Dispatch

A masterclass in narrative gaming that balances cinematic storytelling with engaging dispatch gameplay to create the genre's best package.

Introduction

I played Dispatch over its four-week release schedule, two episodes at a time, and fell more in love with it and its characters every single week. This is easily one of the best games of 2025. The captivating story, amazing characters, great art style, and direction create something you rarely see in this medium outside of well-established studios. The quality is consistent across the board, from the masterful writing and voice acting to the perfect soundtrack that had me adding tracks to my playlist after first listen.

Characters With Real Depth

The writing and voice acting made me instantly attached to most characters who got time on screen. What starts as a funny game full of absurd characters slowly reveals itself to be something much deeper. With every scene, you discover there are layers to each person, and as you progress through the episodes, the dramatic side starts taking the front seat. That transition from comedy to drama feels earned rather than jarring, which is a testament to how well the characters are written.

Cinematic Excellence

This game is accessible for non-gamers and gamers alike, which is rare to pull off well. After seeing how masterfully the first few scenes were directed, I instantly switched to cinematic mode. The game IS the definition of cinematic, so QTEs felt like an obstacle rather than immersive engagement. The direction and cinematography here rival what you'd expect from high-budget productions, with shot composition and pacing that shows real understanding of visual storytelling.

The Dispatching System

Unlike other Telltale-style games, you don't move around or choose where to go or what to talk about. The game runs on rails with some forks along the way, except for the dispatching sections. This is where the game's unique hook comes in. You have a roster of "heroes" that you send on different missions across LA. Based on mission descriptions, you decide which heroes to send using their DnD-inspired attributes to match what works best for each job.

The tutorial felt underwhelming, but I quickly became addicted to this part of the game. The great writing, banter, and interactions between characters during missions made these sections extremely engaging. All the chaos that happens while dispatching is exactly what you'd expect from this roster of "reformed" villains, and it never gets old.

Minor Gameplay Gripes

If I had to nitpick about the dispatching sections, I wish the consumables had more importance in the gameplay and were more utilized overall. The hacking mini-game was just okay. Even though it evolved over time and presented challenges, it never felt enjoyable. The wavelength one was a cool concept but a complete miss on execution.

Perfect Flow

The game masterfully weaves between amazing cutscenes with choices sprinkled in, then naturally flows into your dispatching day job for a more in-control section. The story continues through interactions between characters and usually ends with an event that transitions you back into a series of cutscenes. The balance is immaculate. I never felt like a series of cutscenes was taking too long or a gameplay section was too short. The pacing is balanced perfectly.

Comparing to the Genre

With this being a make-your-own-adventure kind of game, it's impossible not to compare it to previous games in this niche genre like the classic Telltale games. Dispatch wins on direction and quality without a doubt. But it does fall a bit short when it comes to the scale of its choice tree. Even though the game gives you many choices, it feels like they rarely have big impact, and many choices eventually converge to a common point. This is understandable given the quality level of these cutscenes. Having to animate a great amount of branching paths probably wasn't realistic budget-wise. I'm glad they chose a nice balance of high quality with a handful of big impact choices. But in my opinion, Detroit: Become Human is still leagues ahead in terms of choice and consequences. That said, I think Dispatch has the best full package overall and instantly became my favorite in this genre.

Room to Grow

I do wish the game had two extra episodes. Some characters could have benefited from more development and a few additional scenes to flesh them out further. The villain especially needed more attention. I couldn't connect well with them, and I wish we'd had some more impactful scenes to understand their motivations. If the game had to be eight episodes, I think they were perfectly balanced. But I feel 10 to 12 episodes would have made an even better story.

Verdict

Dispatch is a masterclass in narrative gaming that sets a new standard for the genre. The exceptional direction, masterful writing, and engaging dispatch gameplay combine to create something truly special. Yes, the choice tree is smaller than genre leaders, and some systems like consumables and hacking could use more depth. But these are minor complaints in a package that otherwise excels at everything it attempts. The balance between cinematic storytelling and interactive gameplay is perfect, and the characters are some of the best written I've encountered in games this year. This instantly became my favorite in the genre. If you have any interest in narrative games, this is an absolute must-play.