Dispatch Introduces a Fresh Take on Superhero Games: Thrilling Deskwork Adventures

Wait, so have we all just kind of stopped caring about polished video games? Or is this just me? Anyway, we’ve been flooded with superhero games over the years. Yeah, they’re usually open-world or fighting games. I’m hyped about Marvel Tōkon and Invincible VS, sure, but I’m craving something totally offbeat. And that’s where Dispatch by AdHoc Studio struts in, practically shouting “Look at me!”

I mean, Dispatch is like one of those days when all you wanna do is watch The Office for the bazillionth time after binging something as intense as Invincible. Or is that just my personal little escape hatch? So, the game—you play this dude, Robert Robertson. Used to be a big hero with a snazzy mech suit. But oops, that suit’s toast now. So, he’s stuck working at a dispatch center for superheroes. Yes, you heard that right. It’s a superhero office job. You get a 30-minute slice of his awkward, yet oddly intriguing first day.

And talk about humor that doesn’t stop at crude. First thing you can do? Bro fist your colleague at a urinal. Oddly specific, right? Middle school me is probably laughing, to be honest. Okay, current me, too—don’t judge.

There’s this other dude—used to be a hero, now just looks like someone’s granddad because, yup, aging superpower. He gives you the lay of the land. People? Eh, more like “motley crew of dangerous mess-ups.” Think of a very budget Suicide Squad. The kicker? That’s some A-list voice talent they’ve got: Laura Bailey, Matthew Mercer, Aaron Paul, Jeffrey Wright—name dropping, I know, but worth it.

What’s interesting is, it’s sort of like The Boys, but without dragging politics into it. Imagine heroes like office workers, waiting for the next task. You’re matching heroes to jobs like mismatched socks. A robbery here, a kid’s balloon rescue there. Your crew’s, well, shall we say, uniquely equipped. You’ve got a literal bat man and someone that might make you think “tiefling” if you’re into D&D. So, choose wisely—or don’t, chaos can be fun.

The real magic, though—isn’t in the clicking around. It’s in those dialogue choices that remind you you’ve played a Telltale game or three. Created by ex-Telltale folks, by the way, because life’s funny like that. You’re picking dialogue, racing the clock, watching for who “will remember that.” Are there real consequences to these choices? Probably? Maybe? I’m betting it’ll be a blast to find out.

After its flashy debut at The Game Awards half a year back, Dispatch is on its way to Windows PCs and maybe some consoles this year. Curious? You can test drive the demo on Steam. Don’t say I didn’t tell you!