{"id":2029104,"date":"2025-09-17T15:09:07","date_gmt":"2025-09-17T15:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2029104"},"modified":"2025-09-17T15:09:07","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T15:09:07","slug":"a-first-look-at-dispatch-calling-all-heroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/a-first-look-at-dispatch-calling-all-heroes\/","title":{"rendered":"A First Look At Dispatch\u2014Calling All Heroes"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">I was actually pretty interested in <em>Dispatch<\/em> when it was first revealed during The Game Awards 2024. I feel like there\u2019s been a fair bit of time between <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cgmagonline.com\/review\/game\/the-walking-dead-the-final-season-episode-one-done-running-review\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:the exhausting release;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">the exhausting release<\/a> of episodic games and the genre\u2019s\u2026let\u2019s say <em>hibernation<\/em> that the prospect of a new one was actually exciting again. Not only that, but rather than being based on an existing property, this game was going to be its own unique story and ideas, which only sweetened the pot.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">CGM got a chance to sit down with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/theAdHocStudio\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:AdHoc Studio;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">AdHoc Studio<\/a> to get a first look at <em>Dispatch,<\/em> and it made a pretty impressive first impression. Not only does it look to tell a compelling and engaging story, rounded out by a cast of complex and interesting characters, but it\u2019s got a lot more depth to its gameplay than the average point-and-click inspired narrative game.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>A First Look At Dispatch\u2014Calling All Heroes<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">COO &amp; Dispatch Creative Director Nick Herman introduced us to the company in about as blunt a way as possible, saying, \u201cWe were founded in 2018 by two writers and two directors. We all cut our teeth working at Telltale Games. We like to think that we worked on some of the best titles that came out of the studio. But we\u2019re not immune to critique\u2026We read the comments.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">However, Herman also added that their experience at TellTale gave them a chance to learn from previous mistakes and work towards making something better. And <em>Dispatch<\/em> looks like it\u2019s being built on a pretty solid foundation. Players take on the role of Robert Robertson (voiced by Aaron Paul), who was once a hero known as Mechaman. As Herman describes, \u201cHe\u2019s kind of like our world\u2019s Tony Stark, except he\u2019s not smart, and he\u2019s not rich.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A First Look At Dispatch\u2014Calling All Heroes\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/ci22_pImwT405.ONQbtaMw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cg_magazine_431\/d52548b4b5303d0b215d25cc66f33299\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>A First Look At Dispatch\u2014Calling All Heroes<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After Robert loses his Mech-suit in a battle, he\u2019s forced to get a regular day job at the Superhero Dispatch Network, or SDN for short. But here\u2019s the kicker\u2014because of his status as a former hero, he has to manage a group of ex-villains effectively working off their sentences as heroes. Interestingly enough, the idea began as a pitch for a large company as a sort of interactive live-action TV show, but the whole project got shut down due to COVID.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But more directly, it was the idea of taking something like <em>The Avengers<\/em> and combining it with something like <em>The Office<\/em>, but as Herman explained, \u201cone of the things we weren\u2019t able to explore while we were at Telltale were the mechanics that were organic to the story we were telling.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"mb-4 border-l-2 pl-5 italic text-tertiary\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">\u201c<em>Dispatch <\/em>has an RPG-like structure where each hero has different stats based on Combat, Vigour, Mobility, Charisma, and Intellect.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He went on to say how most development teams will come up with a really solid gameplay idea and then sort of iterate from there; however, they went about it differently, comparing the creation of <em>Dispatch <\/em>to that of a TV Show. \u201cBasically, once we\u2019re keyed in on what the narrative is going to be, who the characters are, we find mechanics that are fun and make sense in the context of that story,\u201d said Herman.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Of course, as a narratively driven game, character interactions and dialogue will influence how the game progresses, but there is a lot more depth to the moment-to-moment gameplay working as a dispatcher that really adds a lot to the experience. Robert isn\u2019t just a guy who receives calls and sends out heroes; he\u2019s actively working to help them and make sure they succeed.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A First Look At Dispatch\u2014Calling All Heroes\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/h98zhOebNyawUKcfs6RWGA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cg_magazine_431\/f5522136bfe2ac46063e7c09b9a1ccc8\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>A First Look At Dispatch\u2014Calling All Heroes<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In the demo we were shown, we were given a small glimpse of how an average workday would go. To start, Comm lines are open, so any and all available heroes will chatter, talk smack, or look for a supportive ear to vent to. When emergencies arise, players will need to assign heroes best suited to each situation. These events can be minor, like getting a balloon out of a tree, or major, resulting in full-on scripted sequences.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Dispatch <\/em>has an RPG-like structure where each hero has different stats based on Combat, Vigour, Mobility, Charisma, and Intellect. As you get to know your team, you\u2019ll discover new skill sets and unlock new abilities that will give you a better chance for success\u2014they\u2019ll even gain stat points that players can assign to make them a more effective hero.\u00a0 However, messing up jobs can result in heroes becoming injured, which will lower their stats for future missions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">One of the things Herman assured us within <em>Dispatch<\/em> was that no heroes will permanently die, which is honestly a really refreshing approach to the genre, since, as I think most people can agree with by the end of the <em>Telltale Walking Dead<\/em> games, the deaths became far too predictable and the \u201cchoice\u201d system became a little meaningless. Creating a game where a player\u2019s decisions not only affect the story but also have a tangible effect on gameplay is definitely a step in the right direction.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A First Look At Dispatch\u2014Calling All Heroes\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/EApc8lRj8kkFoctOWhJivg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cg_magazine_431\/61948fada2319c756c68e25e07e082e3\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>A First Look At Dispatch\u2014Calling All Heroes<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But it\u2019s not just engaging in conversation, assigning heroes to emergencies or providing direction during intense moments where players get involved. <em>Dispatch<\/em> also includes a hacking minigame that\u2014to my own surprise\u2014doesn\u2019t look awful and actually adds meaningful options to different situations. If players navigate effectively, they can unlock additional information for scenes or use situational prompts to potentially give heroes an edge. It\u2019s more proof that AdHoc know what they\u2019re doing to create meaningful gameplay to inform the narrative of being the man behind the desk.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">But <em>Dispatch <\/em>is made so much better by the talent behind its characters. During the preview, we got a decent glimpse of Aaron Paul bringing his sardonic and exhausted deliveries to Robert\u2019s lines as he has to deal with this genuine downgrade in his life. On top of this, we got a first <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cgmagonline.com\/interviews\/putting-a-name-to-the-voice-an-interview-with-laura-bailey\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:glimpse at Laura Bailey;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">glimpse at Laura Bailey<\/a>, portraying \u201cInvisigal,\u201d a hot-headed, bad joke-telling former villain who looks to be a bit of a wild card.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">For a game that\u2019s meant to be a dark comedy, I was curious to know whether Paul would bring some of the strong comedy chops he portrayed in <em>Bojack Horseman <\/em>to the experience, or if he would lean more towards <em>Breaking Bad<\/em>. And as CCO &amp; <em>Dispatch<\/em> Narrative Director, Pierre Shorette explained, \u201cbecause of the context with which Robert arrives into the story, it definitely starts in a place that\u2019s a little bit more sarcastic and darker. But there\u2019s certainly some silly beats along the way. A lot of behind-the-scenes silliness that Aaron was giving us.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"A First Look At Dispatch\u2014Calling All Heroes\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/A9jHNj9hP4k0KgWlfH_JjA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/cg_magazine_431\/706f3f4e34595c3d660219dde1c94c75\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p>A First Look At Dispatch\u2014Calling All Heroes<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><em>Dispatch <\/em>looks set to learn from the mistakes of the past and deliver an experience that will certainly be as engaging to play as it is exciting to experience. The AdHoc team said they were inspired by shows like <em>Ted Lasso, VEEP, Barry, Invincible<\/em> and even <em>Bojack Horseman<\/em>; the theme of finding light in the darkness runs deep within the game and will surely leave a lasting impression.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/store.steampowered.com\/app\/2592160\/Dispatch\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Dispatch will premiere;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><em>Dispatch <\/em>will premiere<\/a> its first two episodes on October 22nd, 2025, for PC and PlayStation 5; following a two-episode per week structure for four weeks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I was actually pretty interested in Dispatch when it was first revealed during The Game Awards 2024. I feel like there\u2019s been a fair bit of time between the exhausting release of episodic games and the genre\u2019s\u2026let\u2019s say hibernation that the prospect of a new one was actually exciting again. Not only that, but rather [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2029105,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[348518,363838,374023,374022],"class_list":["post-2029104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-aaron-paul","tag-dispatch","tag-nick-herman","tag-robert-robertson"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/A-First-Look-At-Dispatch\u2014Calling-All-Heroes.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2029104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2029104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2029104\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2029105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2029104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2029104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2029104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}