Almost a year after its reveal at The Game Awards, Dispatch launches to much anticipation and intrigue. Can this game from a group of former Telltale Games developers strike lighting in a bottle? Or should it have been left on the cutting floor?
Superheroes In The Workplace?! (And So Much More)
Anyone who knows me would tell you my go to genre of video games is interactive dramas. Over the years I’ve played every single Telltale, Life Is Strange and just about any title in this genre you can think of. I revere the genre and how these games manage to illicit these deep emotions in me and how much I connect with and love the characters. The ability to choose your own path speaks to me so profoundly from a narrative perspective, I just can’t get enough of it. So when AdHoc Studio (A team made up of former Telltale Games developers) announced Dispatch, my enthusiasm and excitement was through the roof! What I’m about to say, I don’t say lightly – Dispatch is an all time classic and easily one of the best interactive dramas ever made. It’s that damn good.
I cannot state enough how brilliant the narrative of Dispatch is. The game bills itself as a superhero workplace comedy but it’s so much more than that. Set in Torrance, California, you assume the role of Robert Robertson III, a third generation superhero who doesn’t have any actual superpowers. What he does have is a giant mech suit which he pilots, giving him the name of ‘Mecha Man’. At the start of the game, Robert is lured into a trap by supervillain Shroud who murdered Robert’s father prior to the events of the game. Robert manages to barely escape the trap but at the cost of his suit being almost entirely destroyed, forcing him into indefinite retirement. After failing to stop criminals in the street, Robert is introduced to Blonde Blazer, a corporate yet powerful superhero who runs Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN) and convinces Robert to become a dispatcher and run a team of superheroes in exchange for repairing his suit. Thus setting the game’s events in motion.
This is such a brilliant start to the game that helps set the stage for the player to gain an understanding of Robert and his motivations and feelings. I became emotionally invested in his journey immediately. His clear issues with his identity now that he no longer has the suit is such a great narrative tool to use in order to push Robert to new emotional depth. The game just gets better and better from here on in. Set across eight episodes that will take you around 8-10 hours to complete, the story is an emotional and hilarious tale of teamwork, identity and morals.
The team you look after is a dysfunctional bunch of former supervillains known as the Z-Team. The team is made up of Sonar (a man bat), Punch-Up (a jacked up Irish dwarf), Flambae (a flying hero who can control fire) Invisigal (shockingly, she can turn invisible) Malevola (a literal demon), Golem (a sentient construct), Prism (a master of light) and Coupé (mercenary enamoured with knives). This cast of characters is nothing short of one of the best casts ever assembled, as they are both hilarious but also profoundly complex.
Of course, since this game is billed as an interactive drama, player choice takes a huge role in how the story unfolds. There are many dialogue and choice options throughout the game which help shape relationships, romance, events and reactions and may drastically alter how the story ends. The amount of choice and replay ability is phenomenal and I cannot recommend multiple playthroughs enough in order to fully grasp the scale of differences in choices.
The script and the dialogue are some of the best in gaming, ever. The cast, my god the cast! The voice cast is outstanding propelled in lead by Aaron Paul who fully encompasses Robert and makes the character feel truly alive. The Z-Team is voiced by a diverse cast, including rappers and the likes of Moist Cr1TiKaL as Sonar; Yung Gravy taking an hilarious turn as Golem and so many more great performances across the board. The full list can be found here. If you are looking for a superhero comedy full of action, heart, mystery and emotional moments, then this is the game for you. It is best to go in with as little knowledge as possible and let these characters imprint onto you. This story will stay with me forever. Magnificent.
Hacking, Dispatching, Interacting, Vibing
Often, gameplay in interactive dramas tends to be pushed to the wayside in order to fully showcase the narrative but this is not the case in Dispatch. The core gameplay loop is intrinsically tied to the title of the game itself. Whilst there are some quick time events and dialogue choices often found in this genre, it’s the dispatching gameplay mechanic that feels so fresh and quite genius. Throughout each episode, Robert will partake in his dispatch shift or shifts depending on the episode.
Logging into SDN, it’s up to you, as Robert, to strategically decide where to send your team across the city to different crimes and events taking place. It could be stopping a robbery, it could be saving a cat or even fighting a Kaiju! What makes this so addictive are the stats and traits tied to each character. They all have different stats, whether its mobility, charisma, intellect, vigour or combat. Looking at each event and deciding which character or characters fit the needs of that mission is just an absolute blast. The shifts get progressively harder but you continuously upgrade the stats of the team and unlock their unique abilities, making some characters overpowered for certain events. Of course, sending the right character won’t always mean guaranteed success, as the game operates on a percentage probability system, making it somewhat randomised. Staggeringly good.
The icing on the cake for the gameplay is the hacking minigames that take place during dispatch shifts. Some events require Robert to aid the team by hacking into cameras, doors, safes etc. This is a simple minigame that gets progressively more difficult the further into the game you go. Unlocking passwords, avoiding anti-virus and using electrical sources to power you to the exit are some of the tasks to handle. Or it could be a countdown pressing you for time. These are just some of the events that take place in these hacking sequences. I fully expected the game to mainly consist of dialogue and QTE’S but it’s so much more. I could never have dreamed of a better gameplay system to fit the narrative so perfectly like this.
Straight Out Of A Comic Book
If you think I’m about to stop waxing lyrical about this game, then you have another thing coming. The visual presentation is just mesmerising. Every character, location and environment looks ripped straight out of a comic book, with gorgeous 2D cell-shaded backgrounds, complemented by 3D models dripping in detail and colour. Every character looks phenomenal and each one looks fitting of a main character, with the amount of detail put into each layer of clothing being particularly impressive.
The Mecha Man suit is also something to behold at the start of the game. The level of complexity on the characters’ faces when conveying emotion is breath-taking. You can really tell the love and passion these developers have poured into this game. You can see the inspiration of old Telltale games shining through but this is just on another level. A vibrant, beautiful world and the fact that the team has talked about making this into a animated series excites me to my core.
Similarly, the audio design and soundtrack are so wonderfully woven into the narrative that it is magical! As previously mentioned, every character is voiced so superbly (Jeffrey Wright as Chase, my personal favourite) bringing huge amount of depth and emotion to each line they utter. Every fight scene or action moment sounds bombastic and intense, whilst the beeping on the dispatching network is so satisfying to hear it’s hard to quantify it in words. And then, the soundtrack, good god. Every episode ends with a song that perfectly fits the events and mood. I can’t imagine it being any more perfect. The score itself is wonderful and adds so much emotion and weight to the scenes. I am simply in awe of AdHoc Studios presentation across the board. Masterful!
Verdict
To put this as simply as I can, Dispatch is a game that will stay with me forever. It’s easily my game of the year so far and one of my favourite stories ever told. A tale of discovering a true identity, packed with emotion, comedy and romance, it’s more than I could ever have hoped for in an interactive drama. Add in the superb and unique gameplay mechanics, and AdHoc have managed to catch lightning in a bottle. Stunning visuals, pitch perfect audio design and a killer soundtrack make this the perfect game. I just pray the developers decide to revisit this world, whether that’s on television or hopefully another season in video game form. Bravo AdHoc, you have achieved true perfection! I’m going back to Dispatch!
