Dispatch's Mecha Man makes modern superheroes look completely out of touch

AdHoc Studios' choose-your-own-adventure game Dispatch has arrived at an interesting time — when the superhero genre feels like it's running on steam. Hijacked, supernatural force-wielding icons grow taller, stronger and more cinematic, and any attempts to humanize them are fleeting before they fly through the sky again and do what no human on earth can do. They're entertaining to watch, but there's only so much consumers can relate to. That gap has only widened in recent years, and it sets the perfect stage for what Dispatch takes to the table.

At the end of the day, modern superheroes are largely out of touch with the reality that defines normal human existence. Their biggest problems are cosmic threats, world-ending supervillains, and multiverse anomalies, and even when they lose something or someone important to them (which they often do), their abilities and/or wealth allow them to deal with these problems in a way that the average person cannot. That's what makes it DispatchRobert “Mecha Man” Robertson is such a breath of fresh air in the superhero genre, as he shows what it means to be an everyday hero as opposed to the ones you see saving the world in a Marvel movie.

Dispatch's Mecha Man is what true heroes are made of

The importance of being average

As Mecha Man, DispatchRobert Robertson was again similar to Batman or Iron Man, in that he had no inherent powers and instead “bought” his power with the money he possessed. The only problem with Robert's situation at the time DispatchThe story begins is that he has already spent most of his inheritance (his father and grandfather before him were Mecha Man) trying to maintain his Mecha Man suit. To make matters worse, the premise of the game sees Robert's superhero costume destroyed, and with no money left to repair it, he finds himself cornered into taking a job at the Superhero Dispatch Network, where he would fill the role of dispatcher for an unruly team of supervillains.

Here, Robert becomes entrenched in the daily life of a normal person, working an 8 to 5 with no end in sight, although his hopes are that his Mecha Man suit will eventually be repaired and his life as a superhero restored. During his time as a dispatcher for the SDN, he makes several attempts at being a superhero without his costume, only to often find himself injured and worse for wear. In other words, he struggles to adjust to his new normal because it conflicts with his desire to serve the greater good.

But over time, he leans into his role as a dispatcher, and the job begins to change him in ways his Mecha Man suit never could. He begins to understand the people he works with, learns to lead without relying on his suit to do the heavy lifting, and discovers that true heroism often happens in places and positions that are less celebrated and recognized. In the process, Robert becomes something that the world of modern superheroes has become increasingly out of touch with.

Working with the non-consumable

A big part of that transformation comes from the team he's assigned to. Dispatchs Z-Team is a group of former villains trying to get a second chance, and they're about as unpredictable as you'd expect. They argue, they ignore instructions, and they make Robert's job harder than it should ever be, but they also give him a first-hand look at the people he never really understood while wearing the suit. Working with them forces him to slow down and listen until he figures out how to guide a team that doesn't always want to be guided, which is something modern superheroes generally rise above.

Also as a workplace superhero comedy, Dispatch clearly challenging the tropes and archetypes that the superhero genre typically relies on. Most modern superheroes fly (literally) above reality, but Robert is forced to live in it and be subject to it. He can't escape the weight of normal life at the moment, and he doesn't have the luxury of solving everything with money anymore. Instead, Robert's story entered Dispatch shows how true heroism is borne through choice, effort and the will to carry on even when the going gets tough – “not all heroes wear capes”, so to speak.

System

Released

October 22, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood, crude humor, intense violence, nudity, sexual content, strong language, use of drugs and alcohol

Developer

AdHoc Studio

Publisher

AdHoc Studio