Dispatch Episodes 5-6 Review

At the time of writing, I've just finished playing through Dispatch Episodes 5&6. Literally just finished. Therefore, this review is probably going to feel like an absolute ramble, and I apologise for that. However, it will also be spoiler-free, so if you're looking to play through your own version of AdHoc's excellent narrative game, then you can still read through this ahead of time. Or come back once you're done to go in completely blind. You do you.

Speaking of time, there has been a considerable amount of it since I last touched Dispatch, thanks to getting early access to the first four episodes, and I have to compliment AdHoc on not skipping a beat in getting you back into the action. Some have criticised the episodic structure of Dispatch and while there is a conversation to be had about whether episodic games work in the modern market, AdHoc has done a phenomenal job in adapting its game around that structure. Each episode is its own micro story, which plays into the wider narrative.

Episode 5&6 really feel like they're where Dispatch gets into its groove. The first two episodes introduce you to the story and gameplay loop. The third and fourth offer your first big decisions so you can feel like you're really deciding the story, and then the fifth and sixth episodes hit you with the greatest part of decision-making: consequences. Aside from some mean dialogue from Malevola in Episode 4 thanks to me firing her best mate, I couldn't say that the major decisions I'd made felt impactful in Dispatch. Now I can say I was too harsh too soon on the game, as references to old comments, actions, and more come back to haunt and help me throughout these most recent episodes.

I won't go over thoughts on the overall gameplay, visuals, or voice acting, as my impressions from the first four episodes pretty much align with the most recent release. On those fronts, everything is excellent, and once again I find myself utterly addicted to the pseudo gambling experience of sending heroes out on odd jobs. Like others, I'm hoping for an endless mode or some extra content after these episodes are done, just to let me have my own little superhero management sim. One of the few shortcomings I have with Episodes 5&6 is that Episode 6 really trades gameplay for story, and while I understand exactly why AdHoc went with that decision, it would have been a much easier pill to swallow had the gameplay not proven so fun. These two amazing aspects of Dispatch are battling for attention at times. Story always wins, and that's almost definitely for the better, but sometimes you want to have your cake and eat it too.

As you can probably tell from the improved score for these episodes, that criticism is minor. Dispatch's latest episodes really succeeded for me, in the place where others haven't as much, largely because of an increased focus on character. The Z-Team have finally let you in, it seems, and there's a great benefit to that from a storytelling standpoint in allowing the player to feel fully welcome in the world around them. Sure, they're not the people that you'd have chosen to hang out with, but you're getting to a point of understanding with them.

Dispatch's length once more seems to bite it in the behind, here, as it takes under two hours to wrap these latest episodes. Unless we're getting bamboozled and the last two episodes are extremely long, we're looking at an experience that's probably well under ten hours all things considered. That's a good deal shorter than the Telltale experiences of old, and while the upcoming absence might make the heart grow fonder for Dispatch, you can't help but wonder if a couple of more episodes might have helped us feel better attached to our squad and roster of other characters.

In Episodes 5&6, Dispatch has gone from a good time with great visuals, voice acting, and more, to a great time with everything finally clicking in place. I'm tremendously excited to see how my story will end, and I'm very glad to report that the game does a great job at making your story feel canon. Even if you're told how many other players made the same decisions as you at the end, when you're making choices, building your own Robert and the path he takes, Dispatch consistently rewards you with little nods here and there and big reminders of what you did to define your story.