Back during the highlight days of Telltale games, I feel in love with their work on the Jurassic Park series and the Tales From The Borderlands game. While The Wolf Among Us was my first experience with Telltale on a portable games console. A true console quality game with the build and care of fine-tuned PS Vita. Yet as the chapter on the once beloved studio closed, remnants of that team moved onto a new chapter and with the creation of Adhoc Studios, we got our glimpse last year of their labors. Now, on the Nintendo Switch family of systems, we get our chance at discovering the beauty and pure joy that this title has brought to gamers the world over. Reigniting that charm that had once been a massive success with the Walking Dead series, a game where your choices felt heavy in driving the narrative.

Yet while delivering a new found charm with Dispatch, was Adhoc able to stick the landing on Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 or has the superhero epic, fumbled its entry? Let’s find out and set out to tackle the question at hand! I would like to prefix this review with the fact that this is an entirely self-funded review and as such, Adhoc had no input on its content or statements. So, let’s continue on with our review of Adhoc’s Dispatch!

Censorship that is confounding, Yet not standing in the way of the core story.

Let’s address the largest elephant in the room here; censorship. What seemed like an issue that we wouldn’t have to discuss turned out to be a larger can of worms overall. Dispatch on Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 are unfortunately, censored. While this will only affect aspects of the game, from genitalia to profane gestures. The game does have to contend with glaring black boxes that are ever present in these moments. They are extremely jarring to see over the more standard mosaic that some would be used to for other censoring methods. What made this all the more harder to swallow, was the simple fact that it was not revealed prior to launch that the game would be censored by default. While the ability to toggle curse word censoring is intact, the game was pushed to market with a hard lock on nudity and profane gestures.

Now whether or not this was jointly Nintendo or Adhoc’s fault at hand is a moot issue. As both parties have effectively said it was the other, while doing little to address customer concerns. That being said, there was a third-party involved with the overall porting work for Adhocs Dispatch, that being, PlayEveryWare. Which seems to indicate that whatever console certification efforts that they went through may be the main cause of blame in this censoring debacle. Although as it stands they themselves have not made any comment in this regard. Now, does this all add up to deeply affect the enjoyment of the game? Frankly speaking, I would say no. While it is quite jarring in some aspects, I can easily overlook this and focus on the main reason for enjoying this game: its story and colorful cast. Not being able to see an uncensored genitalia or middle finger is going to ruin one hell of a game. All of the dialogue, character quirks and its stellar story are all here in their complete form. While a certain, steamy moment in chapter 4 is indeed more, audibly awkward. It’s nothing too dissimilar from seeing your Sims make woohoo underneath a bedsheet. It doesn’t make or break that game, it’s just one aspect to a larger whole.

Yet, should you as a paying customer be entitled to the original, unaltered version of the game? Of course! It’s well within your right to file a complaint and request a refund of a product deemed misleading. I however feel that while it is sad to not have the entirety of the original product, it doesn’t detract from the otherwise excellent game that Adhoc has managed to put in place for us to enjoy on the Nintendo Switch systems. I get wanting to have that choice, as an adult, to view, read or play something without someone forcing a choice upon you. Frankly, it’s the last thing anyone wants to have taken away, that being the choice to determine what it is that you wish to consume and how you consume it. Again, I still feel that the response to the situation does detract from the fact that this is a stellar game that was made by a passionate group of developers who wished to share that joy with Nintendo Switch users.

I think we addressed the elephant in the room enough. As we aren’t the only outlet having added input into an already discussed matter. So, just how good is this games story?

A Story About People.

Every good show, game or book follows a key point. A choice made to determine what it is that, that media will attempt to convey and for us, Dispatch’s point is a story about people. But it’s that we as people are multifaceted. We have dreams, aspirations, desires and yet we are often led a life that hardly allows us room to pursue them. Maybe for some that’s born out of the weight of family legacy, others it’s due to dwelling with excess of opportunity. Dispatch is near-perfect in its exploration of what it is that makes us, us. Robert Robertson struggles with legacy, with purpose. Invisigal desperately fights against presumption and destiny, while Phenomeman, tries in excess to understand what it is to be human. The people that make up the story of Dispacth, while as fantastical as their lives maybe in comparison to our own, are nonetheless attempting to rationalize or struggle with the very concept of what makes us all unique.

A story about people doesn’t need to be super. You don’t need to be born with a gift. It’s the determination that we put on everyday, to meet our adversity, to face our differences and to attempt to rectify them. Sometimes, we succeed. Other times, we wallow in self-pity, lamenting at our lot in life. Yet, when life permits it, when we take our direction in life into our own hands, we are capable of changing its outcome. Dispatch exemplifies this thought perfectly through Robert Robertson. A man who, burdened with legacy and living a life of isolation, suddenly finds himself in a situation surrounded by the extreme, the familiar and the surreal. These people, born with extraordinary gifts or from realms of existence beyond our comprehension are each struggling to find their own footing. As it is Robert’s task in this game’s narrative to turn these zeroes into heroes. With of course clever input by the player of the game. Yet, it’s a story that can be shaped as personally or impersonal as you want it to be. The game will reflect that, as the older TellTale games had done in the past, to some degree. Each character in this story has some aspect of a person written into them. Be it Flambae’s bright and over the top personality to Sonar’s aloof, and higher-than-thee outlook. Each character is a a foil to another member in this tale, Robert just happens to the very glue that’s able to keep them all together and to turn their weaknesses into strengths.

It’s the players choice in the matter of how you respond and interact with this cast that adds to the variety of the story. With your narrative choices ultimately affect where the story ends up at the end of it all. And let me tell you, this game WILL make you fall in love with and care about these people. With over 6 total endings in the game, you can be sure to find a route that you’ve not managed to experience yet. While I’ve only achieved one of the possible endings, I did feel that it took into account all the choices that I had made, which ended up being influenced by those past choices. It goes without saying that these people very much grow, change and learn to work with one another. When compared with other games within the genre and even past Telltale games, this is by far the most emotional and engaging experience that I’ve had to date. Each voice actor and actress adds such a diverse element to these characters that you too are going to want more of them by the time the final episodes credits roll. That what great character depth means, it’s what makes these characters believable people just trying to be… people.

Gameplay thats engaging, but QTE’s that matter little.

With narrative games such as, Dispatch, there always remains the question of gameplay. Puzzles tend to be the answer to these games and boy do we receive them in spades. While the quick time elements are thankfully non-impactful, to what the player has to contend with. There’s even an option to cut them out entirely. Now the dispatch section of… Dispatch, is where the beef of the gameplay lies, in-between many of the games cinematic shots. Each shift will require you to assess jobs and determine what hero will be right for the job at hand. While initially daunting, the game is kind at guiding you towards ensuring that you have an understanding of the mechanics.

Aside from plotting your heroes onto jobs, the one other aspect of gameplay are the hacking mini-games. These involve a grid with various pattern puzzles and some slight pac-man style evasion of anti-virus programs. All in all, the system does the job of providing a break from the quick hits of alerts during the dispatching section, that you find yourself appreciating the actual implementation of the hacking mini-games. I wish I could say much more about the gameplay, but Adhoc has done such a great job at ensuring the gameplay is relevant but not overbearing or even irrelevant. The ability to make QTE events a simple addition over an annoying requirement has to be one of my favorite additions to the gameplay element.

Switch 2 performance shines while Switch 1 holds steady. Audio wise, this is headphone approved!

Okay, now this wouldn’t be a review if we didn’t at least touch on the performance aspects of, Dispatch. Switch 1 is where the game is going to be weakest, but thankfully not a fumble. The game targets 720p at 30 FPS in both docked and handled. Whereas the Switch 2 will be aiming for 1440p at 60 FPS when docked and a 1080p at 60 FPS when in handheld mode. This is both an excellent treat for Switch 2 owners and while it’s. It perfect for Switch 1 owners, the fact that it’s still a solid experience is rewarding in of itself.

Now in terms of audio, this game is such a treat if you happen to be equipped with a sound system or quality headphones. Enjoying the track set by of Thot Squad or Bershy is just a joy to ears and even in handheld, the game stands out as wildly bodied and full of thoughtful audio design. Plus if you plan on giving the game a go on your streaming platform of choice, the game has a built in toggle to replace licensed music with stream-friendly alternatives. Which is a nice addition for anyone particular concerned with getting a demonetized mark on their content.

Will you answer the call?

Ultimately I can tell you about a game but the biggest question you all have is, “is this worth my hard-earned money?” Which to that I would strongly say yes. The story is quite possibly the best in recent memory and while I would personally say that episode 8 felt lacking in some aspects, trying to tie up a narrative track across 8 episode is commendable and down right admirable. There’s passion behind the work and the people behind, Adhoc, are to be applauded. Is the issue of forced censorship an issue that can and should be taken into consideration for your purchase? Yes, but I again would argue that it holds no sway over whether or not the game is fun or not. Because it is and you should strongly consider checking it out if you see it for sale or even and full price.

All we ask is to decide on whether or not the censorship is a make or break deal. We at OGZ are hopeful that a resolution of some form will be found in the near future.

OtakuGamerZone rates Adhoc’s Dispatch: 4.5 out of 5

+1: Phenomenal Story that delivers a heartfelt experience thanks in part to a phenomenal cast.

+1: Excellent Gameplay that doesn’t feel intrusive or too overbearing.

+1: Audio design that’s mindful of the experience and stellar use of licensed music.

+1: Performance is terrific for Switch and Switch 2 owners without compromise.

-0.5: Forced Censorship that was not disclosed prior to launch on Nintendo Switch/Switch 2

---

OtakuGamerZone rates games on a point system, 1-5 accordingly.

Liked what we posted or noticed a typo? Want to suggest something for us to check out? Feel free to leave us a comment or send us an inquiry or Press opportunity via our contact page