Robert has a serious problem. After the death of his father at the hands of the villain Shroud, Robert Robertson the 3rd (to quote the game ‘this happened three times?’) took up the mantle of the superhero Mecha Man and swore to defend Los Angeles. After years of barely keeping the suit together with duct tape and hope, one final encounter with his nemesis renders the suit unusable and Robert unemployed from the superhero world. Enter Blonde Blazer, the superhero head of the Torance branch of SDN (Superhero Dispatch Network). At the behest of Track Star, another former superhero, Blonde Blazer wants Robert to come aboard as the latest Dispatcher. She promises that if Robert works for SDN, she’ll find a way to get his Mecha Man suit back up and running. Upon starting work at SDN, Robert discovers he is dispatching a group of former villains turned reluctant heroes in an experiment called the Phoenix Program. Told episodically, players find themselves making quick dialogue choices and navigating life as Robert. Each episode builds on the previous one, meaning small choices you made in early episodes can come back to color the rest of the game play.
I’ll be honest, I stumbled upon AdHoc studios not due to a deep connection to the former Tell Tale Games or with any real knowledge of the planned game, but rather because I’m a Critical Role nerd and I recognized a ton of the voice actors from streaming or music on Tik Tok. Not only is the game incredibly heartfelt and makes you genuinely care about the characters, but it is also laugh-out-loud funny. Alongside big names like Aaron Paul and Jeffrey Wright, players also get to hear the voice talents of Critical Role alum Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, and Matthew Mercer (of course). Erin Yvette is fantastic as Blonde Blazer. You’ve got Thot Squad (probably best known for her song Pound Cake) playing a former popstar super villain named Prism. Yung Gravy plays a sentient mud monster named Golem. Lance Cantstopolis is hysterically funny as Flambe, especially during karaoke night. Tanoai Reed makes Royd one of the most fun characters to interact with.
For the chronically online, you’ve got Seán McLoughlin (aka Jacksepticeye) as Punch Up, Charles White (aka Moist Cr1Tikal) as Sonar, and Alanah Pearce as Malevola. Joel Haver may be better known for his rotoscoped cartoons, but he is an absolute delight as Waterboy. Mayanna Berrin not only worked on the game as a writer, but also voices the character, Coupe. Trust me when I say I know I’m forgetting people. There are so many talented people involved in this video game, even if it’s just Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, and Liam O’Brien randomly shouting a line or two in the background. If you enjoy watching or playing something and going “wait, I know that voice” this game is a blast.
AdHoc Studios has made it so that the game Dispatch is absolutely worth the $30 price tag on Steam. The game is replayable, even if only to see what choices cause new changes. This game definitely understands the life of video game streamers, as it has choices in the set up that allow you to take out licensed music, remove some of the more adult images, and even remove quick play actions. The last one is great if you’re new to video games or just would rather watch the cinematic sequences like a cartoon. Overall, Dispatch is fun, smart, story rich, and worthy of all the fan art on Tumblr.
Dispatch is now available on Steam and PS5.
