Dispatch PS5 Review. The episodic release format in video games has been quite the novelty over the past decade. Telltale’s Tales From The Borderlands and Dontnod’s Life Is Strange both introduced us to whole video games that were sliced up into episode chunks and released in monthly episodes, and they were digestible alternatives to the sizeable 8-10 hour story-lead feasts we were usually inundated with.
Dispatch is a new superhero episodic videovgame series from Adhoc Studios, where you witness the exploits and turmoil of a motley crew of dysfunctional supervillains-turned superheroes, who each look and dress like they come from all over the world, from Germany to the seedy depths of hell. Does Dispatch save day for superhero adventures or should it be recalled?
Dispatch Review (PS5) – On The Call For Anti-Heroes
At the head of this anti-hero war table is Robert Robertson, a retired superhero who was known as Mecha Man, but now he’s training up a bunch of former supervillains as part of an organization called Superhero Dispatch Network, so that they can become an almighty force of superheroes who come to save rather than wreck the day. Robert is a dispatcher by trade, so he receives calls from distressed citizens and sends his Z-Team posse onto the streets to fight crime, dispense justice, give promotional talks and so on to bolster the group’s reputation.
The premise of Dispatch is ripe for unruly drama, and thus it does not disappoint. Robert’s dealings with superheroes and the choices he has to make regarding his colleagues will create rifts and either build or burn bridges. You will be forced to make preferences for one character over another, and your priorities are always open to scrutiny and questioning. This is all in a days work for Rob Rob’s leadership, but to the player, they’ll need to juggle the pleasure as well as the peril of pursuing the paths they have chosen to take.
Along with this, Robert’s relationship with his colleagues is paramount to how the story pans out. He is constantly embroiled inside the tapestry composed by the diverse personalities of his cohort that you’ll be picking sides often. Rob’s a hit with the ladies and there are a few he becomes attached to throughout the story. It is advisable that you don’t scorn these ladies because hell hath no fury if you do, but you’ll need to let at least one of them down in favour of another-so be mindful of the choices you make.
A Motley Crew of Conflicts
There are copious conflicts to sort through and a healthy dose of humour that makes Dispatch an inviting series to undertake. Witnessing the verbal squabbles and inner turmoil of the group of misfit heroes is always cool to see pan out, and the diverse cast is magnetic to listen to. Jokes are threaded throughout each episode, and new characters like Waterboy bring a fresh dose of personality and fun to the fore. Waterboy in particular is a shy and nerdy hero who raises the ire of the antiheroes due to his comically insecure disposition, though he is definitely a wonderful addition to the crew due to how unliked he is.
Other members of the Z-Team posse include a burly bloke with a moustache who looks like Street Fighter’s Dudley called Punch Up who is handsome but shallow in the brain department, who seems to think cauliflower ear is an STD. There’s a Nikki Minaj lookalike called prism with her two-tone hair and snobbish musical tastes. A fire-named arsonist bloke with a pony tail called Flambe who brings his inferno-lashed temper into the mix whilst his appearance quasi-resembles the late Scott Hall. Another notable addition is Malevola, whose Stephanie Vaquer-like devil horns and hellfire-red face give her a demonic and devil may care attitude despite her jokey personality.
Altogether, this cast of antiheroes are widespread personalities that’ll clash and create all sorts of drama. You would think a group like this wouldn’t get along at all and they’d soon muck about than work for a good common purpose, but when their traits and powers unite, they are an unstoppable ready to dismantle malevolence wherever it hides.
A Patchy Dispatch
In regards to playing as a dispatcher, you can send members of your antihero posse to perform urgent tasks when callers ring up and ask for help. Each antihero has a specialty and their traits can be upgraded after they’ve undertaken successful mission requests. It’s very hands-off, but responding to successive calls whenever they sprout up on the map is something of a rush. You need to be mindful of your posse’s health and wellbeing as well, as they can get injured on the job and become inaccessible-which doesn’t bode well if you need to fulfill your antihero quotas for tasks.
Requests for help pop up all over the map, and you can send any anti-hero to solve the problem, provided they aren’t busy or resting. Each antihero has an icon on the map, and they’ll arrive at the mission location and proceed to complete the task either alone or with a few of their comrades. You only have a limited amount of time to respond to distress calls or they’ll disappear from the map, so managing and prioritising which calls you answer is paramount to Z-Team’s success.
After your heroes successfully complete their mission, a stats graph will be displayed, showing your overall success in the mission. The stats are heavily tied to the game’s upgrade system, where the five attributes of Combat, Intellect, Vigor, Charisma and Mobility will determine the outcomes of each assignment. Selecting the right heroes for the job in accordance with the attributes, as well as the details of the specific call will greatly impact on your team’s success.
Despite the entertainment derived from the nattering between each anti-hero, the way dispatches work leaves a lot to be desired. You’ll become inundated with calls and you may find on various occasions that you do not have the available heroes to take on a call, and keeping tabs on every piece of information is a tough job. Also, while it is pleasurable hearing the banter between the heroes, it would’ve been great to see them in action too because the dispatch screen and all the stats look drab and tame to look at. It’s like Dispatch gives us this really cool adventure with diverse characters, but when it comes to the actual game part they decide to stick us into rudimentary busy work-which runs counter with everything the game does wonderfully.
Along with answering calls and sending heroes to do dirty work, there are particular jobs where you’ll need to engage in node-based data breach puzzles in a similar manner to Deus Ex, where you’re unlocking keys and trying to access portals without running into viruses. Finding the correct pathways and connections makes for light but compulsive brain-scratchers whenever they pop up throughout each episode, and as you progress the challenge they offer stiffens due to bridges you need to make within the circuitry and needing to remember directional button sequences to access. Arguably these are much better than the dispatch core because they require a bit more thought and strategy to solve, unlike dispatch calls where you can send any hero to do any job in spite of success or failure.
It’s Got The Looks, It’s Got The Power
As an animated adventure, Dispatch pops with colour the way a streaming service TV show would. There’s an attractive looking style and panache that certainly coheres nicely with the superhero genre, the irreverence and the jokes you’ll listen to throughout the game.
The music is also complementary of the game’s superhero and dramatic style, though it beats along in a modest way that you’ll appreciate, even if the soundtrack isn’t as emphatic as you might be accustomed to from conventional superhero fiction.
As the new episodic kid on the block, Dispatch is a surprise that’ll delight gamers who really want a breath of fresh air in the superhero realm of fiction. The antiheroes and relationship drama is often times very satisfying and the dialogue is really on-point when it comes to chuckles and chortles. The player choices are meaningful and the way they impact relationships is certainly gratifying to witness, and you may want to play through the game multiple times to witness different outcomes.
What isn’t so jovial is the dispatch gameplay, because while the banter between antiheroes is enjoyable, answering calls and trying to select heroes for each mission is not. The gameplay therefore can contradict much of the effort that has gone into the cast and the otherwise fantastic superhero adventure, it’s just not fun to gaze at a map with icons and stats screens, sorry.
If you want a new superhero episodic series with great dramatic moments and laughs, Dispatch is fantastic. However, if you want a game that plays as whimsically and enjoyably as it presents itself, then you may be disappointed. Give Dispatch a shot though because it’s definitely an enjoyable ride you’ll want to play repeatedly.
Dispatch is out now for PS5 and PC.
Review copy was generously provided by the publisher.