The Steam Next Fest is currently underway and many games are showcasing demos to interest players. MyMMO editor Nikolas Hernes has his eye on a superhero game that should be kept in mind not just for its art style.
Which game is it about? I love animated series about superheroes, whether they are brutal like Invincible, which is one of the best, or more classic like Batman or Young Justice. During the current Steam Next Fest, Dispatch caught my eye.
When I saw that the developer AdHoc Studio consists of former Telltale people, the developers of The Walking Dead and Wolf Among Us, I immediately downloaded the demo. I haven’t played everything from Telltale, but the characters and stories were always engaging. I still think back to Season 1 of The Walking Dead with a teary eye.
After 30 minutes, I must say: The world and the characters are promising and the gameplay has potential.
The art style and characters catch your attention
What is Dispatch about? You play as Robert Robertson, who has lost his Robo-suit as Mecha Man. Since he can no longer work as a superhero, he starts at a Dispatch Center. There, you are supposed to manage former villains to solve everyday problems. Emergency calls are answered, cats are rescued from trees, and thieves are caught. Sometimes more successfully than others.
How does Dispatch play? In the demo, Dispatch immediately shows what the developers have worked on before. The focus is on following the story and making decisions. The game is a workplace comedy like The Office, but with superheroes.
Dispatch is vulgar and quirky, but that’s exactly what catches my attention. The characters are charming despite their quirks, especially an old man who isn’t really that old. Together with the great comic art style and good voice acting, I already feel comfortable in the short demo, and it reminds me of many good animated series like Invincible.
You are thrown directly into absurd situations where you can hardly foresee the consequences of your decisions, and that is great fun.
In addition to the story, you also have to take action over the phone
Another aspect you learn about is the emergency calls. In a hectic game, you have to send your team of former villains to locations to solve problems. The characters have different attributes and characteristics that you need to keep an eye on.
If a cat is stuck in a tree, then a hero
with wings is worth it. If you need access to a building, then you should bring a hacker. This is generally fun, but in the demo, there were times when you didn’t have suitable heroes
because you had to send them somewhere else.
After successful missions, the characters gain experience points and better stats. The comments from the individual heroes
have always been amusing because they also make fun of the protagonist. After all, they are former villains.
This gameplay aspect was not a highlight of the demo, but it could be a good change of pace alongside the story.
When will Dispatch be released? There is currently no specific date, but the Steam page mentions 2025, so it’s the perfect time if you’re waiting for the new season of Invincible or The Boys.
Dispatch is promising, and the rather short demo shows almost everything you need to know. If the humor, story, and characters remain as presented in the demo, then it could become one of my favorite games of the year. The new game from the Pokémon creators also looks promising: Pokémon fans are shocked after the developers present their new game: ‘Game Freak can actually make games that don’t look a decade old?’
