Dispatch Review

Dispatch, made by AdHoc Studio, is an episodic interactive story telling game where your choices of actions and words affect what direction the story goes. The narrative is centered around a superhero named Mecha Man, whose hidden identity is Robert Robertson III. In the main plot-line we follow Robert as he loses the energy source for his mech suit, which he fights in due to his lack of superpowers, and is forced to work as a dispatcher for a group of criminals and delinquents willing to work as super heroes to relinquish their criminal offenses, or turn their lives around.

Dispatch features many choices, which change the ending of the game's story significantly, featuring up to six or more endings based on combinations of choices. The game does a really great job of giving you the freedom to choose while guiding you down the set story path. With different outcomes in the relationships of the 13 significant main characters, each being fully fleshed and well rounded characters. As well as different outcomes in how you as the main character, Robert, carry yourself, whether as a Hero or Anti-Hero.

Dispatch uses its story writing as the main feature of the game. After an explosive fight with the story’s main villain, Shroud, renders Robert's mecha suit useless. You follow him as he leads a band of misfits and criminals to become real super heroes. Each scene is incredibly well written with your dialogue choices leading to different witty remarks or major shifts in each character's attitude towards you. We see Robert grow as a person outside of his superhero persona, giving the player a way to relate to him or envision themselves in his place. 

Each character has their own story as to who they were before the main story line. All the members of Robert's team have their own backstories and history, making each character feel alive, allowing you to understand their behaviors better. Not many games are able to achieve this level of world building and it is super refreshing to see and play. Previous examples of games with this level of attention to detail include, Final Fantasy, Skyrim, and the Dark Souls series.

My personal favorite elements of the game are its story richness and depth. My first play through gave me the impression the game was alive, leaving me wanting more. Another personal favorite aspect of mine is its replayability, with different romance options, major decisions, and quick remarks that keep me on my toes. Dispatch is more than just a game, but a rich narrative meant to leave an impression. You carry the narrative and the game tells your story.