Why you can trust TechRadar
We spend hours testing every product or service we review, so you can rest assured you're buying the best. Learn more about how we test.
One would think that the concept of a mature superhero story would already be played out; who has room for another ragtag team of outcasts with questionable morals and a habit of swearing, but who come together against all odds and become one spoiled family? And yet, AdHoc Studio's choice-based episodic narrative game Sendproved me wrong.
Review of information
Platform reviewed: PC
Available: PC, PS5, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2
Release date: October 22, 2025
Tell Your Adventure games are back in fashion
The first AdHoc game was created by a team of Telltale Games alumni along with other industry veterans, so it makes sense that it managed to capture the spirit of what made Telltale stories so memorable in the first place. From the very first episode I was hooked Sendand it made me realize how much I missed these interactive stories after their long absence.
Thanks to its eight-episode runtime, Send is structured like an animated series and looks the part, thanks to its wonderful animation and fluid art style reminiscent of comic book panels. Luckily, this isn't just another run-of-the-mill mature superhero drama that has become popular over the past few years. Yes, it has the dark humor and violence that are usually present in such stories, but this game manages to successfully stand out among shows such as Invincible, Boysor Peacemaker being quite original.
Send it's a workplace comedy and also, at its core, a story of redemption. But it is not Robert who is looking for him; rather, a team that he is forced to take under his wing.
At SDN, Robert works as a dispatcher overseeing Team Z, a group of former villains and anti-heroes who have been recruited to do some good. There is drama, rivalry and some hilarious interactions to be found in this group, as well as frequent sexual jokes, but essentially… Send tells a heartfelt story about second chances and proving to yourself that you are more than your past mistakes.
Since he leads the team, the choice of how to approach Robert's personality is up to the player, and those choices will have a ripple effect on those around him. My version of Robert was a compassionate, all-around good guy who believed in his team, and through certain dialogue choices, the game does a great job of humanizing these former villains through witty banter, corny but genuinely funny jokes, heartfelt moments that offer insight into what's behind the mask, and the natural family environment that comes with it all.
While all this is happening, there is also a looming threat from the main antagonist, the Shroud, voiced by the excellent Matt Mercer. Overall, Shroud's presence in the main narrative is absent until late in the game, and I would have liked to have spent more time exploring his history with Robert. That said, when he does eventually reappear, his arrival provides a thrilling conflict that pays off thanks to the game's solid construction and how invested I was in the Z-Team's rehabilitation.
Likewise, I was hoping to learn more about Robert's backstory, a deeper look into his relationship with his absentee superhero father, and what his life was like as Mechanical Man before he became entangled with Team Z, and that's something I'd like to delve into more deeply in a potential follow-up season.
Time to save the day
Interactive narrative adventure, Send allows you to sit back and watch the story unfold while choosing your preferred dialogue options. But beyond that, and completing QuickTime Event (QTE) scenarios that feel truly exciting when combined with flashy action scenes, the game offers additional ways to make you feel more involved in creating the state of the world you prefer.
During Robert's shift in SDN, the main gameplay takes place and you must use your wits to strategically assign heroes to missions throughout Los Angeles, matching requirements with character traits and their respective attributes for maximum success.
It's a management simulator of sorts, with different types of missions that present unique challenges that require you to take initiative to find the best course of action, as well as complete a series of hacking mini-games that provide incredible rewards when you achieve your objectives.
For players looking for a more relaxed time, the game also offers a cinematic mode that disables QTEs during the main story, as well as the ability to have unlimited hacking attempts, so there's no need to worry about messing up and ruining your playthrough.
Missions and hero training also go hand in hand. Depending on your performance during the shift, heroes can earn experience that can be used to increase their attribute levels, as well as unlock additional skills that increase their chances of achieving top scores.
Synergistic abilities between a pair of heroes can also make or break a job, and achieving maximum synergy will add another significant boost to the chance of success. Heroes also have special characteristics that will make them suitable for the caller's request, such as a runaway train who needs someone with high Energy and Combat scores; this is a job for Punchman or Golem. Having trouble with a demonic threat? Malevola is your best choice.
Personal choices, low morale, and story events such as someone leaving work early or characters sabotaging each other can also affect your daily shifts. At one point, the game prompts you to choose a new member of Team Z, the rookie Waterboy, or the famous Phenomenon, and each choice will have a positive or negative impact on missions due to its stats.
If you pick Waterboy, he'll be a weak character with poor stats to begin with, but he's a blank slate, meaning you can develop him however you like, and I ended up putting his experience into making him a nimble fighter. On the other hand, if you add Phenomenon to your team, he will be incredibly strong from the start and will be able to complete various missions with ease, but he has a terrible debuff that makes him depressed whenever you fail a mission.
The entire concept is an inspired idea that feels like an evolution of a long-standing, adapted storytelling genre, offering the player more autonomy beyond simply choosing certain dialogue options.
Creation of bonds
The game consists of eight episodes, and each exciting episode leaves me on the edge of my seat, but oh, how I wish there were more, if only so I could spend more time with these characters. Before even reaching the finale, each member of Robert's circle, be it the angsty but charming Waterboy, the charismatic Prism with her illusion powers, the devil from under Malevola, or the actual bat Sonar, had already taken a liking to me.
There wasn't a single member of the Z-Team that I didn't like enough that I wanted to kick them from my team, and that's mainly due to the charming way each unique character in the group is written and presented, as well as the fantastic cast that voices them.
The bonds Robert builds with Team Z, as well as supporting characters like Chase and Royd, felt so genuine in the final episode that I didn't want to say goodbye.
But the shining star for me was Invisigal, voiced by the amazing Laura Bailey, a sharp and complex former thief who wants to be a hero. Her chemistry with Robert is one of the strongest parts of the game and the entire storyline, and she quickly becomes the standout character among the group, emulating the sarcastic energy of Aaron Paul, who is also excellent in the role.
Send superior in almost every way, but for me the highlight of the game is the adorable superheroes. Robert Robertson, each member of Team Z, and even supporting characters like Chase and Royd stand out thanks to their personality and excellent voice acting from the all-star cast.
Yes, Send There is also romance, but it is not a deep-rooted aspect of the game, unlike other tailor-made adventure games that allow you to kiss your companions. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but your options are very limited to either Invisigal or Blonde Blazer, both of which are equally as nice as the other.
The thing is, Team Z is made up of a lot of great personalities that I would love to explore in additional playthroughs if I had the opportunity to move beyond platonic relationships.
However, even though I was ready to win Weezy's heart from the very beginning, at times I felt like the game was still pushing me towards her, so much so that it seemed like she and Robert were canon pairing.
There are also many moments in the game where your decisions will make or break your potential connection with Weecy, and even if you don't become romantically involved with her, her prominent role in the narrative has major consequences depending on your decisions, including a mixed outcome that leaves questions about the possibility of a second season.
Is Dispatch worth playing?
Play if…
Don't play if…
Availability
Send offers a ton of special features, including a cinematic mode that disables QTEs during scenarios, an “Unlimited hack attempts” option, a colorblind mode with intensity options, visual distortion and additional effects monitoring, and subtitle size options.
Some filters also replace licensed music and offer the ability to censor profanity and adult visuals.
How I viewed Dispatch
It took me about 13 hours to complete. Send on my gaming pc with mine Logitech G G715 wireless gaming keyboard And Logitech G703 wireless gaming mousewhich just included the main storyline using the game's main interactive mode.
I also tested the cinematic mode, which disables QTE, on my Gigabyte M28U 28-inch monitor. 4K gaming monitorrepeated some scenarios to discover alternative outcomes, and compared gameplay elements with Telltale's Walking Dead And The Wolf Among Us.
First inspection: December 2025
---1st-minute-of-gameplay-0-5-screenshot-(1).png?width=1200&height=630&fit=crop&enable=upscale&auto=webp&w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1 "Acclaimed LGBTQ+ developer Robert Yang releases explicit game about an angler catching hogs, critiquing modern dating and overfishing")
