious sci-fi world of the show into one fans could experience first-hand.
Just in time for 4/20, (these guys get their audience) we’re getting served up our first opportunity to go face-to-face with the smartest man in the multiverse and his grandson sidekick…and it’s glorious.
Working off a premise that’s similar to an “escape the room” scenario, Virtual Rick-ality opens with the explanation (by Rick, who is standing right in front of you) that you are an utterly disposable clone of Morty, created for the sole purpose of doing shitty chores around the garage lab while Rick, Morty and Summer abandon you to have the adventures we’ve all watched in the show.
That starts with the devastatingly mundane act of doing a load of laundry while Rick and Morty both criticize you for being slow and dumb but quickly ramps up so you’re using Rick’s signature portals and handling dark matter in no time.
The game is made up of nine chores, each one more intricate than the last, each one building on the skills you’re learning and your growing familiarity with the ins and outs of Rick’s garage laboratory. Rick himself dictates your objective but leaves you with very little instruction.
There are cues and cleverly hidden hints scattered everywhere, many of which we overlooked because we were initially spellbound by the fact that we were standing in Rick’s world. Eventually, though, we were flying through the tasks before us, feeling good about our progress and silencing Morty’s groans about our snail’s pace.
Virtual Rick-ality is, first and foremost, an ode to Harmon and Roiland’s fervent fanbase. No video game has delivered as up-close-and-personal and experience with the characters you love like this. Virtual Rick-ality is also brimming with easter eggs from the show.
There are cameos from Mr. Poopy-Butthole, there are interactions with Mr. Meeseeks (spoiler: you don’t get to fuck him), there are even hidden messages from the creators themselves if you know where to look and it all comes together to create an environment that’s as fun to explore as it is to play through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znEliSV2Hbg
That said, even without the Rick and Morty theme, what’s left here is one of the best and most robust escape-the-room games we’ve seen in VR so far. These challenges are fun, complex and ultimately rewarding once you solve the puzzles presented.
Maybe not as rewarding as it’ll be when season three of the show properly debuts this summer but pretty damn rewarding nonetheless.