Dispatch Episode 1 & 2 Review: A New GOTY Contender Emerges

Dispatch is the epitome of perfection and if it maintains the quality outlined in its first two episodes, it’ll undoubtedly be a major GOTY contender. AdHoc Studio has crafted an endlessly impressive title which blends world-class storytelling and animation with effective and intuitive gameplay, all of which is brought to life by arguably the year’s brightest cast. Dispatch is in all areas first rate, with its episodic rollout practically guaranteed to have fans waiting on tenterhooks.

If you’re unfamiliar, Dispatch is a “superhero workplace comedy” from AdHoc Studio, a team notably consisting of former Telltale Games developers. It’s perhaps best pitched as The Boys meets Life is Strange, combining choice-based narrative gameplay with puzzle and management elements. Players assume the role of Robert Robertson, also known as Mecha Man, whose suit is destroyed in the game’s opening. With little other option, Robert takes on a low level job as a dispatcher at SDN, the Superhero Dispatch Network. There, he’s tasked with assuming control of the Z-Team composed of former villains where he must lead the team to success, picking the right ‘hero’ for the right crime.

Dispatch is a true feast in all manner of ways, but it’s perhaps its storytelling that lies at the heart of the game; that likely won’t surprise you given I’ve outlined that Telltale Games link. I’m loath to delve too far into the events that unfold in Dispatch’s opening two episodes, but you’ll essentially play through Robert’s first few days with the team. He’s finding his feet in his new position, all whilst attempting to forge new friendships. Given that this is a choice-based game, exactly how that plays out is all dependent on the player.

I realise I’m being a tad vague, but it’s most definitely in your best interest as the joy of playing Dispatch is experiencing the events as they unfold as dictated by your own choices. In fact, what happens in your playthrough very possibly didn’t happen in mine. What I can say is that Dispatch has been put together in such a way that it’s very clear to see the impact of your choices. I’ve played umpteen games of this variety where so much feels predetermined, as if your choices affect only the most minuscule of plot points. That’s not the case here. You're very much in the driver’s seat, to the point where several decisions left me audibly panicking as I had just seconds to select what I knew to be a major choice that would dictate the rest of my playthrough.

Dispatch, Credit / AdHoc Studios

Entrusting the player with that level of power is truly delicious, and I already know that I’ll be doing a second runthrough of Dispatch as soon as the entire experience is wrapped up. And it’s here that I should reiterate that Dispatch is being released episodically, with two episodes dropping every week. That means the entirety of Dispatch will be available by 12 November. It’s a style of release that’s fallen out of favour in recent years, but I sense it’ll prove to be a major success for Dispatch.

Dispatch very much nails its intention of feeling like a playable animated series. I simply cannot fault the animation; it’s expressive, vibrant, and so exquisitely fluid. I meant it when I described Dispatch as world-class. And then there’s the game’s stellar cast, infusing the animation with audible life. Aaron Paul is Robert Robertson, with Jeffrey Wright, Laura Bailey, Matthew Mercer, Travis Willingham, Alanah Pearce, Sean McLoughlin, Joel Haver, and Erin Yvette also amongst those included. I had the chance to recently catch up with many members of the cast, all of whom feel so close to their characters that I really do believe this may be the best casting of the year.

There are some exceptional performances. Paul brings a quiet warmth to the rather nonchalant and down on his luck Robert; you can’t help but want the best for him. Erin Yvette’s beautifully and effortlessly cool Blonde Blazer will no doubt become a quick fan-favourite, as will Laura Bailey’s sarcastic and snarky Invisigal. Honestly, I could shout everybody out. There’s no weak link here. Dispatch feels like a true ensemble piece; the culmination of everybody’s efforts makes for an enamouring experience and yet so too does each character get their time to shine.

Dispatch, Credit / AdHoc Studios

Outside of guiding the narrative, players will, as I mentioned, engage in puzzle and management-based gameplay whilst working Robert’s job as a dispatcher. A shift will consist of selecting the right hero for the right call, with each member of your team having both strengths and weaknesses. The better you perform, the more you’ll get a chance to level your heroes up, improving areas they may be lacking in. If you make the wrong choice, however, you could injure your hero, resulting in some downtime or completely losing them for the rest of your shift.

These sections are fast-paced and while it’s perhaps a hard sell on paper, although I may be wrong on that, the dispatching is totally thrilling. The calls flood in at a relentless pace, prompting you to take quick thinking action before it’s too late. Certainly, sending two heroes to a call may increase your chance of success, but might you get caught short with no heroes available if you rely on that tactic too often? Occasionally, a crime can take a turn for the worse, which is where you’ll need to step in and make a call on what the next right move is. If you didn’t pick the right hero in the first place, your next move then suddenly becomes all the more crucial.

Once a call has been seen to, you’ll find out the outcome before that hero returns to SDN prompting a short “rest” period before they’re ready to go out on call again. These periods of gameplay last for around 10 to 12 minutes, I’d say, usually appearing twice within the space of a one-hour episode. Before you know it, they’re over, and I never thought I’d yearn for an extra shift as a dispatcher.

Dispatch, Credit / AdHoc Studios

Robert doesn’t just dispatch his heroes though. Occasionally, he can lend a helping hand by bypassing security defences or accessing cameras. This is where the puzzling element comes into play. To begin with, you’ll simply need to guide a ball, of sorts, through a network, inputting prompts to open up paths. As you progress, you may be chased by anti-virus measures, adding a pressing time constraint to what it is that you’re doing. In one instance, I had a limited amount of time to guess an eight-digit code on my D-pad and I’m not sure I’ve ever known panic quite like it. And you don’t have to attempt such a feat; you can leave your heroes to deal with matters on their own. I’d recommend that you don’t though. There’s a special excitement that comes with being a key part of the action.

I should also mention that you can choose whether to enable quick-time events in the game’s cutscenes, although I found there to be far less in episode two than one. These are pretty run of the mill, prompting you to hit inputs to land blows and such like but I do appreciate that AdHoc has clearly crafted a game where the main goal is to engage the player. That may seem like an obvious goal, but there are so many titles out there these days that yearn to be cinematic, so much so that they forget to be a game. Dispatch has, so far, proven it can be both.

There’s still a long way to go, with six episodes of Dispatch yet to drop, but I find myself almost entirely without trepidation as we look ahead. Dispatch’s opening two episodes have assured me of what an exceptional experience this game is going to turn out to be. AdHoc Studios has nailed it across the board. Dispatch boasts engaging storytelling, amusing humour, perfect cast performances, and beautiful animation, all backed up by a unique and compelling gameplay system that allows the experience to sing. This is shaping up to be one of the best games I’ve ever played.

Pros: Great story clearly influenced by player, stellar cast, moreish gameplay that’s perfectly suited to the narrative, stunning animation

Cons: Nothing

For fans of: Life is Strange, The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, The Boys

10/10: Perfect

Dispatch’s first two episodes land on 22 October, followed by episodes three and four on 29 October, episodes five and six on 5 November, and episodes seven and eight on 12 November on PC (version tested) and PlayStation 5. A review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.