Dispatch May Change The Game For Visual Novels

If you’re familiar with Dispatch, the latest visual novel produced by veterans from Telltale Games, you may be eager due to its impressive ensemble cast featuring voice and TV actors, YouTube stars, and even a star from Breaking Bad, Aaron Paul. However, there’s more to look forward to in this upcoming game, as playing its free demo made it evident to me that Dispatch stands out from other games in its genre. In fact, Dispatch could potentially revolutionize visual novels, offering an immersive cinematic experience within gaming.

If you’re not in the know, “Dispatch” is an upcoming visual novel where your decisions shape the storyline, much like the games made famous by Telltale Studios. This is the first project from indie studio AdHoc and was created by some of the writers and directors behind “Tales from the Borderlands” and “The Wolf Among Us”. The story follows a retired superhero who now works as a dispatcher at an agency aiming to reform super villains, setting up a humorous workplace scenario reminiscent of comic books in an alternate version of Los Angeles. The game boasts a star-studded cast that includes Aaron Paul from “Breaking Bad”, Matthew Mercer of “Critical Role” fame, as well as popular YouTubers such as Jackscepticeye, along with numerous other talented performers, which can make reading the game’s credits a bit overwhelming.

Discovering that Dispatch could pique your curiosity is plausible, and it even sparked my enthusiasm. Yet, experiencing the game’s free trial (which you can access immediately) unveiled an unexpected delight; I never anticipated, nor could have imagined, the exceptional quality of the animation in Dispatch.

For some, it seems like an obvious observation that Dispatch boasts exceptional animation, even compared to visual novel games like Tales from the Borderlands and The Wolf Among Us. However, it’s important to note that Dispatch’s animation is not just good for a game; it’s animation of such high quality that it could easily compete with anything currently streaming or airing on what we colloquially refer to as a television set.

In the animation of Dispatch, the smoothness left me spellbound as I scrutinized each subtle facial expression on the characters. As someone with severe ADHD, I rarely have the endurance to complete even my favorite games, so it speaks volumes that I revisited Dispatch’s demo several times, trying to catch all the intricate details I missed initially, along with exploring the various outcomes of my character’s decisions.

The game Dispatch doesn’t just boast exceptional animation; rather, its developers have skillfully integrated player choices into the animation flow. At each point where players can decide on an action, the animation doesn’t pause or make characters stand still while the player contemplates their choice. Instead, the choices are subtly woven into the animation, allowing players to select an option that determines the sequence of events before they unfold. If a player takes too long to choose, an option is automatically selected for them and the scene proceeds accordingly.

In the actual gameplay, it may not seem extraordinarily impressive at first glance, but the seamless integration of various scenes based on player decisions is nearly breathtaking. This is particularly evident when transitions occur without interrupting the continuous camera view. For instance, in the demonstration alone, Aaron Paul’s character can be manipulated to execute two contrasting actions without a single camera cut from his face. This intricate blend of gameplay and responsiveness to choices gives an immersive experience that feels less like playing a game and more like you’re watching a show that miraculously adapts to your decisions.

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