Dispatch is our 2025 Game of the Year [FEATURE]

For the first time this year, we decided we wanted to make our own ‘Game of the Year’ awards, and we expected a drawn-out, heated affair involving spreadsheets, shouting matches, and passionate defences of niche titles as we put out awards across multiple categories. Well… time got the better of us and it didn’t work out, but there was a LOT of chat about what our Game of the Year would actually be. Our judging panel of eight writers were almost unanimous, and whilst the likes of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Death Stranding 2 were in the running, Dispatch comfortably secured the top spot. It wasn’t just the best narrative game of the year, but for us, it was our favourite game of the year.

Check out some screenshots of the game down below:

Developed by AdHoc Studio, Dispatch takes the DNA of the classic Telltale formula but strips away the technical jank and often needless exploration, replacing them with a polished, high-stakes drama that easily rivals the best of prestige television. We were captivated from start to end, and with the game drip-fed episodically over four-weeks, the anticipation of what would happen next certainly kept our team group chat VERY active.

We live in an era of superhero fatigue, there’s no doubt about it. Between the endless cinematic universes and streaming spinoffs, it has become increasingly difficult to engage with another group of Spandex-clad vigilantes, so it is a massive credit to the writing team that Dispatch made us fall swiftly and hopelessly in love with the ‘Z-Team’.

Instead of the usual pantheon of perfect gods, you are tasked with managing a squad of ex-villain miscreants seeking redemption, with the roster including everything from a man-bat hybrid to a literal golem. Yet the writing avoids 2D caricatures – these are flawed, messy, lovable people, and we found ourselves genuinely caring about their growth. I won’t lie, I found them all unlikable to begin with (in a good way), but it didn’t take long before I found myself transforming into a proud mentor who wanted the best for his team. The game manages to capture the whole ‘found family’ trope with such sincerity that by the time the credits rolled, we weren’t just ready for a sequel… we were missing our friends (yes, even Flambae).

The brilliance of Dispatch is how it marries this narrative weight to its gameplay. You play as Robert Robertson – formerly the hero ‘Mecha Man’ – who is forced into a desk job after his suit is destroyed (something that is constantly leaned upon throughout the core narrative). This shift in perspective turns the game into a ‘man in the chair’ simulator that is deceptively intricate but constantly engaging.

The gameplay loop involves dispatching your team to handle crises across the city, with the player given vague (but often hilarious) job descriptions, ranging from de-escalating a kaiju attack to rescuing a missing cat. You must interpret the needs of the mission and send out the right ‘hero’ for the job, with each shift playing out like a strategic puzzle where you have to match specific hero stats to the problem at hand.

“By focusing on sharp writing, deep characterization, meaningful decisions, and an addictive gameplay loop that breaks up the storytelling, AdHoc Studio has created a masterpiece.”

It sounds simple, but the stakes feel incredibly high – especially since you earn rewards as you progress through positive shifts. And, because you start to really care about the characters, sending an under-levelled hero to a dangerous situation induces genuine anxiety… sure you don’t have to worry about them dying, but you want to keep them on top form to make the shift a success. Add to that the option to level up heroes, unlock character-specific skills, make snap decisions that determine the success of a mission, or even get hands on with hacking to help out, and you’ll quickly find that your work shifts offer a rewarding system of resource management and mentorship.

Of course, the heart of the experience lies in the choices you make outside of the tactical map. Dispatch excels at making the player feel the burden of leadership, and your decisions are rarely about saving the city – they are about navigating office politics, bruising egos, and managing complex relationships that can quickly go sour if you don’t play your cards right.

What Dispatch does especially well is grip you in the quiet moments just as tightly as the action sequences. Whether you are deciding how to discipline a team member who messed up, or navigating the awkward, butterflies-in-the-stomach tension of a potential workplace romance, the dialogue flows naturally – there are no binary good or bad decisions to make, but just the organic consequences of your actions. It’s genuinely tantalising and ensures that every story beat of Dispatch will have you fully hooked in.

However, none of this would land quite as well without the game’s spectacular production values. The voice cast is an embarrassment of riches, featuring familiar heavyweights like Jeffrey Wright, Laura Bailey, and even Seán McLoughlin (more commonly known as Jacksepticeye). But the anchor is Aaron Paul as Robert, with him delivering a performance that oscillates effortlessly between world-weary cynicism and genuine heart. One moment, you are laughing out loud at a deadpan exchange regarding the absurdity of superhero bureaucracy, and the next you’ll be witnessing a quiet scene where Robert helps an anxiety-ridden hero prepare for an interview. It is a tonal tightrope walk that the game navigates with perfection, giving the experience and its characters a sense of humanity that’s often missing from similar narrative-driven experiences.

Oh, and visually, the game is stunning, with it adopting a comic-book-meets-anime aesthetic that looks like a high-budget animated feature, free from the stuttering frame rates that plagued the genre’s predecessors. Everything looks and plays fantastically on the Steam Deck too, which definitely pleased a few members of our team (it’s even coming to Nintendo platforms very soon). Honestly, though? The production value is so high that I feel like the game is best experienced on a TV screen, you know, like your favourite TV show… it’s what it deserves.

Check out some screenshots of the game down below:

Dispatch proves that you don’t need an open world or a hundred-hour runtime to make a lasting impact. By focusing on sharp writing, deep characterization, meaningful decisions, and an addictive gameplay loop that breaks up the storytelling, AdHoc Studio has created a masterpiece. It nails the ending with an epic conclusion that feels earned, leaving a lasting impression that’ll make you ready to experience the whole thing all over again just to see how things could have been different.

For reminding us why we love interactive storytelling, and for making us care about superheroes all over again, Dispatch is our Game of the Year. Play it… you won’t regret it.