Dispatch Review
DISPATCH REVIEW (IN PROGRESS)
Did Telltale fuck it up or were the problems harder to pinpoint than that. Hopefully, Dispatch will prove that the problem with Telltale games wasn’t due to the lack of talent, but poor vision and mismanagement, which is ironic since Dispatch is a game about managing relationships with other humans and misfit superheroes.
Like a phoenix, AdHoc was formed in 2018 by some of the most talented people at Telltale who were abruptly thrown away weeks before the studio imploded and filed bankruptcy. Dispatch is their debut and if the first two episodes are any indication, it shows that greatness can’t be rushed and the downfall of Telltale wasn’t from lack of talent as Dispatch features excellence across the board in a binge worthy experience that blurs the line with prestige TV.
Within just the first few episodes of Dispatch, AdHoc displays their willingness to learn from the past and utilizes their talent to evolve the genre. Instead of licensing legacy IP, they have dreamt up an incredible universe that is fully realized thanks to a timeless art style that the studio is calling Western Anime and a fantastic soundtrack that gives it a premium feel. The experience is captivating thanks to a deeply engaging narrative anchored by phenomenal performances that is perfectly balanced with a unique gameplay that emphasizes genre strengths.
DISCLAIMER
The first two episodes did an excellent job of establishing this universe, creating Mecha-Man’s origin story and then crafting numerous storylines around him that result in an addictive experience. Take everything with a grain of salt as this review only covers the first two episodes, but we feel strongly about the trajectory Dispatch is on and we will be updating this review as new episodes release.
DISPATCH REVIEW (In Progress)
It’s hard to think of another studio with the odds stacked against them even before releasing their debut, but that is exactly the case with AdHoc. For better or worse, AdHoc is forced to carry the baggage that comes along with Telltale, a studio that created some of the best story driven adventure games, but in a very short period of time, burned all of that goodwill with an aging engine, episodic delays and quality control.
In addition to be founded by many of the same talented people behind some of the best of the genre including The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us and Tales from the Borderlands including Creative Directors and Writing Directors, Dispatch is also the same genre and AdHoc will also be embracing the episodic structure.
However, the schedule has already been revealed with two episodes per week for four weeks and considering that we were given access to the first four before release, it seems almost certain that AdHoc will be able to execute on this promise.
Episodes of Dispatch are broken down into digestible chunks that fly by at around forty minutes to an hour per episode and make Dispatch extremely binge worthy.
In Dispatch, you play as Robert Robertson III, who is better known by his super hero alter-ego Mecha-Man and is voiced by Aaron Paul, who brings his best performance since Breaking Bad. Robert is architecturally built very similar to Jesse Pinkman minus the meth. He’s a likeable failure who has the power within to be better and in just the first few episodes, AdHoc create a compelling origin story that is layered and full of depth despite leaning on a superhero crutch with the death of a loved one.
Robert is dealing with a lot of internal demons as he is clearly battling imposter syndrome about being a hero as he is trying to live up to the expectations set by his late father, who was the original Mecha-Man. It doesn’t help that he lacks the building blocks of a traditional superhero as well. He definitely doesn’t look like one and he also lacks superpowers. Robert is just a regular, relatable person just trying their best. Everything about the origin story of Robert teases going beyond tropes and cliches.
Dispatch features a strong narrative with a script that blends romance, sexual tension, comedy and drama. There are laugh out loud moments and always a handful of loose plot threads dangling. The writers also have no interest in wasting your time as within the first few minutes you are deciding whether someone lives or dies. The writing and delivery feels extremely natural, which gives an authenticity to Dispatch, but no matter which dialogue choice you select, it always comes out smooth and conversational ensuring immersion. The voice performances are great across the board, but the standout performances go to the lead cast of Aaron Paul, Jeffrey Wright, Erin Yvette and Laura Bailey.
Strength vs Weakness
Dispatch feels like an evolution of the genre as it’s a lot more than just dialogue choices and the occasional quick time event (which can be completely turned off). Gone is the tired gameplay the genre has relied on for decades of moving around environments while spamming to find items. Mechanics that only highlight the weakness of the genre. What really makes Dispatch standout from the genre is the addition of unique management gameplay, which is done through your job at Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN) that emphasizes your ability to manage relationships
Your role at SDN is to dispatch heroes across the city as needed, but you are given the task to look after the worst of the worst. Eight misfits or supervillains who are giving breaking good a chance. During your shift, problems constantly break out all over the city from a cat getting stuck in a tree, a billionaire gala that needs a superhero presence or even a kaiju attack.
Each hero begins the game with a preset amount of skills including strength, mobility and intellect to name a few. Your job will be to send out the heroes who are best equipped to handle each task based on their skillset. If you succeed, the heroes get an XP bonus, and with enough, you’ll be able to upgrade. The choice becomes yours to either create a team of well rounded individuals ready for anything or if you want to create heroes who only excel at a few things. It’s not as easy as it sounds because you are constantly spinning plates as heroes will be out other jobs or recovering from their last one, which limits your choices when things get very busy.
Robert will also occasionally need to help these heroes out with his technical fluency. This is done through hacking style mini-games that felt partially inspired by Helldivers with its use of the D-Pad mechanic. Whether it’s accessing security cameras or reactivating the alarm system to assist in thwarting thieves, it was fun and a nice change of pace. The ones that featured a timer or had firewall protection felt the most exhilarating.
On its own, the Dispatch mechanic wouldn’t be enough for a game, but when paired with the engaging interactive narrative, it’s extremely complimentary. There is an excellent balance and pacing between the story and the dispatching, which keeps each element from becoming monotonous and always leaves you wanting more of each. What remains to be see is how the story and Dispatching will meaningfully interact with each other.
The Deluxe Version also deserves a special mention. It includes a digital art book, which is fairly common with special editions, but this is the first one that captured my attention for more than just a quick glance over as it features a behind the scenes look at development. It shares unique details like how a certain environment was created or how the design of some characters evolved over time and how some decisions about Dispatch were made. These details humanize Dispatch, as you not only get a more intimate look at the process, including mistakes that were made throughout development.
DISPATCH CRITICISM
During the first two episodes, there didn’t seem to be divergent choices that would have affected the outcome in a meaningful way. This didn’t take away from the experience, but it does hinder the desire to replay episodes just to hear a few different lines of dialogue. This is the biggest area that I am hoping for things to change for the rest of the experience. I’m sure big choices will happen later in the game, but to truly be able to shape the entire experience would encourage repeat plays.
Dispatch is a great looking game, but during cinematic scenes there are a few issues. To begin with when the camera is pans during a scene, it doesn’t feel as fluid as it should. Turning on the V-Sync seemed to help the problem, but it didn’t completely eliminate it. The other issue is that the audio balance can feel a little off as sound effects feel too low. You can hear them, but the effects are quieter than they should be and this removes a sense of weight and impact from what would otherwise be very intense cinematic cutscenes.
This won’t be an issue within a month after release, as much as I loved how each episode was bite sized and immediately had me wanting more and pressing play on the next one, with how many games are constantly releasing, I want to experience all of Dispatch at once. Separating the episodes might hinder the impact the overall narrative has as some plot beats might get forgotten.
IS DISPATCH WORTH IT?
Dispatch is the game I’ve been waiting for almost fifteen years since Telltale caught lightning in a bottle with The Walking Dead in 2012. Everything after has failed to meet the high standards it set.
Based on the first few episodes that’s all about to change as Dispatch is on track not only to meet those lofty expectations, but exceed them with an equally captivating story about human relationships, unique gameplay in between, an engine that works, great visuals and superb performances to anchor the experience.
Leading up to its release, I was expecting Dispatch to land somewhere in between good and great. I wasn’t expecting it to become the new genre benchmark.
Dispatch isn’t going to convert people who aren’t interested in this type of experience, but for those that are, Dispatch is the next evolution of the genre and legitimate game of the year contender in an already exceptional year.
