When I watched the initial review of Pocket Mortys from IGN, which awarded the game a mediocre 5.5, I was disappointed but hopeful.

This free iOS title is based on one of my favorite TV shows, Rick and Morty. Naturally, I wanted it to be amazing. After giving Morty-collecting a fair shot, though, I had to ask myself: can a mediocre game be redeemed by the fact that it’s based on my favorite show? For some fans, the answer is yes — but my hands are a little more tied, and I can’t help but be reminded of the larger issue of licensed titles that has haunted gaming for years.

First and foremost, Pocket Mortys is a Pokémon parody. Its main distinguishing feature is randomly-generated dungeons. A few other minor game aspects differ from the Poké-formula, but they’re not too notable.

As a Rick and Morty fan, I wish the creators of the show had involved themselves with the game’s writing. It’s hard to find more than the comedic specter of show co-creators Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland. Maybe they were busy with Season 3, but that’s a paltry excuse — their previous (free!) game, Rick and Morty’s Rushed Licensed Adventure, featured full voice acting by Roiland and hilariously tongue-in-cheek writing. (Also, there were no microtransactions.) Pocket Mortys has neither, and ironically, feels… well, rushed. For a series so self-aware, this is disappointing. The characters give stock Pokemon dialogue like “Welcome to the Morty Daycare!” and “You won’t defeat my Mortys!” Their dialogue is also ridden with typos. The Morty sprites are hilarious, but the story, where it exists, is a forgettable. Every attack looks the same, and every Morty sounds the same.

The skeleton for a truly entertaining game is all there, but unfortunately, there’s just not much meat on its bones. When compared to Rick and Morty’s Rushed Licensed Adventure, Pocket Mortys feels like lackluster way to get cash from fans.

I did have a little fun playing, but the game is just kind of okay. So what? Well, what actually concerns me most about Pocket Mortys is the backlash that the IGN review received. Their YouTube video was deluged with dislikes, mainly from — judging from the comments — Rick and Morty fans that either completely misunderstand the criticisms or wrongly conflated disliking Pocket Mortys with disliking the show. Believe me, they aren’t the same thing!

Maybe I’m been spoiled by South Park: The Stick of Truth, but my bar for licensed games is high. Yours should be, too. It’s time to appreciate creators that refuse to sit back and let brand recognition carry their game. We’re not in the McKids days anymore. Ideally, a translation of work to game should be treated with care, just like any adaptation to another art form: book to film, show to graphic novel.

Of course, Pocket Mortys doesn’t affect the quality of its parent show. It’s a small disappointment, but not worth any fangirl pitchforks. It may even be improved by future updates and patches that add much-needed content. But if a game isn’t good, I’m not feeding it money — even if my favorite character is the one asking me for it.