Image Credits: Copyright Owned by AdHoc Studio via Wikipedia
After a week of anticipation, on Oct. 29, AdHoc Studio finally released episodes three and four of their new hit game, Dispatch. Following newly retired superhero Robert Robertson (Mecha Man), as he becomes a dispatcher for the superhero organization known as Superhero Dispatch Network. With the first two episodes displaying stunning spectacles of voice acting, dialogue and strategic gameplay, I was very excited to see how AdHoc Studio would further this unpredictable joy ride, and I was not disappointed.
Also, it is important to note that since Dispatch is heavily based on quick time events (QTE) that force the player to make important decisions that can change the outcome of the game, my experience described here may be different than someone else’s. So Spoiler Warning!
Episode 3: Turnover
It was exciting to see Dispatch slowly setting up Robert Robertson’s return to the Mecha Man suit after its destruction in Episode One, even if the suit is constantly failing. These little interactions with Royd are always a treat and bring a positive spin to this very negative setting.
The following meeting with Robert and Blonde Blazer then ups the stakes a lot after she reveals someone has to be cut from the Z Team. With the unlikable, but funny, Invisigal at the bottom of the leaderboard, it looks as if she’s on the chopping block, but it is really anyone’s game.
It is also revealed here that Blonde Blazer broke up with Phenomaman, explaining why she didn’t want us to come to dinner with them in the last episode. For anyone who wanted to see Blonde Blazer and Robert fall in love, this was a sign from the heavens, and it plays a much bigger role later.
With all of this information though, the real dispatching begins, and it doesn’t take long before it becomes clear that you are set up to fail. Since all of the Z Team members know someone is going to be cut, they instantly start to sabotage each other. In one newly hilarious way after another, it is quite the show to see the different ways they screw each other over, but it rightfully annoys Robert enough to have a team meeting.
Starting really chaotic, the team meeting begins with people yelling at each other and calling each other names. My personal favorite was Robert calling Prism “Cardi C,” but great dialogue dominated this whole scene so it’s hard to pick. After Robert is able to control the room, Dispatch allows the player different ways to approach the embarrassment that was the last dispatch, and you decide whether you want to be rude or motivational. I chose to support them and guide them to be better, and I can say it definitely worked in my favor.
When the dispatching started up again, from start to finish I was very successful in getting the Z Team to actually do their job and have solid team chemistry. It goes to show that when they are motivated to be good and not to mess other people up, the Z Team really shines. From getting disrespected at every turn, it is heartwarming to see Robert have such a significant impact on the team.
This is displayed most perfectly when Invisigal goes off on her own to smoke in the park. Seeing her beat herself up and think she’s destined to become a supervillain feels genuine and understandable, especially since it relates to a lot of people who think they have to be a certain way just because of their upbringing. Robert is able to convince her that she can choose her own destiny, before telling her that the supervillain from Granny’s Donuts, Thunderstruck, is currently robbing a jewelry store. Seeing this as a chance for redemption, Invisigal goes off to stop him.
While Invisigal attempts to locate Thunderstuck in the jewelry store, I found that Dispatch smartly utilized that small cube puzzle. With it being a more timely matter and sometimes a red antivirus chasing you, it made these moments a lot more tense.
With or without our help though, Invisigal takes out Thunderstuck in a very heroic manner, and comes back with the overwhelming support of the team. To see everyone on the Z team come to celebrate her and cheer is a special moment for everyone, especially since now she is no longer at the bottom of the leaderboard. Which then leads to the biggest decision Robert, or more exactly, the player, has to make.
Blonde Blazer gives us the choice, do we cut Coupé or Sonar? It was a tough choice, and it very heavily depends on the personal gameplay of how the player dispatches. For me though, since Sonar has more of a speciality with his intelligence and Coupe is more rounded, I chose to get rid of Coupe. From the stats at the end of episode, I know this was a pretty split decision, but I think Sonar brought more to the table. As Robert leaves though, Blonde Blazer stops him to tell him something, but just ends up saying “great work today.” It seems as though she was going to ask him out, but stops herself, so how that will come into play next episode is very intriguing.
No matter who you choose to cut, it leads to a horrendously uncomfortable moment. Both, in very angry ways, Sonar or Coupé make it clear that this will not be the last time we see them, certainly setting up some crazy moments to come.
The final scene shows Robert and Chase watching Invisigal see her score on the leaderboard go up, and in a small touching moment, we see Invisigal finally see herself as a hero. She catches them watching and has a somewhat awkward interaction with Robert as she thanks him. From this interaction, I think they may be setting up a love triangle between Robert, Blonde Blazer and Invisigal, but it is honestly tough to say.
Episode 3: Turnover, really leaned into the dispatch gameplay, and with how addictive it is, I honestly could play for hours. It is so fine-tuned, challenging and filled to the brim with hilarious dialogue and intense stakes. It requires real thought that every second I get to play is such a highlight. This episode was not only a great continuation of the last, but it also sets up a lot for Episode Four with intense and heartening character moments.
Episode 4: Restructure
So out of all the episodes so far, I have to say this episode, by far, had the most shocking opening. I didn’t ask for it, nor did I necessarily want the first thing I saw in this episode to be Invisigal having a dream about touching herself, but it did reveal what my suspicions were last episode. She is starting to fall for Robert, who we then see get ready for the day and on his way to work
We then cut to Royd continuing to work with Robert on a new Mecha Man that is constantly failing due to a lack of an Astro Pulse, which went missing when the suit exploded in the air in Episode One. Dispatch is clearly setting this up to be a major plot point, as we know Mecha Man’s main villain, Shroud, wants the Astro Pulse, but we are unsure if he has it yet.
Robert then has some sensual tension with Blonde Blazer as he zips up the back of her dress, and it becomes clear they are getting closer. She then asks for your help with Phenomaman, who has been severely depressed ever since Blonde Blazer broke up with him.
Robert meets with Phenomaman in the parking lot, and even though he is beyond negative and upset, we’re able to get him out of his slum through a Robert-branded pep talk that seems to make an appearance in every episode now. Not that this pep talk has much effect on Phenomaman for long, as we see later in the episode.
Invisigal then sneaks into the men’s room to tell Robert about her dream of the two last night, which is done in a very unexpected and uncomfortable way that is ruined by Water Boy using the bathroom. The last thing I would expect would be for her to bring it up, but Invisigal doesn’t stick to the usual norms, so from now on, I am going to expect the unexpected from her.
Once the actual dispatch game play begins, we begin to see how past actions start to affect this episode. Depending on who you cut, either Punch Up or Malevola leaves early out of anger. Punch Up leaves if you cut Coupé because they used to date and are still friends, but if you cut Sonar, then Malevola leaves since they too were friends. Seeing past decisions affect gameplay like this definitely upped the stakes of future decisions, while simultaneously scaring me and making me excited to see what consequences my further decisions have.
Then with a break between dispatching, Blonde Blazer gives Robert the option of adding a new member to the Z Team. While I was originally excited about this proposal, that immediately went away once I found out my options were Waterboy or a depressed Phenomaman. I saw the plus sides of both, as Waterboy is definitely more passionate about being a superhero, even though he is not very strong or confident, while Phenomaman is incredibly strong and normally very confident, but with how depressed he is he might not perform well. I personally chose Phenomaman as I felt he had the higher potential of being useful during dispatching.
Despite what I thought though, on the first mission you put Phenomaman on he immediately leaves to check on Blonde Blazer and abandons whoever he goes with, pretty much setting them up for failure. While his stats are very good, it is honestly rare you ever get to use him, as if you ever mess up a mission he becomes unavailable for 45 seconds. And if you do send him on a mission, then he is just unreliable. While it was funny, it did pose a level of challenge I wasn’t initially expecting. And if you end up choosing Waterboy, his already small confidence is crushed by all the other team members so his stats are very low, but he is still usable in some situations.
When the day has ended, though, and you begin to pack stuff up, you see that Invisigal is still on the clock and at a movie theater. Robert plugs in his headset and talks with her briefly about going to the movies alone, but this is right as Blonde Blazer invites him to dinner in the office. In one of the biggest decisions in the game, you are forced to either go to the movies with Invisigal or have dinner with Blonde Blazer.
I honestly don’t think there is a bad choice here, as Robert definitely has chemistry with both of them, even if it is displayed in different ways. I debated choosing Invisigal since I like her interactions with Robert a lot, but I was worried about people finding out about them dating and how that would affect the team. This led me to choose Blonde Blazer, as I felt their chemistry was always very wholesome from the start. Even if the fear of Phenomaman finding out is scary, I was willing to take those odds.
If you choose to go have dinner with Blonde Blazer, then it is revealed that her necklace is what gives her her powers, and that she is actually hilariously brunette. You are then given the option to kiss her, but whether or not you do, Robert and Blonde Blazer, whose name we find out is Mandy, have a lovely dinner which they both consider to be a date.
If you end up choosing Invisigal, then you meet up with her at the theater and watch the movie as they discuss what their relationship status is. While they are not necessarily romantic yet, their friendship has definitely grown and seems as though it will continue to blossom in future episodes.
As big decisions begin to pile up on each other, the intensity of each episode grows more and more. Episode 4: Restructure was a great culmination of that as tensions between the characters build and relationships start to form.
Overall:
With Episodes Three and Four, Dispatch continues to expand with more interesting characters, antics, heavy decisions and genuine voice acting and dialogue. As the stakes grow, Dispatch definitely is leaning toward more serious moments that I am very excited to see culminate and explode as time moves on. As consequences continue to unfold and more game-altering decisions are made, Dispatch has yet to disappoint. Whether it be the entertaining QTEs or the strategic gameplay, there isn’t anything I haven’t loved so far.
Samuel J. Beadle is a second-year English major. SB1033446@wcupa.edu