I’ve always been a sucker for a game with a good story. So I knew I was going to have to give Dispatch a try at some point. Especially after it kept showing up in my YouTube feed a month ago. It was an effort to ignore those videos—and wait until I had a break to play the game.
Suffice it to say I was rewarded for my patience.
Why you ask? Well, Dispatch is as close to a mind meld of game and TV show as I’ve ever played (and felt was any good). I was really impressed by all the lovely little details of cinematography that the devs slipped in. The skill on this point far exceeded what I see in most other games (as an example I’d say pay attention to the dog Beef; there are all sorts of little nuances rolled up into that thick sausage of a pup).
Now before I go any farther, let me explain the premise. Dispatch is a cinematic game where you play Robert Robertson, a superhero with an Ironman-style armor suit that he has been using to serve as a superhero (well, maybe more like Iron Monger’s suit from Ironman).
Unfortunately for him (and fortunate for us!), his suit gets destroyed and his identity as a superhero comes into question. But his luck turns when he’s recruited to guide a band of misfit, villains-turned heroes for the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN), serving as their dispatcher (he’s like an emergency operator for the superheroes, taking calls from clients and directing the superheroes on their missions, as well as giving them guidance and direction).
What stands out most about the game is the well-crafted dialogue and skillful interplay among the characters. Both are surprisingly good—and the humor will get you laughing quite a bit (if you’re okay with it being a bit crass most of the time).
The writing and voice acting really set the game apart, making other games’ efforts on these fronts seem like an afterthought. This is why I’m often disappointed with the writing in most games (and films too), so it’s always a pleasure when I’m impressed. In fact, Dispatch does such a fine job on this front that I found myself drawn into caring about these characters as few games ever have (see the spoilers section for more on this).
Of course, while the story and character work are top shelf, the gameplay is a pretty middling. I would’ve liked better tutorial support (you almost need to get 30% into the game before you figure out how the game mechanics work)—and I would’ve liked for the basic gameplay to evolve more, have a little more nuance.
But let’s be honest. I like this game because it is a little different (the dispatching core game is pretty different from action RPGs as well as turn-based or real-time strategy games), so it’s novelty leads me to give it a pass.
And after all, I’m in this more for the story than the gameplay.
So yeah, I’m giving Dispatch a worthy recommendation (not perfect but pretty damn entertaining). A couple caveats: Be forewarned that there is quite a bit of violence and some nudity.
Final Thoughts: If you’re looking for Baldur’s Gate 3, this isn’t it. Which is actually a good thing. You can play through this game in ten hours, which is at least ninety less than a BG3 playthrough. I don’t know that I could play this game ten times back to back, but I did do two back to backs, and felt it had pretty good replayability (it’s interesting to see the changes your choices make in the world).
Dispatch is available via Steam and Playstation.
P. S. If you’re looking for a story that builds toward an ending that has meaning and consequences (and where many of the major characters experience character arcs), check out my middle-high fantasy novel The Quartermastra (available on the website and through Amazon as well as on many other online stores).
P. P. S. Gameplay Advice: If the hacking mini game is really frustrating, I’d suggest changing the setting unlimited hacking attempts from off to on. And if the quick-time events mini-game is taking away from your experience, switch to cinematic. I played the first time with both elements active and then turned them off for the second play through and my frustration level dropped considerably. Cheers!
Spoilers (Come Back and Read After Playing the Game)
Love Those Details: There are so many little touches that go into the game that I found myself enjoying.
Take Flambae’s karoke song. It is a part of the bar scene at Sardine’s and yet they put so many little details into it, little splashes of humor that capture common themes to how the characters in the game interact. I ended up listening to the full version later on with the credits at the end of episode 5 and it really killed me. Honestly, I found myself enjoying Flambae’s character more in the second playthrough because his quirk is a bit of an acquired taste.
Another detail I appreciated was the use of group interactions, especially in the dispatch interface where the characters are all talking to each other like a bunch of gaming buddies on an old TeamSpeak server (I do believe I’m dating myself here). One of the characters will roast another and then everyone else will react. All these little chaotic moments were great, making the story world feel real.
Moments That Got Me: I’m unabashedly Team Visi and loved the whole progression of their relationship with Robert from episode 2 though 6. And of course, when Track Star goes to save Invisigirl, that moment got me. The way he was external and that his power wasn’t something he could use anymore made the act both surprising and established the stakes of the act. To use the words of Toxic, “fuckin’ chef’s kiss!”
Some More Thoughts on the Characters: I do love the way Dispatch creates a colorful cast of characters but I did feel that some of the beats were rushed.
For instance, Invisigirl reveals she set the bomb on Robert’s suit at a key moment and he has to process this and forgive her right there on the spot for their romance to continue. That felt rushed and not quite right for Robert’s character (I wonder if the writers felt the same because they literally have Invisigirl question how he can reach forgiveness so quickly).
I think this moment is indicative of an issue that creeps up in the last third of the game. The depth of interaction seems to taper off, especially with respect to the two relationships that get the most care (Blonde Blazer and Invisigirl). It almost feels at times that these characters and their relationships with Robert reset in this last section rather than building on the growth from earlier (I imagine a game with this kind of fracturing of choices faces this sort of challenge). In a way this issue seems less an indictment of the last third of the game and more a tribute to the first two thirds for making so much headway with respect to these relationships.
Last thought on characters: I wonder if, given this is a pretty short game, it might’ve been better to cut the team down from ten to six core characters to give more space for character development.
That said, I do love the colorful ensemble, I just wish they had more time to shine.
Favorite Characters: Royd, Invisigirl, Chace, Flambae, Malevola, Mr. Whiskey, Punch Up, Prism
Gameplay Mechanics: The quick-time events and hacking game mechanics were really frustrating for me on the first playthrough. And having a timer on pretty much everything created a level of stress that I wasn’t sure made the game better for me (but maybe it does for you?).
On my second playthrough, I opted for no time limit on the hacking mini game and dumped the quick-time events. These changes ended up making the experience better.
Lastly, I’m a slow reader so reading the three dialogue options and choosing one was sometimes hard.
Some Story Slights: There are some aspects to the story that don’t make a whole lot of sense. For one, why does Shroud kill the bartender when he kidnaps and tortures Robert? I get that we’re meant to see Shroud as “evil” and it raises the stakes, but isn’t this the Red Ring’s bar? Isn’t the bartender one of Shroud’s people?
Also, I was hoping the story would build more to the climax. Like, maybe the team needs to figure out a way to best Shroud despite his power. There seemed to be no plan for how to address the big baddie—and so when Track Star busts out with Blazer’s powers and blows up Shroud’s second macguffin (the one powering his mech’s big gun?), I didn’t feel the victory was all that earned. Instead, it felt very deus ex machina. And then putting everyone’s life in danger to save Beef seemed a little odd (and how did Shroud get Beef in the first place)? There were some seeming holes along these lines but they shouldn’t take away too much from the success of the game and its story.
More Diversity at the Core: I could’ve also gone for a little more representation among the core three characters (Robert, Blonde Blaze and Invisigirl); they all seem pretty white. The story also seems quite heteronormative (I would like to see options for other sexual orientations to be included).
