Dispatch’s episodic format respects your time and that’s a relief

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We at Shacknews knew AdHoc Studio, the team behind the game, included veterans from companies like Telltale, Ubisoft, and Night School Studio. Still, their game, Dispatch, really surprised us. With so many big releases happening, it almost flew under the radar. It wasn’t until Donovan Erskine kept mentioning it on Slack that we started to pay attention. He had to ask a few times, but eventually I decided to check it out – I figured enough people were talking about it that it must be worth a look. I’m really glad I did! The best part was how quickly I was able to get into Dispatch. It’s much shorter than many similar games, and honestly, it’s a great example of how these kinds of story-driven experiences should be structured.

I jumped into Dispatch not really knowing what to expect, just a few promo pics. Honestly, I was immediately impressed by how good the animation looked – it felt like something you’d see on YouTube or any streaming service. It reminded me of a Telltale game, but with a superhero twist. The story kicks off with a long intro, then focuses on Robert Robertson, a former superhero trying to live a normal life. He ends up getting recruited to help reformed supervillains, which is a cool premise. I was bracing myself for a long play session – you know, the kind where you really have to settle in – especially with scenes like the press conference, the bar, and meeting Blonde Blazer. But then the credits rolled, and I checked my phone – only an hour had gone by! It was amazing. I felt like I’d played a complete story, with some fun gameplay moments and a good hint of what’s coming next, all in under an hour. It was a surprisingly quick and satisfying experience.

One reason for this is that AdHoc eliminates the lengthy exploration often found in these types of games. You won’t waste time wandering around locations like apartments, offices, bars, or crime scenes. I used to be someone who meticulously searched every area, examining everything and talking to everyone, which could easily take 10 to 20 minutes.

Even during Telltale’s most successful period with games like The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, and Tales from the Borderlands, the sections where you explored environments could slow down the narrative. These games often paused the story for extended periods – sometimes tens of minutes. Dispatch avoids this problem entirely by removing exploration altogether, allowing the story to flow continuously.

Okay, so the core of Dispatch is this really cool system where you send your heroes out to help people in need. It’s not just about picking someone and sending them – it actually feels really smooth and ties into the story nicely. They even added little things like hacking mini-games during these dispatch missions, which aren’t super long, but give you enough time to understand what’s going on next. Honestly, I’m a little curious about how important it is to actually succeed on these dispatches, but I’ll definitely dive deeper into that when I write my full review.

Dispatch improves on the typical ‘Telltale-style’ game by removing slow parts and focusing on what makes those games great. This lets the story move quickly – you can easily finish two episodes in one night – without feeling rushed or losing the impact of important choices and memorable moments. While I enjoy games like Life is Strange, the recent trend of longer, standalone stories feels a bit too drawn out. Even as a fan, I find myself hesitant to revisit them when there are so many other games vying for my time. Dispatch strikes a better balance.

Let’s add this to Dispatch’s release schedule. It’s clear the developers understand how crowded the gaming world is right now. There are tons of amazing games – like Clair Obscur, Hades 2, and Hollow Knight: Silksong – that require huge time commitments. With only so many hours in the day, it’s really great that Dispatch can deliver a complete story in just a few hours. It’s focused, doesn’t overstay its welcome, and aims to be enjoyable. Things are looking good so far! The final episodes are coming next week, and I’ve already set aside time to play them. Even if they aren’t perfect, I appreciate that Dispatch respects my time, and I hope other games will adopt a similar approach in the future.

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2025-11-06 03:58