‘Split Fiction’ and ‘Dispatch’ Remind Me Why I Fell in Love With Gaming in the First Place

My ongoing feud with Hazelight Studios aside, I’ll give the team their flowers! So, if you’re reading this, you’re constantly reminded of one horrible fact. Adulthood sucks. You gotta pay bills, you can’t eat candy and ice cream without dire consequences, and, overall? We live in a money-fueled hellscape with an ever-growing divide between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” It’s no wonder most of us flocked to the blissful escapism of gaming! (I’m building to Split Fiction and Dispatch, I promise!)

Spyro the Dragon was the first game I have a clear, distinctive memory of playing. The colors, the characters, the gameplay — every aspect of it created this beautiful song only I could hear. Over the years, despite enjoying movies, books, comics, shows, and everything else? Gaming was the only thing that created “inner peace” for me. That I related to over every other medium. That helped me through the darkest times of my life.

In that same vein, I’ve been watching game expos and showcases for years. I’ve laughed at the silliness and rolled my eyes at games I didn’t care for. But, during the 2024 Game Awards? Something changed. Throughout multiple trailers that were shown off, a few brought me back to the sights, sounds, and frantic, fun energy I associated with video games as a kid. …Okami notwithstanding, two games stood out among everything else in a crowded, hype-filled showcase. Hazelight Studios’ Split Fiction and AdHoc Studio’s Dispatch.

‘split fiction’ and ‘dispatch’ are already two of gaming’s upcoming best and brightest

Split Fiction is the latest co-op masterpiece from a team that already had two winners under their belt in A Way Out and It Takes Two. Watching the trailer for it felt like the first time I saw Toy Story in theaters and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. To illustrate what I’m talking about, boom, take a look!

“Split Fiction is a unique action-adventure experience that keeps you on the edge of your couch with unexpected moments. One minute you’re taming adorable dragons and the next you’re fighting as cyber ninjas, escaping terrifying trolls, or dodging hover cars thrown by a robotic parking attendant. It’s weird, it’s wild, and it’s designed to be shared,” the game’s Steam blurb adds!

Perhaps the game’s pitch spoke to me specifically as someone who tried the author path myself! I love anything that has to do with the spirit of art and creativity — why humanity needs both to survive and thrive. Split Fiction is what I always fantasized about when I imagined what it’d be like to work in the games industry and create the game of my dreams. Weird. Wild. Shared by creatives you can tell adore what they do.

we need these games now more than ever

Dispatch is the quintessential endgame of the Telltale “narrative adventure” genre I love so much! Three of my all-time favorite Telltale games are The Wolf Among Us, Batman, and Tales from the Borderlands. Hell, it was Tales that got me to care about the Borderlands franchise!

Sometimes, with a certain game? You just know. Dispatch is effectively everything I miss about “classic Telltale” blended up with added espresso shots! “You play as Robert Robertson, AKA Mecha Man, whose mech-suit is destroyed in a battle against his nemesis, forcing him to take a job at a superhero dispatch center: not as a hero, but a dispatcher. In charge of rehabilitating a group of ex-supervillains, you must manage your roster while navigating office relationships and rebuilding your suit for a shot at revenge,” the game’s Steam page emphasizes!

Dispatch also achieves a goal that’s infamously difficult in any medium. …It’s genuinely funny. I actually audibly laughed multiple times throughout the trailer! And this time, I don’t have to hear “Oh, glorified walking sim” because the game has a strategic element I can’t wait to see more of! Managing a roster of ex-supervillains while balancing The Office-style interpersonal relationships that matter within the overarching narrative? Day. One.

Basically, we’re talking about two gaming all-time greats! I’ll be there for both immediately. And, when the time comes? I hope you’ll join me!