We are saturated with superhero media to the point where even self-criticism has been done to death with franchises like Watchmen and The Boys. But with its debut choice-driven narrative adventure, AdHoc Studio has managed to find a unique angle for the superhero genre.
In Dispatch, the story focuses on an office-based lackey and corporate manager of said superheroes, rather than the heroes themselves. This is a beautifully animated, episodic choice-driven narrative adventure, very much drawing from the team’s history at Telltale Games. So far, only two of eight episodes have been released, with two more launching every week through November 12th. However, be prepared for very little interaction in this interactive experience.
As the unfortunately named Robert Robertson III (played brilliantly by Aaron Paul), a down-on-his-luck hero without powers, you are a dispatcher for a superhero security company. Instead of cops or security guards, clients call the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN) to assist in all manner of issues, from cats in trees to jewelry heists. Robert manages his own team of reformed supervillains, and it’s up to you to decide which of the misfits to send, based on their personal history and powers. Do you send the crypto-bro manbat to escort a celebrity, or the charismatic popstar with magic light powers? Do you send the stealthy ex-assassin or the girl who can turn invisible to infiltrate a robbery?
These are the quick choices you make when Robert sits for his first day on the job, after about an hourlong intro. Robert’s choices affect the outcome of the particular emergency, which, if successful, leads to heroes leveling up various attributes. These attributes — like combat and charisma — determine the outcome of a scenario. For example, you wouldn’t send the inarticulate fire superhero to an event that requires a good speaker. The scenarios pop up on his ’90s-era computer screen, much like short emergencies in a SimCity game. You never actually see any animation taking place during these scenarios, given Robert is deskbound and communicating solely via voice. However, having access to just the first two episodes has meant I’ve only dispatched twice, taking up about five to 10 minutes each time.
Outside of dispatch missions, most of the game involves dialogue and action choices, and quick-time events (though these can be turned off). Anyone who played Telltale’s iconic The Walking Dead will know the mechanics. However, this is one of the most restrictive narrative adventures I’ve played. You don’t even get to control Robert’s movements in terms of walking and talking. This is less a Monkey Island adventure and more Black Mirror’s Bandersnatch. This does seem to allow for consistently stunning and handcrafted animation, however, of a quality to match high-quality adult animated shows like Invincible and Arcane. Add to this a stellar cast — including the aforementioned Paul, there’s Laura Bailey, Jeffrey Wright, Travis Willingham, and others — and it really does feel like a high-budget show.
The downside is the limited consequences — at least early on. I played the two episodes a few times, given how brief each one is (the first episode took about 30 minutes), and made different choices to see just how different the outcomes would be. Barring a decision in a bar fight that either did or did not lead to a recurring character’s front tooth getting knocked out, very little of the game’s story changed. To be fair, I have no idea how late into the complete season the consequences will manifest. Several times a pop-up of “X will remember that” appeared, but only a few times did I see the outcome of that.
Related to these limitations are “combat” sequences — despite being quick-time events, the one I experienced had no differing outcome if you just left the buttons alone. You can turn quick-time events off, but even with them on, the outcome doesn’t change. I don’t know what point these quick-time events serve, whether on or off, which speaks to how on-rails and restrictive the game is.
Image: AdHoc Studio
The story begins with Robert, known as MechaMan, who pilots a giant suit of robot armor, tracking down his dad’s killer. His father, who was MechaMan before him, was murdered by a supervillain named Shroud. In an ensuing fight, the suit is destroyed and Robert is left with nothing. He is soon recruited by an actual superpowered superhero, Blonde Blazer, the most generic “hot blonde” hero you could imagine.
By contrast, the main character Robert is not at all generic: neither a grump nor entitled windbag. He’s determined, articulate, and thoughtful. He’s given the worst team to manage but takes it as a challenge rather than a slight. While you get to make choices, Robert’s character is very much set.
The game’s strength lies in its writing and characters. Without the restrictions of working with licensed characters, the developers are wonderfully creative with their heroes. I thoroughly enjoyed the brief interactions between and with the weirdos in spandex you are given. As a non-powered hero, Robert navigates them with both tension and annoyance but not fear. I am looking forward to seeing how relationships develop and with whom Robert bonds.
But for now I’m only cautiously optimistic about where Dispatch is going. Through the first two episodes — which barely take up two hours, and feature on-rails outcomes, limited interaction, and little idea of the actual plot — I am uncertain. I fell in love with the animation, the voice work, and the characters, but those are elements you can experience as a let’s play on YouTube. Now the game needs to show me why I should play rather than watch.
The first two episodes of Dispatch are available now on the PS5 and Steam.
