You’ve probably heard the term “superhero fatigue” everywhere, with people getting sick of media showing supernatural beings saving the day. Sure, the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn’t quite reached the same highs as it did during the “Endgame” days, but I’d argue that people are only tired of superhero movies because they fail to give us meaningful stakes.
Enter “Dispatch,” the debut game from AdHoc studio, created by former Telltale, Ubisoft, and Night School Studio developers. These studios were known for their stellar narrative games; they’ve taken their talents to make one of the best narrative games of 2025. The typical Telltale formula began to become stale. After the success of “The Walking Dead,” Telltale milked the episodic, story-driven adventure structure it relied on dry, and subsequent adaptations sold less and less. But “Dispatch” proves that superhero fatigue can be cured, but also that there’s still plenty of room for episodic games when done right.
“Dispatch” follows a hero named Mecha Man (voiced by Aaron Paul), who falls from grace when he is lured into a trap by an ominous villain named Shroud. When Mecha Man’s suit and central power core, the Astral Pulse, are destroyed as a result of the ambush, he has no choice but to revert to his civilian moniker, Robert Robertson. He also takes a call center manager job with SDN, an organization that offers superhero services and protection for its customers. The pacing in “Dispatch” is excellent, as this entire foundation is established in the first episode, and nothing feels rushed.
Robert manages the Z-Team, a group of former supervillains who aim to redeem themselves, and has to find a way to bring them together. The best way to describe “Dispatch” is a mix between “Suicide Squad” and “The Boys.” You’ve got the dysfunctional anti-hero angle of the former with the capitalistic edge of the latter. It’s also wonderfully animated with a colorful art style that looks a lot like “Invincible.” But what makes “Dispatch” so compelling is the depth of its characters, namely Z-Team, and the realistic voice performances.
Alongside Paul, other notable names include Laura Bailey as Invisigal, who can (of course) turn invisible, and the prolific Matthew Mercer, who delivers a menacing performance as Shroud.
I also love how charming the characters on Z-Team are and the little quirks that come with their powers. Invisigal can only do so when holding her breath, but she also has asthma, so she carries an inhaler. Waterboy starts off as the janitor and is socially anxious and awkward, which causes him to sweat constantly. Blond Blazer is reminiscent of the all-powerful Captain Marvel, and she’s seemingly perfect on the outside, but as later episodes show, you don’t know everyone’s history.
“Dispatch” explores themes of romance and office politics in a way that feels grounded and believable, despite its superpowered cast. You’ll be forced to make tough decisions, like laying off a Z-Team member very early on. I was stunned that such a significant decision was thrust upon me so quickly, and it had huge ramifications for the story and gameplay later on. I truly felt the weight of my choices.
The gameplay in “Dispatch” is a management simulator, where you have the members of Z-Team at the bottom of the screen and Robert will dispatch (there it is) them throughout different locations in Los Angeles to handle various tasks. Each hero has their own stats, and as notices on the map pop up, you’re given a description of the job, as well as hints as to who the best hero for the job is. For example, if it mentions lifting heavy cargo to rescue civilians, someone with high combat strength, like The Thing-like Golem or the short yet stalky Punch Up, would be best suited.
Each job results in a pass or fail based on a percentage system. The more closely you match the hero with the job, the higher your chances are. Although it was occasionally frustrating to see that I failed a task, even though I had an 80% chance of passing. In later dispatches, I often sent two heroes at a time to ensure passing, even if it meant fewer resources to tackle another task on the other side of town.
Each Z-Team member can even learn special abilities that could greatly impact the outcome of a job. Prism, for example, can duplicate herself with a doppelganger with half of her stats if placed in the slot for a two-person job. Coupe can reattempt a job for a second chance if she fails it, potentially scoring Robert a win. These extra skills added a layer of gameplay depth, making the management sim much more immersive and fun. It felt like the Z-Team was growing both emotionally through the story and through gameplay.
Another aspect of the gameplay is a hacking mini-game that Robert can play. Occasionally, he’ll have to navigate a maze with limited time to reach the end of a goal. Along the way, he’ll need to avoid antivirus bots, punch in directional inputs, and transfer energy. It’s a fun mini-game, but for some odd reason, performance seems to lag here with delayed input issues. My PC is perfectly fine when playing more intensive games like “Borderlands 4” or “Wuchang: Fallen Feathers,” so it’s an anomaly compared to how smoothly the rest of “Dispatch” performs.
Each episode of Dispatch lasts about an hour and features satisfying choices and consequences. It has plenty of replay value as your decisions can drastically impact how Robert’s relationships form and how the first season ends. It really does need a skip cutscene button, however.
“Dispatch” is an enthralling game throughout its entire eight-episode run. Its cast of characters is fun and full of emotional depth, leaving you wanting more and immediately moving on to the next episode. It’s a lot like watching a Netflix series, but it also smartly incorporates its gameplay mechanics into the narrative. I loved seeing Robert’s fall and eventual rise again through the mundane aspects of office life. It felt like a true zero-to-hero journey. Although there are some minor issues, “Dispatch” not only saves the day but also may save Telltale’s entire legacy.
