Tagged AdHoc Studios

A Promising Refresh?

Setting a superpower narrative within the backdrop of a contemporary office space, be it from a retiree or the everyman, isn’t that unique - even before the revitalization of the superhero boom, Marvel toyed around with the idea through Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross’ Marvels miniseries, plus Dwanye McDuffie and Ernie Colón’s creation Damage Control - but its reuse stems from its reliability. It becomes easier to set the world or tell a specific theme of (super)heroies if you start within a smaller sect, then work upwards for the more climactic battles or character resolutions, and for the Dispatch’s first batch, that means settling in on familiar stylisms after a a second wind, while trying to sew in a fair bit of new tricks via a different source of comedic timing/ideas.

Robert Robertson, A.K.A. Mecha Man, having to transfer between rigorously yet haphazardly upholding his forefather’s legacy as the titular hero coming to end, to now leading a bunch of apathetic to disinterested reformers, is a good leyline between these sorta ideas; it’s already interesting enough that Rob himself is more of a “hero” through inheritance and “piloting a robot that helps out with crime fighting” shenanigans, but tying him down to office bureaucracy doubles up on the fact that he’s more grounded than the likes of those that have “meaningful” abilities. You can sorta see this being bounced around by the emphasis on Track Star (retired superhero who’s super speed caused him to physically age rapidly), Blonde Blazer (a bit of a superstar that, not only very obviously set up as a romantic affair, could also be seen as Rob’s desire for that fame and glory), and Invisigal (the literal polar opposite of his character, and thus a bridge that could build or crumble one part of his connection to the “streets/grounded” levels of heroism). Helps that Aaron Paul seems really into the idea too, if his interviews such as Isaiah Colbert at Gizmodo and Andrew Brown at GamesRadar for examples are anything to go by, and he does a stellar job at conveying that “tired yet still trying” angle.

Although working off the bones of Telltale Games’s formula - right down to having some alums such as directors Nick Herman and Dennis Lenart, as well as writer Pierre Shorette - there’s been a shift within the usual Point & Click mold they’re known for; though you still have to select certain dialog choices¹ and do QTE prompts (or let them all play out via a toggle option in the menus), the bulk of the loop is now centered around the titular dispatch mechanic that’s vaguely reminiscent of Weappy Studios’ This Is The Police duology, or perhaps a severely simplified version of Introversion Software’s Uplink, interspliced with a minigame of sorts that pops up occasionally for hack-centric tidbits. Checking each reformer details their idiosyncratic abilities necessary for proper rollouts, and their personalities chitters sparsely through the intercoms, staving off the feeling of seeing these as just numbers. Compounded by branching choices cropping up - a few of which could also ask for a specific character to do their unique option if they were sent - and being allowed build opportunities to hone dedicated workerbees to suit one or a few jobs in order to keep the momentum going. Nothing becomes too mundane to feel empty, nor too overworked or garrulous to feel obnoxious; so far, the game and story enforce each other’s strengths. So far.

While I’m overall positive on the results thus far, this didn’t necessarily quell my anxiety regarding the trajectory of the game’s overall run. How strong will the central loop hold for both replayability and decision making purposes, if it will ever evolve/differentiate its mission objectives? Will the writing’s strengths continue to hold or will it crumble as it aims for heights/promises it will never reach? Flaws such as the underwhelming animation in both action choreography and ‘mundane’ power spectacle, a few poor voice delivery/direction (you can sure tell they nabbed famous names just for their popularity and not because of their actual performances), and weird visual quirks are already cropping up, how long until they supersede what’s generally a great presentation? I dislike playing the cynic, but I’m rarely the fool - TellTale Games after their “golden era” tended to start promising but slowly disappoint, and AdHoc prouldy showing off some of their employees were on "the best TellTale titles" doesn't fully quell those anxieties. Here's to hoping the landing sticks!