Dispatch review: All in a day’s work

Seven years after AdHoc Studio was founded by former Telltale Games, Ubisoft, and Night School developers, the studio has released its debut title. *Dispatch* is an original interactive narrative game that takes heavy inspiration from the games that made the genre a mainstay and builds on them to deliver one of the best narrative experiences I’ve had in years.

### Rock Bottom

*Dispatch* follows the story of Robert Robertson, who was once the popular superhero Mecha Man. A third-generation hero, Robert lives in the shadow of his dad and grandfather. After his suit is destroyed during his pursuit of the man who killed his father, Robert finds himself at rock bottom. Now powerless, he’s recruited to join SDN (Superhero Dispatch Network), where he’ll manage heroes from behind a desk.

The catch, however, is that the team Robert is assigned to—the Z-Team—are all former criminals. SDN is seeking to rehabilitate these ex-villains and make them heroes as part of the “Phoenix Program.” This is where *Dispatch* finds its narrative hook.

Over the course of the story, I grew to love this crew of misfits and their shenanigans. Conversely, working with them develops Robert as a hero himself, even if he no longer has his suit.

### Reinvigorated

I was blown away by *Dispatch*’s exceptional writing. I went into this game knowing essentially nothing about it, and by the end of Chapter 1, I was hooked. AdHoc does an amazing job establishing this world, its major players, and the stakes at hand.

A lot of this is bolstered by *Dispatch*’s star-studded cast of actors. Robert is voiced by Aaron Paul, famous for his role as Jesse Pinkman in *Breaking Bad*. Alongside him are Laura Bailey (Invisigal), Jeffrey Wright (Chase), and Matthew Mercer (Shroud). They’re all phenomenal, nailing the emotion and humor that a story like this demands.

Several Z-Team members are voiced by content creators and artists, all of whom impressed me with their performances.

### Episodic Format and Engaging Pacing

In classic Telltale fashion, *Dispatch* uses an episodic format, with two episodes releasing weekly throughout October and November 2025. It’s a format that can be incredibly hit-or-miss when applied to video games, but the pacing of each *Dispatch* episode is nearly perfect.

Every chapter has impactful decisions, unforgettable moments, and teases that made me eager to come back the following week.

### Player Choice and Narrative Impact

As an interactive narrative game, *Dispatch* puts the power to influence the story in the hands of players. The narrative branches in various directions based on your actions and how you respond to characters. This could be as simple as choosing what kind of food to throw at someone in the break room, or deciding who gets cut from the Z-Team.

*Dispatch* makes you feel the weight of your choices, which brings me to my favorite character in the game: Blonde Blazer.

The character who brings you into the fold at SDN, Blonde Blazer is a pillar of strength and bravery in the superhero community. She’s also one of the game’s two romance options (alongside Invisigal), and following her storyline was one of the game’s more rewarding decisions.

It’s a fascinating breakdown of a popular superhero archetype, anchored by a flawless performance from Erin Yvette.

If it sounds like I’m gushing, well—that’s what *Dispatch* does to you. It makes you fall in love with a cast of characters in a way few games are able to achieve. By the time I got to the game’s climactic final chapter, my heart was beating out of my chest as I feared for the wellbeing of all these characters I’d come to adore.

### Genre Constraints

While *Dispatch* does a great job satisfying most playstyles, it suffers from some of the same issues that have plagued the interactive narrative genre since its inception. The constraints of a branching narrative mean that some story events are guaranteed to happen, regardless of your input.

This can undercut some of the decisions, especially when you replay an episode and realize that all three dialogue options in a scene eventually lead to the same outcome.

### The Secret Sauce: Music

Before moving on, I want to shine a light on what I believe to be the secret sauce of *Dispatch*: music. Specifically, the indie songs that someone at AdHoc was brilliant enough to find and apply to the game’s best moments.

Deep Dreem’s “Little Light” at the end of Episode 4 made me feel like I was levitating. Hearing “Radio” by Bushy during the party scene in Episode 6 solidified it as my favorite scene in the entire game.

This is also true of the game’s original soundtrack (OST), which I don’t want to sell short. Music is central to the *Dispatch* experience, and I can’t imagine playing the game without its carefully curated soundtrack and OST.

### Dispatching: More than Just a Minigame

I knew *Dispatch* was a cut above many of its interactive narrative peers the first time I tried its dispatching minigames.

Between all of the drama and romance, you have to actually do your job of dispatching heroes, assigning them to tasks, and keeping everything organized.

In a lot of games like this, this could have easily been the boring part—the vegetables you have to finish before you can have dessert. However, AdHoc found a way to make this part of the game compelling too.

*Dispatch* gameplay is essentially a management sim. You stare at a map of Los Angeles, and as calls come in from citizens in need, you send the right hero to the job.

From cats stuck in trees, to fights at sporting events, to kaiju terrorizing a beach, there’s no shortage of people in need. Each task requires specific characteristics, and you have to use your knowledge of the Z-Team to figure out the best fit.

For example, if a job calls for someone who needs to do some talking, I’d send Prism, since she has the highest Charisma stat on my team.

Your success rate depends on how closely a character’s attributes fit the job. On a success, characters earn XP and eventually level up, allowing you to increase one of their stats.

This is also where the management side comes in. It takes time for heroes to physically travel to and from a job. After completing a task, they’ll need to rest before they can be sent out again.

You have to carefully strategize who you send on jobs, and when. If you immediately throw as many heroes as possible at the first jobs that pop up, you won’t have anyone capable of taking on what comes next.

Characters also have synergies that incentivize specific pairs, adding another layer of strategy.

### What It Means to Be a Hero

*Dispatch* is my most pleasant surprise this year. In a pop culture landscape littered with superhero parodies and deconstructions, *Dispatch* manages to carve its own unique path.

The message that anyone is capable of doing good, regardless of where they came from or the mistakes they’ve made in the past, truly resonated with me. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get a little emotional during the final credit roll.

On top of that, it’s a hilarious superhero romp with satisfying storylines and characters that I am practically begging to see again.

If this is the standard of quality we can expect from AdHoc Studio, the interactive narrative genre is in good hands.

—

*This review is based on the Steam version of* Dispatch. *Dispatch is available now for $29.99 USD on PC and PS5.*
https://www.shacknews.com/article/146836/dispatch-review-score

You may also like

Dispatch review: All in a day’s work

2025 年 11 月 14 日

Dispatch review: All in a day’s work

2025 年 11 月 14 日

SteelSeries Arctis Nova Elite headset review: Ultimate versatility, eye-watering cost

2025 年 11 月 14 日