From The Boys to Invincible, gritty realism is trending in on-screen super hero fiction, and new game Dispatch is now jumping into the fray with its own take on the genre. But how does this video game measure up to the shows that have inspired it?
Dispatch is far more of a narrative journey than it is a traditional gaming experience. Play resembles that of the Telltale Games adventure titles, and that should be no surprise as developer AdHoc Studio is largely based around Telltale alumni. A strategy game element is layered alongside the heavy narrative focus, but is it enough to make Dispatch a game worth playing?
The Good:
- Dispatch features a great and captivating story
- Narrative choices open varied branching paths and feel impactful
- Strategy game elements are pleasant and don’t overstay their welcome
The Bad:
- There isn’t a lot of active gameplay supporting the story
Review Details:
- Reviewed on: PC
- Platforms available: PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox, Switch
- Official release date: October 22, 2025
For these heroes, choices matter
The setting of Dispatch is established early enough that the setup hardly constitutes a spoiler. The player takes on the role of Mecha Man, a super hero who’s down on his luck in more ways than one. He soon finds an opportunity to potentially get his life and career back on the right track, with the latter depending on his work as a call center dispatcher of other super heroes.
The idea of sending super heroes out on duty from a call center is a fun one, and it’s played to good effect here. It’s also the basis of the strategy game that pops into focus now and again during play. Players must balance a variety of requests from across a city that needs its heroes with a limited roster of characters, each of whom have their own strengths and weaknesses that can develop over time through distributed points and learned abilities.
If Dispatch was entirely about this strategy gameplay, the title would likely be a niche success at most. It’s a fun distraction, but its main purpose is to put some more meat on the bones of what is otherwise essentially an interactive animated show.
That’s not to be taken as a slight, however. Dispatch is sharply written and features a number of memorable characters across its cast. Quality performances and interesting twists come together to make Dispatch’s story a good one.
The power of player choice is smartly utilized. There are plenty of big and weighty decisions here that are bound to give players pause as they consider their options and the likely consequences. But even the game’s smaller choices, such as how to respond to a co-worker’s quick comment, can serve as good opportunities for players to better tune the story to their liking, and for the game’s writers to show off their creative chops.
Visually, the game is appreciably rendered in a style that would perhaps be best described as “realistic cartoon.” The art is attractive, and it looks good in motion. The aforementioned vocal performances are the main audio highlight. Dramatic and comedic moments alike are played appropriately by the game’s acting cast.
Ultimately, whether someone finds Dispatch to be worth their time and money really comes down to whether a strong story with narrative choice opportunities is sufficient motivation for play. That’s the star of Dispatch, and everything else is just icing atop the cake.
The Bottom Line: Dispatch is a great narrative experience with player choices that do matter, and its strategy game portions do just enough to give the game a little more substance beyond its story beats.
Score: 9.0/10
