The costume didn't fit: the star of the TV series "Breaking Bad" made his debut in an interactive movie

Aaron Paul, one of the characters of the cult show "Breaking Bad", "starred" in the video game Dispatch. This representative of a rare and very expensive genre of interactive cinema has already gone on sale, and in Russia it has officially become available simultaneously with other countries. In addition to Aaron Paul, the ensemble includes a whole galaxy of Hollywood stars, including those from the TV series "The World of the Wild West" and "Some of Us". What is remarkable about the novelty, where the 87 approval rating points came from and why the first critics call it a triumphant return of a forgotten genre — in the Izvestia article.

A new word in the genre

In Russia, at the same time as the whole world, the long—awaited Dispatch video game was released - a new project in the genre of interactive cinema, the release is already being called the spiritual heir to the classic games of Telltale Games studio, known for adapting The Walking Dead. The main role in Dispatch was played by Aaron Paul, known for the TV series Breaking Bad, and other stars include Jeffrey Wright from Westworld and Laura Bailey from Some of Us. The actors worked on recording their roles in the game for about two years. However, unlike the usual cinematic games, Dispatch offers not only a strong plot, but also unique mechanics that turn the player into a real superhero dispatcher.

Aaron Paul

Photo: Global Look Press/FSN-B/www.filmstills.net

The action takes place in a world where superheroes have become part of everyday life, and the rescue of people is put on stream, like the work of emergency services. The main character, Robert Robertson, once wore a mech suit and fought evil, but now he is stripped of his armor and forced to work as a dispatcher, a man who distributes tasks between the characters, coordinates their actions and ensures that each mission ends safely.

The player makes decisions in real time: who to send to the challenge, how quickly to respond to incidents, and whether it is worth risking lives to save others. Every decision leaves a mark: not only the plot changes, but also the perception of the characters, their relationships with each other and with Robert himself, who increasingly wonders if he is still a hero without his costume. A special highlight is added by the personalities of the couriers — these are former supervillains in re-education, who can swear, disrupt the mission, and awaken the player's vivid memories from the series "Boys".

Screenshot from the Dispatch game

Photo: AdHoc Studio

The gameplay of Dispatch organically combines elements of a classic interactive movie and a tactical simulator. On the one hand, the player gets involved in emotional dialogues, makes morally ambiguous choices and watches the unfolding events, as in the best games The Walking Dead and The Wolf Among Us. On the other hand, he accepts challenges and directs his players on missions, which gives the game strategic depth and a constant sense of engagement. Each scene here is part of a larger narrative, in which there are no random decisions: even a small mistake or a wrong reaction can change the course of history.

Screenshot from the Dispatch game

Photo: AdHoc Studio

The script and production were created with special attention to detail — it's no coincidence that Telltale Games veterans, who once defined the face of interactive dramas, worked on the project. Dispatch carefully inherited the strengths of those games: delicately written dialogues, lively characters, and moral choices with no clear answers. But at the same time, the game goes further — it adds managerial mechanics and a real sense of responsibility for actions. In an interview with GameRant, Aaron Paul admitted that he was attracted not by the superhero theme, but by the humanity of the story.: This is a story about someone who has lost his purpose, but has found a new way to help others.

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Available in Russian without restrictions

For Russian players, it is especially pleasant that Dispatch has dispensed with restrictions: the game is officially available on Steam, has received a regional price and support for Russian subtitles, which makes it completely understandable without knowledge of English. This is a rare case when a major Western top-level project is released in Russia simultaneously with the world premiere.

Screenshot from the Dispatch game

Photo: AdHoc Studio

Many people note that Dispatch has become a new word in the genre of interactive storytelling. According to the reviewers of the A.V. Club, the project feels "lively and multi-layered," and its structure resembles a TV series, where each episode reveals new sides of characters and events. The visual style combines comic aesthetics with elements of neon noir, and the acting of Paul and Wright adds credibility and depth to what is happening.

The main disadvantage of Dispatch is the episodic release model, which is the one most actively criticized by the fan community. The game consists of eight episodes in total, and so far only the first two of them are available — however, at the request of our editorial staff, the developers have provided a press version consisting of four episodes. The remaining ones will be released gradually on a weekly basis. Because of this, players accustomed to continuous storytelling will have to wait for the sequel, which somewhat disrupts the immersion in the story. However, the developers assure that the format was chosen deliberately: each episode ends on an emotional note, creating the feeling of a live series that you want to return to.

Screenshot from the Dispatch game

Photo: AdHoc Studio

In addition, in the old days, Telltale Studios, whose veterans form the backbone of the AdHoc team, had a habit of being late in releasing new episodes. Fans of The Wolf Among Us and Tales from the Borderlands have literally been waiting for them for months. In the case of a new project, all the episodes are already ready and distributed in such a way as to create a sense of a serial show for gamers. But not everyone obviously liked the idea of paying full price for a quarter of the finished product.

Dispatch is not just a game with famous actors, but a mature work that proves that interactive cinema can be not only entertainment, but also an art form. She inherited the soul and philosophy of the Telltale Games projects, added strategic depth and modern staging to them. And Aaron Paul's video game debut once again reminds us how seriously Hollywood is starting to take this format as a new territory for acting.