I Have Beaten Dispatch 3 Times, and I See a Little Too Much of Myself in Shroud

Quick aside, my favorite Dispatch characters are Invisigal, Chase (Jeffrey Wright), Malevola (Alanah Pearce), Golem (Yung Gravy), and Sonar (MoistCr1TiKaL). But yeah, it’s pretty messed up to see myself in a villain like Shroud. Shroud believes that the core of humanity is evil, and yet he still looks up to true heroes like Blond Blazer…Listen, I didn’t realize the poignancy of my writing that Blond Blazer was an aspiration until I wrote that description of Shroud. Shit. Okay. Back at it. He thinks only in terms of control, which is why he enhances Red Ring members, so he can leash and direct their evil. He seems like a methodical man, whose only driving factor is just knowing what could happen, but push come to shove, he is subject to the chaos of life too (and can’t stand it). His power is predictions, based on various calculations, and he knows it is limited. That frustrates him more, the fact that he can’t know everything, and the fact that knowing sometimes doesn’t help him. He doesn’t want to predict; he wants to know. Losing control can send him into a breakdown, which is what serves as the nail in his coffin. And we’re going to explore all these facets of Shroud, and also me?

Dispatch Knows How to Do Outcomes

I am not done with just three playthroughs, with my current excuse being that the Dispatch platinum trophy (well, Hacked by Robert) is bugged. When that is fixed and we know how to unlock it, I am going back for playthrough number four. Could I load up a sequence, especially if it’s only one gameplay section or episode, and do it that way? Sure. But I’m not. One of my favorite things about Dispatch is how each major choice has a trophy, as well as several smaller ones. The fact that Dispatch‘s trophy list rewards this kind of playstyle is…interesting in the context of Shroud’s character.

I’ve seen all the major outcomes, but there are some dialogue options I’ve never chosen. There’s no reality where I didn’t play it multiple times to get every possible outcome. That’s what I’ve always liked about Telltale games and any RPG with an emphasis on choice; I have to know what the other results are, even if there is a little illusion of choice there. SIDE BAR: Illusion of choice is not bad for video games, and I will die on that hill. But anyway, the fact remains…I was obsessed with the outcomes, just like Shroud. I’ve always been that way.

In video games, we can call it a little quirk, but it can be quite damaging in my day-to-day life. I have always described myself as obsessive by nature. I latch onto something, and it can be hard to let it go, which can be tough for others. If I have a plan and that plan does not go right, even for small things, I will be instantly on the verge of a breakdown. Anxiety is a daily issue for me, but that’s what’s at the core of Shroud’s superpowers and how he uses them. He has to know the outcomes, the possibilities. I don’t necessarily think it’s all in service of evil and control of a situation, but an anxiety-driven compulsion of his. If I could know all the possible outcomes in life (even if it were via math and I hate math), I would jump at the opportunity. It would be bad for me, no doubt, yet the thing is…his superpower doesn’t really serve him the way he needs it to all the time. That’s what makes him human and relatable. Two key scenes really deliver this punch for me.

Shroud vs. Blond Blazer

When Shroud captures Mecha Man to interrogate him about the Astral Pulse, Blond Blazer arrives solo against the entire Red Ring. She bluffs a bit, but basically says, “I’m taking half of you with me.” Shroud dismisses the Red Ring and leaves, but he can’t stop himself from saying something like, “By my calculations, it would be closer to 30%.” He hesitates. Then says, “but half sounds better.” I know that hesitation very well. He doesn’t have to say what his calculations are in this moment, but he is so compelled by them that he HAS to say it. He has to be right, but not necessarily in an egotistical way. It’s just the calculations, the plan, the anxiety. That’s what the outcome would have been, and he knew it.

The hesitation says a lot, too. He’s fully aware that the outcome doesn’t matter. He’s fully aware that his calculations are unnecessary, and he understands why Blazer said that (bluffing, intimidating). He knows it’s not intimidating to say, “I’m taking a third of you with me.” He knows that, in the moment, his anxiety-driven compulsion adds nothing to the situation. But he can’t not acknowledge it. That hesitation is the first sign of his inner struggle with what is and what he thinks should be, and the knowledge that bridges that gap. He knows it was more impressive to say one thing, but he feels compelled to say that’s not right, according to his predictions—his anxiety, if you would.

Shroud vs. Mecha Man

At the end of Dispatch, players have a choice to hand Shroud the Proto-Pulse, the Astro-Pulse, or both. The latter feels like a funny, in-character, “Mecha Man is over this shit” choice, and even he acknowledges that the only way he and the Z-Team can beat Shroud is by having no idea what they are doing. Which is antithetical to what Shroud’s compulsions tell him is possible, but that choice reveals so much more about Shroud than it does Mecha Man.

When Shroud is handed both Pulses, it’s the one thing he didn’t consider or calculate. It’s what his anxiety warns him of: he has to be able to predict it, and if he can’t, it’s dangerous. It puts him completely off-kilter; his predictions and anxiety in the moment are driving him, not his intelligence. The logical, intelligent thing to do would be to take both and leave, figure out which one is the Astral Pulse, and then fulfill his plan. But his plan, his calculations, never accounted for this. It’s gone too far for him; he has to fulfill his calculations. He’s so frustrated that his predictions are wrong that, instead of acting out his perfectly planned calculations, he finds himself subject to the chaos of life and just…chooses. That is out of character in the sense that he himself has been pushed outsize his comfort zone now. He was so obsessed with the calculations of this moment that, when the thing that he didn’t account for rears its head, he forces a 50/50 choice despite knowing the possible outcomes of that choice. Knowing that was a 50/50, just like knowing that Blazer would have taken out fewer of his Red Ring allies than she claimed, would not help him navigate the situation.

And those are the moments that are the worst. When you are driven by calculations or anxiety, you feel the need to know and predict everything. The truth is no one can. I know this. Shroud knows this. But we act as if we can or do because it’s hard to let go of that need for control, it’s hard to ignore the whispers of the calculations, and it’s hard to accept that sometimes life is just chaos. Trying to plan and navigate it doesn’t work a lot of times, calculations do not supersede chaos, and his frustration over the situation boils over to his breaking point.

Shroud Couldn’t Let Go

His calculations are anxiety; it’s not a superpower, though it can sometimes feel like one. Shroud believes that the core of humanity is evil, and his calculations would not let him act otherwise. Shroud believes that doing good will not overcome evil, and his calculations were geared that way. He knew others were truly capable of good, like Blond Blazer, but he would not factor that into his day-to-day calculations. He believes evil must be controlled because he believes he must control himself. He acts like a methodical man because the methods make the predictions. He feels the compulsion to know everything, despite knowing he cannot, and he knows life is chaos. His calculations won’t let him let go and live; he must control the chaos. Even then, his own very human limitations eat him alive to the point that he will lose the very control he aims to keep a grip on.

I need to know the outcomes. I don’t have calculations as a superpower, but I want to know what could happen, what could go wrong, and consider every possible option I can think of—even though I know I can’t always know them all. I don’t believe humanity is evil, but I certainly think the internet needs to learn to chill out and act in accordance with that. I know my day-to-day moments of anxiety cannot take in everything, nor can they control everything, but I have to control myself. Otherwise, I will, as the cool kids say, crash out. I prefer structure in all things because structures make the anxiety feel better. I feel the compulsion to know everything possible, and in video games, I see no harm in that. But I know I can’t when navigating the chaos of day-to-day life. Those limitations eat me alive to the point I sometimes lose the very control I try to keep a grip on.

Anyway, Shroud is cool, the writing and performances in Dispatch are top-notch, and all of it feels gritty and real because it is gritty and real. I’m not sure I’ll ever get to a place where I have perfect control or can let go of my anxiety, but at the very least, I can promise—even in my worst moments—I will never attack a city, take heroes hostage, or threaten the life of a dog like Beef. But I do understand him, even at his worst moments, and that’s something I’ll carry with me for a long time.

Systems

Released

October 22, 2025

ESRB

Mature 17+ / Blood, Crude Humor, Intense Violence, Nudity, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Use of Drugs and Alcohol

Developer(s)

AdHoc Studio

Publisher(s)

AdHoc Studio