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This post contains spoilers for the first two episodes of <\/em>Dispatch<\/a>, now available on PlayStation 5 and Windows.<\/em><\/p>\n It\u2019s been attempted a few different ways, but nobody has really cracked a legitimate hybrid of scripted TV and video games. Netflix tried with the now-unlisted Black Mirror: Bandersnatch<\/a><\/em>, and studios like Telltale Games have been most successful at interactive visual novels for some time, but now there might be a bona fide contender for the first real playable television series.<\/p>\n More from Rolling Stone<\/strong><\/p>\n Dispatch<\/a><\/em> comes from a studio called AdHoc<\/a>, comprised of many former members of Telltale. In collaboration with multimedia juggernauts Critical Role<\/a>, their new project is looking to bring legitimacy to the concept of interactive, choice-driven TV. Rolling out with two roughly hourlong installments weekly from Oct. 22 to Nov. 12, the eight-episode inaugural season of Dispatch<\/em> (priced at $29.99) is a trial run for what could be a whole new way to engage with storytelling. Based on the first two releases, there\u2019s a lot of potential.<\/p>\n Top-level, Dispatch<\/em> is a superhero workplace comedy that centers on a disgraced vigilante, Robert Robertson (Breaking Bad\u2019s<\/a><\/em> Aaron Paul). In a world where superheroes are very public and normalized, Robert operates as the Iron Man-like Mecha Man, having picked up the mantle from his father and grandfather before him (all also named Robert Robertson).<\/p>\n The first two episodes mostly serve as table setting for the rest of the season, introducing Robert and the various employees of the Superhero Dispatch Network (SDN), a subscription service that lets citizens call for help for just about anything (think: Taskrabbit meets 9-1-1).<\/p>\n Visually, it resembles a high-end animated series or film more than your basic adult cartoon, but tonally it slips into a neat space somewhere between the theatrics of Invincible<\/em> (without the cruel streak) and classic workplace comedies<\/a> like Parks and Recreation<\/a><\/em>. I say Parks<\/em> rather than The Office<\/a><\/em> because there\u2019s earnestness and whimsy to its characters \u2014 despite the dick exposure and drug use \u2014 that\u2019s less about cringe humor than it is about flawed people trying their best to do good despite themselves.<\/p>\n It\u2019s essential to note that, although Dispatch<\/em> is fully scripted, there is an element of decision making that can change the flow of the story for each viewer. Most choices marginally shift bits of dialogue and how scenes play out, although they may have repercussions down the line. In the first batch of episodes, only a handful of choices can meaningfully veer the story\u2019s trajectory. Most of the actual \u201cgameplay\u201d involves tasks that push the plot along on its defined rails.<\/p>\n With that, we\u2019ll be covering this season\u2019s developments weekly, delineating the nuances of how things evolve and whether the threads weave back together into an effective linear narrative.<\/p>\n