Phrasemaker

Approaching the end of 2025, I genuinely thought my personal game of the year would be one of the spooky Halloweenish releases full of atmosphere and whimsy that I fell in love with – Gloomy Eyes, or Bye Sweet Carole.  Nothing could have quite prepared me for how hard Dispatch would hit, so full of emotion and bursting with heart and humour.

This episodic superhero story absolutely blindsided me, undoubtedly becoming one of the most fun, uplifting, and human stories I’ve played in a long time. From the art style to the character writing, and even right down to the voice acting, Dispatch is not one that you want to miss out on, providing plenty to admire in each and every episode.

Story & Writing – It’s Time to Be a Hero…Dispatcher!

Dispatch looks like an average, everyday superhero story on the surface, but upon diving in, it quickly becomes apparent that it’s so much more. I didn’t expect to enjoy the protagonist of Robert as much as I did. He’s the classic ‘has no powers in a world full of powers’ character cliche, and even has a rather plain design. You don’t expect him to stand out. However, Robert ends up being one of the strongest aspects of the entire Dispatch experience.

Robert turns out to be the heart of the game. He’s incredibly well-written, deeply flawed, and shamelessly human. He speaks of his father’s death, he talks about depression, and he admits when he’s struggling, yet he never seems pitiful. Instead, Robert has strong emotional intelligence, empathy, and patience that he manages to use to bring together a superhero team of ex-criminals. With this simple, yet incredibly satisfying storytelling, there is truly an unexpectedly heartwarming adventure to be had.

There are some beautiful moments of emotion, too, such as Waterboy’s moment of self-doubt. Watching Robert gently lift him up and encourage him to have confidence as a hero may genuinely be one of the sweetest scenes I’ve experienced in a game.

It’s these types of little moments that stick with you after you step away, not just for the impact of the scene itself, but for knowing that the decisions you made earlier created that very result. Overall, Dispatch manages to maintain a very cozy vibe, like a comfort show, or favorite comic. It’s funny, hopeful, and very rewarding from start to end.

Characters – Familiar, Yet Unique (& Completely Unforgettable!)

The characters are where the game absolutely shines – they’re all phenomenal. Each and every single member of Team Z is bursting full of personality and interesting little quirks. Even the assholes are weirdly lovable, with the writing even leaning into their messy traits. Many of them seem to take fun influences from existing superheroes and characters, too, with a different spin that somehow makes them feel fresh and unique, but still lovable and somewhat familiar on the surface.

The voice cast, led by Critical Role, absolutely elevates each character to their full potential. The ability to breathe life into even the most minor of interactions gives the game such a fun, vibrant energy. I never find myself rushing through any dialogues or cutscenes, simply because I absolutely want to hear every second of what every character has to say.

There’s genuinely not a single character I dislike in the entire game, and I found myself wanting to know all there was to learn about them. Why? Simply because every single one of them was a delight, and has such fun little traits to them.

Visi jumps topics while rambling mid-fight due to her ADHD, and puffing on her inhaler between sarcastic comments. Sonar has dual forms that he shifts between each job, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Malevola somehow gains a cult that worships her. Coupe and Punch Up have a prior connection as villains. It’s all so intriguing and adds some great depth to each member on your team.

It’s safe to say that if Dispatch is the first major step of the Critical Role cast collaborating in the video game world, it’s an exceptional beginning. I’d happily play more games set in the Dispatch universe (or any universe Critical Role has involvement with), based on the performances in this game alone.

And how could I possibly forget about Beef? He’s without a doubt one heckin’ good boi, the star of the show, and I won’t hear otherwise. Seriously, though, any game that gives a lovable doggo to the protagonist as their companion automatically gains bonus points. We all love Beef. And Beef loves us. Probably. I’d like to think he does.

Gameplay – Simple, Yet Utterly Addictive

For about half of each episode, you’ll be navigating each main cutscene of the story. At most, you’ll make a few timed dialogue choices/action decisions, or use some interactive button/mouse inputs to progress the scene forward. The other half of each episode, you’ll be working as a hero dispatcher, sending out your team members to answer alerts.

This has a bit more strategy involved, such as considering which dynamics work or whose powers may be right for the job.However, this loop is rather calm, structured, and very low-stress. It’s more of an interactive story first, with some strategy/puzzle elements second, through the dispatching and hacking features.

The dispatcher loop is surprisingly addictive. You have to manage each one of your teammates, consider their stats, return and cooldown timings, which dynamics work well or clash for multi-hero alerts, and which skills to utilize. As you make these decisions, there are character comms to one another and Robert, keeping you engaged and entertained the entire time. These comms truly were a highlight, and made me eager to answer each and every job just for the fun of hearing the characters banter with one another.

One clever mechanic I noticed with the dispatching was that new Skill unlocks often followed main story beats and moments of personal growth for that character. For example, Visi gains buffs when sent on jobs alone due to her lone wolf status, but after you unlock her next skills, she provides boosts for teammates assigned with her, as part of the ‘pack’. It’s a really subtle but rewarding addition, mimicking her slowly finding her place with Team Z, despite her rocky past.

The hacking mechanic/minigames are a very chill and unexpectedly fun addition. I expected myself to get sick and tired of them rather quickly. However, from start to finish, I did not pass up a single opportunity for the hacking minigame. They just felt fun and satisfying to pull off, especially when they change the cutscene going on, or give you a boost in success for a particular job.

Episodes of Dispatch are also a very nice length, at approximately an hour each. They’re short, so perfect to play one here or there if you’re lacking time but still want a good story. On the other hand, they’re also very bingeable…so don’t be surprised when the game draws you in and then suddenly you’re six episodes deep with no regrets.

Graphics & Art Style – A Superhero Comic Come to Life

Dispatch truly does nail the feeling of stepping into a living comic book. The art direction lands in that nice little sweet spot between classic superhero comics and anime, something almost reminiscent of the Marvel and DC animated adaptations, or the visual tone of the Invincible show.

Character designs are vibrant, expressive, and full of personality. In a world full of multiple chaotic calls all happening at once, it somehow seems that each character still gets their moments to shine on screen. The backdrops and environmental art is also extremely clean, perfectly amplifying each scene without being a gorgeous distraction in itself.

Sound Design, Voice Acting, & Music – Polished & Full of Personality

The voice acting is genuinely just as phenomenal as the character concepts themselves. This work is emotive, genuinely funny, and deeply human. From Phenomeman’s unique dialect to Waterboy’s nervous ramblings, Flambe’s arrogant remarks, or even Invisigirl’s dorky and/or sarcastic one-liners. They are all what bring these characters to life in such a special way, and that is all thanks to the amazing performances by the voice cast.

However, the rest of the audio work for Dispatch also deserves praise. There’s great sound cues, dispatching alerts, combat sound effects, and environmental ambience to support your immersion. Oh, and there’s a few real banger song choices played throughout, too. From atmospheric to energetic, the music and SFX in Dispatch always fit the nature of each moment, complementing the narrative rather than overshadowing.

Dispatch – Final Thoughts

Dispatch is everything an episodic narrative-driven game should be, and quite frankly, I found myself with a lovely little dose of nostalgia during my time with the game. It reminded me of fond memories with some of my other favorite titles, such as the Life is Strange games or the Telltale series.

Dispatch is cozy, funny, character-driven, and full of so much heart. It takes familiar character archetypes or powers and breathes new life into them with fun quirks and incredible voice acting. Any fan of pick-your-path/choose-your-own-adventure games/stories, or superhero universes in general, is bound to fall just as much in love with Dispatch as I did. I simply can not recommend the game more, and I expect it will become one of the few titles that I have to play once every so many months, simply because I miss the story.