Episodic games were once the talk of the gaming community. The likes of The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us, developed by Telltale Games, took the world by storm, garnering universal critical acclaim and commercial success.
Telltale’s episodic games were in high demand during the early 2010s; even spin-off titles from popular franchises like The Expanse, Borderlands and Game of Thrones received the Telltale treatment. There was even a cancelled Stranger Things game by Telltale that never saw the light of day.
With that history lesson out of the way, it’s clear that Telltale was the studio that pioneered the episodic genre. Unfortunately, as years went by, the market for such games became less and less lucrative, leading the iconic studio to be on the receiving end of major layoffs.
Fast forward to 2025, former developers of Telltale Games veered away from its old shackles and into new horizons. Now AdHoc studios, they crafted their own version of an episodic game centered around an unlikely group of superheroes.
Riding the wave of caped crusaders from the Marvel or DC Cinematic Universes, Dispatch tackles the whole superhero genre from a different perspective. Rather than being in the frontlines punching goons and outsmarting supervillains, Dispatch takes you to a 9-5 office job where you sit inside your cubicle handling emergency calls and dispatching superpowered individuals to help local citizens.
We assume the role of Robert Robertson, or Mecha Man, voiced by the talented Aaron Paul. After a mission goes horribly, Mecha Man is no more, being relegated to a life of depression and loneliness. He takes on the role of a superhero dispatcher to bide his time in pseudo-retirement.
The universe of Dispatch feels like it’s ripped out of Robert Kirkman’s Invincible, which isn’t really a bad thing. Characters feel like you’ve seen them before in the Amazon Prime TV show as their personalities feel trope-y, but you can tell there’s more beneath their masks. Dialogue can be raunchy but mature, and its well-written dialogue can make you feel like you’re in on the joke alongside these eccentric personalities.
Robert Robertson’s ragtag group of heroes are the other stars of the show. These characters range from aloof to bratty, backed by a star-studded voice cast involving MoistCr1TiKaL, Jacksepticeye and Laura Bailey. These personalities are our gateway to the game's unique gameplay mechanic.
Like a Telltale game, Dispatch makes it easy to invest yourself in the stories these characters present. Managing them seems like a tall order, but the game does a great job at letting you steer them in the direction you want them to. Like a chess board, you get to take control of their lives doing superhero work. While some of them can be annoying, your Z-Team of heroes are the game’s focus, and it’s where our decisions shape the rest of the game’s eight-episode season.
When we’re not breezing through the game’s gorgeously animated cutscenes and making decisions that impact the story, we get to do some office work.
Dispatching is where you can find the other 50% of the game. We have the Z-Team always on standby, ready for any call that needs superhero help. These tasks can be done through an isometric grid of California’s Southlands, and you get to delegate which heroes to send on a specific task. A kid’s balloon stuck to a tree? Send the flying bat hero Sonar to grab it. A house on fire? Maybe use a durable hero like Golem to take care of the job. Despite the barrage of choices at this moment in the game, major decisions feel meaningless as the game makes them for you, adding more to the illusion of choice.
While these moments aren’t the most stimulating compared to its beautifully animated cutscenes, it’s a fun little way of interacting with the game portion of Dispatch that adds extra layers to the game’s ensemble cast of characters.
The first two episodes aren’t that much of a game changer when it comes to story and gameplay. It’s merely setting up the stage for what’s to come, and we’ll definitely see more of these characters in later episodes. There’s still an ample amount of mystery to Robert Robertson’s character we have yet to uncover, as well as the relationship between him and the Blonde Blazer, voiced by Erin Yvette.
Fans of Telltale’s episodic format will find it right at home with Dispatch, but don’t expect the same narrative weight like Clementine’s story or Bigby’s adventures here as the game’s first two episodes are just the beginning. For an original IP, there’s a lot to prove here, but so far, the potential is already there.
The two episodes aren’t that long either as each only has 50 minutes to an hour worth of content. While this may seem like a non-issue for me, it felt like the game could’ve just stacked these two episodes together rather than splitting it in two, creating an illusion that it is longer. However, with its affordable $29.99, I’m completely fine with everything else.
Overall, Dispatch’s first two episodes are a strong start to AdHoc’s vibrant episodic series. It may not reach the heights of Telltale’s classic titles yet, but it’s slowly shaping up to be a strong superhero adventure with a lot of heart and soul packed into it. And with three more weeks until we get more episodes and see the game’s bigger picture, I can’t wait for it to break my heart.
