Adhoc studios surprised everyone with the release of a new superhero-style video game this autumn– Dispatch. When I first stumbled upon the game, I saw a youtube video of one of my favorite content creators playing it. I watched maybe ten minutes of their playthrough before buying the game for myself.
In Dispatch, you follow a man named Robert as he loses everything and then finds support in a group of misfits which he has to guide as a Dispatcher. Your job is to send them out on missions, coach them in what it means to be a hero, and learn from them as they learn from you. Your choices matter in the game, and the story is filled with comedy, drama, and emotional rollercoasters to navigate. I loved every minute of playing it. Every character in the story had developments and every choice you made had a gray area.
The voice acting of the characters is something to be recognized: they planned for every choice and action. In the decision-packed scenes, everyone had a different reaction for a different response. Even in the scenes where you are actively dispatching (a mini-game in the storyline that revolves around sending out the heroes, similar to a 911 operator as sometimes you even respond to situations yourself) everyone has lines for specific scenarios. There’s easily over 100 lines for everyone made in the course of two years.
The game has eight episodes – each with a sub-plot following the major storyline of the entire game. The animation style is new, unique, and in tune with the style and overall theme. Adhoc studios has created a game that offers a breath of fresh air for the gaming community – new heroes to follow, a new game series with teases of a season two, introducing new amazing voice actors, and bringing back tell-tale style games.
Even as I’m writing this, I’m still finding out more information from the storylines and choices that could have been made. There are endings that aren’t straightforward, special voice lines for a combination of choices, scenes that could take entirely new routes if you had chosen something specific chapters before. The moral themes and questions the game makes you ask, the heavy weight behind certain critical choices, and the deep care you begin to put into your team as you play through Dispatch puts you right there with the characters. Adhoc made something refreshing and special, and it was worth every dime I spent on it.