Dispatch Ending Explained: What Kind Of Hero You Are Sets Up Very Different Future For The Series
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Dispatch episodes 7 & 8
Dispatch is just the latest example of the “crass superheroes” subgenre, but it might also be one of the most rewarding. The game by AdHoc Studio is a tremendous take on the formula perfected years ago by studios like TellTale Games. It’s benefited from a better approach to gameplay/story integration, and the freedom to go in all sorts of unique directions has benefited the game’s emotionally compelling plotline.
That all carries on into the final stretch of the game, with the final two episodes paying off every decision the player made throughout their journey. Notably, one of the keys to actually doing well in the final episode is to have played the game as a hero the whole time. Here is how Dispatch pays off an empathetic approach and leaves the door open for a sequel.
Mecha-Man To The Rescue
There are a lot of possible paths to go in Dispatch‘s final episode, with the more difficult ones leaning into the experience of going it alone or isolating from the Z-Team. However, there’s something to be said for the sheer optimism of the storyline’s ending if the player fully embraces becoming a better person and bringing all the former villains with them. Going into the final stretch of Dispatch, the game focuses the battle on the SDN’s own territory when Shroud and his forces arrive.
The arrival of the Z-Team evens the odds, especially when Blonde Blazer gives her power-granting amulet to a comatose Chase to get him back into the fight. The final stretch of the game depends on a few key choices, however. Players have an opportunity to trick Shroud and lull him into bringing down his own forces. Invisigal plays a crucial part in saving the day, keeping Robert and Beef safe — although the player’s prior choices and dynamic with her determine if she returns to a life of villainy or embraces her heroic turn.
Afterwards, the player gets to make a fateful decision about Shroud’s fate that underscores the kind of hero that players have made out of Robert. The final chapter has a lot of beats that pay off the prior choices of the player, including the resolution of the Robert/Invisi-Gal/Blonde Blazer love triangle and even the fate of the cut hero who became a villain again. It all comes down to the player choices — but I’d argue that one path makes perfect sense for the story and is a rewarding conclusion.
The Hero Path
Every player is going to approach the story with a different mindset, but at the end of the day, actually working as a team and empathizing with one another is the key to success. That comes across in the actual gameplay with hero dispatches throughout the experience, but it also plays into the ending for a more heroic Robert’s path. Full disclosure, that’s exactly what I did, and I’m very happy with that decision given the shape of the ending.
I embraced a relationship with Blonde Blazer, finding Mandy beneath the costume and ending the game in an apparent relationship with. I apologized to Sonar after cutting him from the team, eventually allowing me to cover for him and spare him from getting arrested. I mentored Invisi-Gal and helped ensure she stayed on a heroic path. I even spared Shroud, reasoning that is what heroes do. It leads to a pretty happy ending for everyone involved. It’s a perfectly fitting superhero story ending, and one that finds a great way to infuse the thematic undercurrents of the eight-episode season into the gameplay.
During dispatches, heroes can bicker and fight, but the chaos of “Synergy” can almost be overwhelming. What saved the day was that the massive swarm of challenges was eventually countered by teammates who had perfected their in-game partnerships. Throughout gameplay, I found the synchronizations of the heroes — Flamebae with Prism, Golem with Invisigal, Punch Up with Coupé, and Malevola with — of all people — Waterboy. I sent them on missions together and increased their compatibility until all of them were maxed out on that front. By the time I was on the final dispatch calls, sending the right two partners was more than enough to ensure 96% success rates on otherwise unthinkable assignments.
By leaning into empathy and fostering a team environment, it actually felt like the Z-Team came together. Just like everyone’s doubts about the Phoenix Program being a good idea were proven wrong, the final threat of Shroud and his arguments about always being able to predict everything is undone by Invisigal literally taking a bullet for Robert. Despite facing off with the hero who was booted off the team during the climax, the player can bring them back into the fold and reunite the entire Z-Team.
The Phoenix Program as a whole can not only thrive but also become recognized as the best heroes in the SDN. All it takes is leaning into the superhero tropes. For all the cursing, drinking, blood, and nudity, Dispatch is ultimately a true superhero story at its core. It rewards making the moral choice and having empathy, even for criminals and killers, and pays it all off in a sweet and rewarding way.
Every Choice Matters
Of course, that also depends on how the player approaches the story. It’s possible for Robert to remain isolated, keeping his identity a secret. It’s easy to begin a romance with Invisigal, only for her to ultimately decide against heroism. It’s even possible that Robert gives in to the rage that was an easy option throughout plenty of confrontations, leading to the death of Shroud in front of everyone. Maybe you don’t forgive the traitor hero, and turn to a harsher path forward.
This is one of those rare “choose your own adventure” video games where each path does feel like it has the right amount of build-up, where every mistake can come back to haunt you, and where every decision is important. The fact that the overall execution, from the action and animation to the storytelling and acting, never let up.
It’s a wonderfully put-together game, an ideal showcase of what this kind of game can be like when it’s firing on all cylinders. I’m excited to revisit the game and try different paths, or even to see how other players pair off their teammates and develop their dynamics. It’s such a vivid take on an established genre, and I can’t wait to see how other players embraced it — and where it can go from here.
The nature of the ending allows it to be a one-and-done story, but there’s plenty of room for expansion. Character dynamics could be complicated and offer new drama on the job. Different threats could arise in the vacuum left by Shroud’s defeat. The game could even embrace two very different paths going forward, depending on Invisigal’s final decision. All I know is, the ending was terrific, and I really hope a second season isn’t just a dream.
