Solely the primary two of Dispatch’s closing eight episodes have been launched but, but it surely’s secure to say that I am already fairly hooked on this distinctive narrative journey that seems like a religious successor to 2010’s Telltale Video games. Half TV present, half puzzle recreation, this hyper-powered office comedy instantly grabbed my consideration with its swarm of quirky characters, participating mini-games, and chuckle-worthy dialogue. It is too early to say what route the story will take over the subsequent three weeks of the episodic launch schedule (and we’ll get a closing scoring overview on the finish). However the thread AdHoc Studio is pulling is straight away compelling, and I am cautiously optimistic.
Dispatch takes place in an alternate interpretation of modern-day Los Angeles, the place supernatural beings, aliens, demons, and all types of superpowered humanoids stay amongst atypical individuals. Naturally, a few of these gifted beings use their powers for good, whereas others select a decidedly villainous method. With so many supermarkets roaming the streets, a company known as SDC stepped in and arrange an insurance-style racket the place residents may pay for the privileges of the highly effective watchdog. One of many aforementioned good guys is collection protagonist Robert Robertson (also called Mecha-Man), whose heroic aspirations are shortly thwarted when a rogue explosive machine takes his swimsuit out of fee and throws him into the position of a name heart worker for a small department of SDC. Up to now we have solely skilled his first day on the job, however I am already pushed by his predicament and to see how this desk job will have an effect on his peaceable desires of serving to individuals.
Dispatch is split into two completely different components. Most of your time will probably be spent chatting by fantastically animated scenes, selecting attention-grabbing dialogue choices, and performing quick-time occasions akin to: wolf amongst us or life is unusual collection. Whenever you make sure selections, you may get an thrilling notification on the high of the display that claims “X individuals remembered that,” which seems like a refreshing jolt of 2025 nostalgia. However importantly, I usually could not really feel the burden of my selections till I had already made them. Up to now, none of my decisions have been mistaken or meaningless. I used to be steadily struck by how even essentially the most informal remark may have an effect on the story. Solely time will inform how massive these ripple results will probably be.
The remainder of his time on Dispatch is spent working within the position of the titular dispatcher, assigning varied duties to superheroes. Not like animation sequences, these sections happen on a pc display and resemble point-and-click puzzles. As you monitor town map along with your mouse and wits, orange exclamation factors will periodically pop up together with timers to provide you with a warning to numerous jobs that your SDC must deal with effectively. Every hero beneath your command has a stat matrix as follows: pokemonwhen a job is displayed, it gives a verbal description of the issue together with aligned icons that point out the statistics wanted to efficiently resolve the issue.
Your job from right here is to match your finest heroes, or in some instances heroes, with their standing and persona, and ship them out. You may immediately know in case you move or fail, and successes offers you a stat increase which you can apply to your hero on future shifts. This can be a extra subtle suggestions loop that blends properly with the sonic complexity of the encompassing setting. Dispatch rigorously balances the staff’s tongue-in-cheek banter with the anxious want to save lots of residents on time. That is nice.
Nonetheless, that is not all. Work Hours incorporates a secondary hacking mini-game. Right here, you roll 3D objects by a cybernetic maze because the clock ticks down, utilizing arrow key inputs to carve your technique to the ultimate purpose. These eventualities have been usually mixed with intense occasions occurring across the metropolis, so the stakes felt excessive and it was simple to get misplaced within the fantasy. Dispatch’s “prolonged episode” method has been convincing up to now. It helps that the script could be very witty and satirically acerbic, and is properly executed by the ensemble forged.
Like all puzzle, the presence of a staff additionally complicates success. Robert Robertson is new to the job, so after all he isn’t precisely operating Gold Star operations. The group you are attempting to manage are all made up of former villains who’re making an attempt to rejoin society after a lifetime of crime. As you possibly can think about, it would not work. The idea of morally ambiguous superhumans has been explored in movie and tv earlier than, however Dispatch manages to defuse expectations with a stable mixture of soiled jokes and honest exchanges which might be usually suspenseful.
For instance, at my first after-work assembly, my boss, Blonde Blazer, requested me why I had a nosebleed. Shortly earlier than that, certainly one of my “heroes” immediately punched me within the face for making what was most likely an unwise determination throughout a dialog. I had a alternative right here. You’ll be able to both snitch on her or faux all the things is okay. I selected to not make a fuss, hoping I would not be attacked once more. This resulted in heat interactions between me and the opposite members of SDC. Dispatch may have thrown in one other joke right here for an inexpensive giggle, however they did not. This cautious restraint provides the world a way of actuality and makes it simpler to empathize with it.
It is a aid that the characters I’ve met up to now have caught with me, even when their attitudes stink. None of them are one-dimensional, and it is unclear what’s hidden beneath these layers, but it surely already seems like there’s lots to unravel. Invisigal (previously often known as Invisibitch), voiced by Laura Bailey, is a brash and conniving menace on the run from a questionable previous. Erin Yvette performs SDC chief Blonde Blazer, whose noble faΓ§ade hides a world of insecurity. And to call a number of standouts: retired hero and meddlesome recreation veteran Jeffrey Wright’s Chase. It will even be remiss to not point out Robert, who, due to Aaron Paul’s emotional and nuanced efficiency, feels deeply flawed but endearingly human.
We’re solely 1 / 4 of the way in which by this story, but it surely’s nonetheless too early to say how Dispatch will finish. From leveling up your heroes within the Dispatch mini-game to fulfilling Robert’s savior fantasy after his accident, it is clear there’s nonetheless lots to do. I will be again with a scored overview shortly after the discharge of the ultimate episode on November twelfth, however for now, I am utterly captivated by this world and need to get entangled in Robert’s damaged private life.