Dispatch Game Review: What Makes A Hero?
Available on PC (Windows, macOS); Consoles (Steam Deck – ✅Verified, Nintendo Switch 1/2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S);
o you ever think about what it might be like to live in a world of superheroes, but not be a superhero? You’d be just a regular dude whose job is to send heroes out to requests like an emergency services operator. Well, if you’re like me and the answer to all that was yes, then hooo boi you need to play Dispatch!
Dispatch is created by some of the folks who worked on the Telltale games. So you already know the dialogue’s going to be witty and playful– and hella raunchy. Make sure you’re wearing headphones for this one!
This is an episodic game with romance, comedy, strategy, and just really, really awesome storytelling. You’ve got the option to turn off some of the quicktime events if you just want to immerse yourself in the cinematics as well– although I find that I enjoy having the option to just be absolutely terrible in fights.
In Dispatch, you play as Robert, AKA Mecha Man, a normal guy who’s also a superhero until his suit gets destroyed. He gets offered a job as a dispatcher, and that’s the setup for the rest of the game.
A lot of the skills needed in this are understanding the characters and their motivations, learning what makes them tick, who works better with whom, and all the nitty-gritty details of office politics. It doesn’t help that Robert gets assigned to work with a dysfunctional team of former villains. Not as a punishment, but because they know he’s got potential.
That’s one of the biggest things I loved about the game. Regardless of how you play Robert, he’s part of a rare breed of protagonists who actually get shit done and are dependable. Unless, of course, you decide to play him as anything but.
Every day in the game is a new subplot to uncover with new choices to make, emergencies to send heroes out to, and skills to upgrade. Manage the roster, know which sides to take, and maybe the city of Los Angeles gets to live to see another day.
I was a little hesitant to get this, if only because I had been told that so many people struggled with the dispatching that they said it didn’t make sense. But then I played it and… well… it’s not hard. It’s intuitive! You obviously don’t send a hero whose main thing is charisma to solo a search and rescue.
Here, it’s important to pay attention. The other characters tell Robert how they feel and what they think most of the time, and when they don’t, it’s still pretty obvious.
Dispatch gets the human aspect of stories right. It’s weird to say that because they’re superheroes and some of them aren’t even human, but you get my point. The struggle to fit in, identity, good and evil. What does it all mean? Who gets to decide that? All the characters feel so alive. They have their own stories, motivations, fears, pride, ideals, etc. And when you ignore that, the game makes you feel it.
AdHoc Studio allows you to play a Robert who may not want to be a hero anymore, or maybe he’s just a diehard goody-two-shoes who’s one super serum away from becoming Captain America. Either way, there’s a story to tell, characters to resonate with, and moments to hold and appreciate.
The only thing I wish this game allowed us to do was choose not to say anything. I wouldn’t be able to do it the whole game, but it would be funny to have the option and just have the characters question why Robert is just quiet all the time.
All in all, it’s great! The voice acting is top-notch, the music hits me in the feels every damn time, the animation is FANTASTIC. But the heart of it all is in the writing of these characters. It’s no wonder why fans are so eager for another game in this world. Literally just, GIVE ME MORE.
