Reviewed on: PC
Platform: PlayStation 5, PC
Publisher: AdHoc Studio
Developer: AdHoc Studio
Release: October 22, 2025

Video games have been trying to compete with film for years. Some developers hire A-list actors, pile on cinematic spectacle, and chase Hollywood flash like a cartoon coyote chasing its prey. While trying to compete with film, games have often adopted the language of cinema. Dispatch offers an alternative. Instead of imitating movies, it borrows liberally from prestige television, showcasing character-driven storytelling, slow-burn drama, and high emotional stakes that tighten with every episode.

AdHoc Studio is still a young team, but it came out of the gate swinging. Its first game proves that the old Telltale adventure formula was never broken; it just needed a rewrite. Dispatch is a compelling interactive drama that feels like binge-watching a stylish new superhero series. And in this case, the writing is the ultimate star.

Dispatch’s narrative gripped me from its opening minutes. The story follows Robert Robertson, the third in a long line of high-tech heroes who go by the moniker Mecha Man. When Robert's powerful mecha suit is trashed during a catastrophic mission, he's forced to rethink his life choices and ultimately joins the Superhero Dispatch Network. As you might guess from the name, SDN is a superhero-run organization dedicated to routing heroes to emergencies around the city. 

Now desk-bound, Robert’s life quickly devolves into a tightrope act as he manages crises behind the scenes while juggling office politics, broken egos, and a messy love life. It’s a refreshing take on old superhero tropes, focusing on bureaucracy and complex relationships rather than grand spectacle – though there are some spectacular fights along the way. The writing balances sardonic workplace humor with genuine heart; I found myself laughing out loud at Robert’s deadpan exchanges with other heroes. 

The choices in Dispatch flow as naturally as conversation. Thankfully, none of the options flash "good" or "bad" like a neon sign; everything feels grounded and human… well, superhuman. Dispatch’s choices consistently compelled me to think through their consequences. I actually had to pause the game when I was asked if I wanted to reveal my secret identity to a reformed villain who despised Mecha Man but didn’t know I was the man behind the machine. Not every decision carries this kind of gravity, and the choices don’t radically rewrite the overarching plot, but I didn’t care because the larger narrative felt so sturdy. Instead, those smaller choices quietly reshape relationships, background events, and inform your ending. These ripple effects made me want to start a second playthrough the moment the credits rolled, just to see how things would tilt the other direction. 

 

The main gameplay diversion is the mission dispatch system, where you send heroes into the field while you manage things from behind a desk. These sequences drop you into a command center view of the city as you’re tasked with juggling bizarre emergencies: rescuing a farmer from a bee attack, tracking down an escaped science experiment, or calming down an enraged kaiju. The tasks sound straightforward, but their challenge lies in their inherent vagueness; I never quite knew the danger level of each mission or the ideal team size to send. That uncertainty pushes you to constantly gamble with the team. Do you send fewer heroes and risk failing the task, or overcommit resources and face the threat of being short-staffed later? The system is a little messy, but perfectly captures the feeling of being stuck behind a desk while all the action happens elsewhere. Like my love life in college, it’s all strategy, no field time.

Dispatch isn’t a triumph of mechanical innovation. It doesn’t reinvent the narrative adventure game, but it doesn’t pretend to. On the other hand, it delivers one of the most compelling interactive dramas in years, an adult animated superhero story with the emotional punch of prestige television and a script that truly shines. I didn’t want to stop playing just because I needed to know what happened next; I kept playing because I cared who it was happening to.

Score: 9

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Update, 11/13/25, 2:16 p.m. ET

Earlier today, iOS and Android listings for a Red Dead Redemption mobile port were spotted on app stores, with word that the game would be available as a Netflix game next month, meaning you need a Netflix membership to play. Now, Rockstar Games has cleared the airwaves to announce that Red Dead Redemption is actually coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch 2, mobile iOS and Android devices, and as a mobile game via Netflix. 

It's coming to all of these platforms on December 2. 

On PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, Red Dead Redemption will run at 60 FPS with enhanced image quality, HDR support, and resolutions up to 4K. On Switch 2, the game will support 60 FPS gameplay at "high resolution" and DLSS, HDR, and mouse controls. 

Current owners of the PS4, Switch, or digital backward compatible version of Red Dead Redemption on Xbox One can upgrade digitally for free, Rockstar says, and on PlayStation and Switch, you can pick right back up on your in-progress save. Rockstar says these new console versions were created in collaboration with Double Eleven and Cast Iron Games, and that Red Dead Redemption will be available in the GTA+ Games Library and the PlayStation Plus Catalog on December 2. 

The original story continues below...

Original story, 11/13/25, 11:45 a.m. ET

Despite a recent ESRB rating for Red Dead Redemption on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch, the Rockstar Games-developed Western's next platform for play will be Netflix. That's according to new iOS and Android store listings that display Red Dead Redemption at Netflix games available starting next month, on December 4. 

Because it's a mobile port of Red Dead Redemption available to play on Netflix, you will need a Netflix membership to try it out. The base game will be available in this mobile port as will its zombie apocalypse DLC, Undead Nightmare. 

"When federal agents threaten his family, former outlaw John Marston is forced to hunt down the gang of criminals he once called friends," the app store's description reads. "Experience Marston's journey across the sprawling expanses of the American West and Mexico as he fights to bury his blood-stained past in the critically acclaimed predecessor to the 2018 blockbuster, Red Dead Redemption 2." 

Though the game is a mobile port, it actually looks pretty decent, probably the result of the original game launching back in 2010. 

It's currently available on those launch platforms – PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 – and you can also play it on PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S (via backwards compatibility), Switch, and PC. Following a recent ESRB rating for the game on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Switch 2, spotted by Wario64 on Bluesky, fans expected an announcement for those platforms soon. However, it seems Netflix is next up as the new place to play Red Dead Redemption. 

Red Dead Redemption is coming to iOS and Android on December 4. 

In the meantime, read Game Informer's reviews of Red Dead Redemption and Red Dead Redemption II. 

Are you going to try out Red Dead Redemption on your phone? Let us know in the comments below!

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