Dispatch Gameplay Demo

article by Harvey Randall

Dispatch is the first game out of AdHoc—a studio that contains several directors and developers from Telltale Games' height of popularity. Featured in our own PC Gaming Show, Dispatch also has a demo out for Steam Next Fest, and after playing it, my only complaint is that I want to see more.

I've always had a soft spot for the golden age of Telltale: The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us were both supremely compelling dramas that came out at a time where "your choices matter" was still novel. Whether they actually delivered on that promise is a touch debatable, but I was still very much enthralled.

There was always one problem, though—their animation was, uh, just okay. This isn't meant as a slight, mind. Good animation is both extremely expensive and difficult, and likely outside of the budget of most studios: But they didn't quite deliver on the promise of a playable movie or TV show.

Well, if the demo is to be believed, Dispatch hasn't just nailed it, it's also got a really compelling dispatch management sim inside it—an actual proper game wrapped up in a bundle of genuinely excellent animation. This isn't just aping Telltale's golden age, it's making an active effort to improve on it.

In Dispatch, you play washed-up superhero Robert, formerly known as Mecha-Man. His power suit broke and he can't replace it, so he's been brought into the SDN, a company that dispatches squads of super-powered convicts to help deal with crimes around the city.

When it comes to the Telltale-y-ness of it all, Dispatch is pretty much best-in-class. This thing looks gorgeous, like an honest-to-Superman TV original animated with a solid heft of budget and skill. Characters are expressive and vibrant, the environments are colourful, and the facial expressions could be lifted from comic book stills.

The voice-acting's top-notch, as well. There's a mix of seasoned videogame acting talent like Laura Bailey mixed with TV stars like Aaron Paul—mind, the latter's already proven he can handle voice acting just fine, starring in shows like Invincible. There's also a couple of fun streamer cameos: JackSepticeye and MoistCr1TiKaL make some solid appearances, too.