The ‘Dispatch’ Demo Was As Great As I Expected, But I Have One Small, Lingering Fear (Demo Impressions)

AdHoc Studio somehow made “fed-up superhero who becomes a call center flunkie” an engaging, funny concept with Dispatch. I had some free time, so I downloaded and played the available Steam demo. And, yeah, this strategy/narrative hybrid is certainly by the minds behind Telltale superstar titles such as The Wolf Among Us (my personal favorite Telltale game aside from Batman) and Tales from the Borderlands.

In Dispatch, you’re “Robert Robertson” — AKA “Mecha Man.” After a drag-out brawl with his nemesis, Robertson’s suit is destroyed. So, he makes a true heroic sacrifice. He joins a “Superhero Dispatch Center” while his suit’s being repaired. The tall order he’s tasked with? Rehabilitating a group of “reformed” ex-villains. For my comic book geeks, yes: Robertson is Amanda Waller trying to wrangle Task Force X/The Suicide Squad. …Except, you know, Robertson’s not a Machiavellian sociopath (maybe)!

If you’re familiar with anything the folks at AdHoc Studio have done, you already know the demo showcases the charm and narrative excellence they’re known for. But, additionally, there’s an extra gameplay wrinkle in the form of Robertson’s dispatching duties. Each villain has strengths and weaknesses (with the potential to upgrade and gain synergies with other villains). Someone calls? You have to send the right people for the job. Hijinks ensue, sure. But Dispatch‘s strategy elements are surprisingly robust!

what are we, some kinda ‘dispatch’ squad?

Some old lady’s pet is stuck in a tree? Send the crazy ballet dancer with knives to deal with the problem. …Look, her mobility was needed, okay? Don’t judge a book by its sharp cover! Dispatch asks you to use your best judgment and adjust on the fly to properly address a situation. Your team is unpredictable, though, and sometimes, you’ll have to decide how they ultimately tackle their newfound heroism. Oh, and also, to break up the monotony of sending people out, there’s a hacking mechanic you can occasionally bust out! And it’s the rare appearance of a great hacking minigame that successfully ratchets up the tension rather than being a nuisance!

So, the narrative setup is phenomenal, the voice actors play off of one another perfectly, you get your Telltale-style dialogue options, and the implementation of strategy is handled well. So, what’s my problem?

i hope there’s way more character development and narrative goodness in the full game

The Dispatch demo is mostly a showcase of the “Dispatching Your Team” gameplay. There are fun quips and banter shared between characters, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that things were a bit too… “zoomed out.” Of course, I recognize that AdHoc likely wants to show off the new tools in their toolkit! But I hope that there are many more meaningful story/character elements in the full game.

I love the dispatching feature! I just don’t want AdHoc to lean too far into it and neglect the rich storytelling they do so well. I’m optimistic, though, and I’m even more excited now than I was when the game was first revealed to the world!