If there's one series that's known for constantly finding new ways to tell its stories, it's Rick and Morty. Just over a month before its 5th season premiere, Adult Swim posted a nice new absolute unit of a promo to get fans hyped up, and some viewers may find it surprisingly familiar.
The 17-minute video, titled Rick and Morty in the Eternal Nightmare Machine, is entirely animated in a retro video game pixel art style, featuring the titular duo trekking through a side-scrolling beat-em-up world. Encountering environments and enemies that call back to a number of the show's own highlights, it's certainly far less cynical than the last time Rick and Morty took part in the business of video games.
From the opening, which depicts the two going off on a SNES-inspired adventure after their family glitches into hideous monsters (oddly not all that out of the ordinary), to a boss battle with Evil Morty, the whole thing plays out like an actual video game. Unlike other similar homages which tend to just toss in some pixelated art and call it a day, this one keeps things legit, and there's a good reason for that.
Fans may recognize the art style used in the surprisingly high-quality promo. That's because its animator, Paul Robertson, has more than just a passing fancy for video games. He's worked on a number of popular titles, pixel-style and otherwise, including some of the latest games in the Shantae series. But his most recognizable work might arguably be in the recently re-released Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game. Eagle-eyed viewers might even recognize a few of the same types of animations used in the promo (such as the way Rick punches), which may even be the same animations used in the Scott Pilgrim game, just with a different sprite.
Any long-time fans of Rick and Morty will find more than a few familiar references throughout the Adult Swim promo. A particularly fun one includes the recurring appearance of Gazorpazorpfield, the interdimensional version of everyone's favorite Monday-hating cat Garfield. While the episode that spawned this arm-eared monstrosity doesn't always find itself on lists of the best Rick and Morty episodes, pretty much every other top pick is represented in the promo somewhere. Pickle Rick and Butter Robot show up as enemies and obstacles, and even Rick's private and secluded toilet becomes a dookie throwing boss. It's a trip the whole way through, all the way until the end screen teases the season 5 premiere date.
Regardless of certain aspects of its fanbase often referred to as "insufferable," it's clear that Rick and Morty is a bit of a cultural phenomenon, and for good reason. The writing is funny, the characters are enjoyable (if a bit cynical), and it makes viewers feel smart. Heck, the writers are already working on Rick and Morty season 7, even before season 5 has premiered, so that's got to be a testament to this unique show's staying power. If season 5 has even half as much effort put in as this promo did, fans are in for a real treat.
Rick and Morty season 5 will premiere on June 20th on Adult Swim.
Source: Adult Swim/YouTube