Happy anniversary to Dispatch, a game that inspired me

• Feature

It’s been a year since Dispatch came out. It hasn’t left my mind since.

Donovan Erskine October 22, 2026 11:15 AM AdHoc Studio 1

A year ago today, the first two episodes of Dispatch were released. I vaguely remembered the game’s reveal at The Game Awards, but it admittedly wasn’t on my radar in a busy fall season. A friend mentioned to me that they were really enjoying it, so I pulled up the Steam page. I thought, “Oh, this looks really neat,” and gave it a shot. I don’t think I’ve been the same since.

Episode 1 of Dispatch, like a great TV pilot, immediately drew me in. The art style, the characters, the dialogue, I instantly knew that I was playing something special. In a world where Invincible, The Boys, and plenty of other self-aware superhero media already exist, I expected Dispatch to tell the same jokes and give the same commentary I’d already heard. But it was so much more.

Dispatch, at its heart, is a game about legacy and redemption. I wrote about this at length in my review of the game. Robert Robertson, a third-generation superhero who doesn’t actually have super powers, enters the story as a mopey down-on-his-luck dude and exits as a resilient man, made stronger not by the restoration of the Mecha Man suit, but by the community he finds at SDN.

I, like most people, love an underdog, and Dispatch has them in spades. There’s of course our protagonist Robert, but also the entirety of the Z-Team. Invisigal, who you practically have to drag kicking and screaming to her rehabilitation, put tears in my eyes at the climactic end of episode 6, when she risks her own life to save Chase. Malevola, Flambae, Golem, Malevola, Prism, Punch Up, Coupé, and Sonar all get a moment to shine at one point or another. 

There’s also my favorite, Blonde Blazer. To think that Erin Yvette wasn’t originally meant to play this character truly shocks me. She’s a perfect fit, bringing the grace, assertiveness, and silliness that defines the character. Blazer/Mandy enchanted me as soon as she showed up in episode one, and proved to be one of the game’s most layered characters as the story went on.

One of the first things that come to mind when I think of Dispatch is the music. Andrew Arcadi truly outdid himself with this soundtrack. From Easier If We Fly to Lana Works in the Mail Room and the Z-Team theme, there are so many songs that’ve yet to leave my rotation. 

And don’t even get me started on the licensed songs. Little Light and Pound Cake were a few early ones that caught my attention and helped to establish the game’s tone, but it felt like the world stopped when I heard Radio for the first time in Episode 6. The party scene is the best sequence in the game, and maybe my favorite narrative moment from last year. Radio, a song about love and how the right person can feel like light in the darkness, is perfectly in line with the game’s relationships, whether you decide to pursue Invisigal or Blonde Blazer.

The story behind the song is beautiful, too, and I got to learn all about it when I interviewed Bershy last year. A musician who was ready to give up on her dream got a second chance thanks to a licensing deal in a video game about… second chances and redemption! It’s perfect, and that interview is one of my favorite things I’ve done here at Shack.

Beneath all of it is a pretty damn fun superhero management game! I love sending heroes out to different missions that fit their abilities, and training their stats to maximize their potential while staying true to their character. As much as I'm excited to see these characters back in a sequel, the idea of them expanding this aspect of the game is incredibly exciting. 

Thank you, AdHoc Studio. For reminding me why I loved those old TellTales games, giving me a new group of characters to fall in love with, and reinforcing that I’ll truly never be out on superhero stories. Happy anniversary, Dispatch, and here’s to whatever’s next!

Now, if you don’t mind me, I’ve gotta start a fresh playthrough with that new anniversary update.

Shacknews staff does not use generative artificial intelligence (AI) in their content. Shacknews strictly prohibits the use of its content for AI training or to generate text, including text in the style or format used for this publication. Shacknews reserves all rights to this work.

Donovan Erskine News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_

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