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

AdHoc Studio adventure game of your choice Send came at an interesting time – when the superhero genre feels like it's running on fumes. The icons with the supernatural power in their caps are getting louder, 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 fun to watch, but there's only so much consumers can relate to. This gap has only widened in recent years, creating ideal conditions for what Send brings to the table.

At the end of the day, modern superheroes are largely outside the reality that defines normal human existence. Their biggest problems are cosmic threats, supervillains, and multiverse anomalies, and even when they lose something or someone important to them (as 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 it does SendRobert “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 might 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, SendRobert Robertson was once again like Batman or Iron Man in that he had no powers of his own and instead “bought” his power with the money he possessed. The only problem with Robert's situation at the time SendThe story begins with him having already spent most of his inheritance (his father and grandfather before him were Mecha Man) trying to keep his Mecha Man suit. To top it all off, the game's premise sees Robert's superhero suit destroyed, and with no money left to repair it, he is somewhat cornered into taking a job at the Superhero Dispatch Network, acting as a dispatcher for an unruly team of supervillains.

Here, Robert settles into the everyday life of a normal human being, working an 8-5 job with no end in sight, though he hopes 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 made several attempts to become a superhero without the suit, only to be frequently injured and worn out. In other words, they struggle to adjust to their new normal because it contrasts with their 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 is becoming increasingly distant from.

Working with the broken

A big part of that transformation comes from the team he's assigned to. Send's Z-Team is a group of ex-villains trying to get a second chance, and they're about as unpredictable as you'd expect. They bicker, ignore instructions, and make Robert's job harder than it should ever be, but also give him a first-hand look at 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 lead a team that doesn't always want to be led, something modern superheroes generally rise above.

Even as a superhero workplace comedy, Send is clearly a challenge to the tropes and archetypes that the superhero genre usually relies on. Most modern superheroes (literally) fly above reality, but Robert is forced to live in it and submit to it. He cannot escape the burden of normal life for the time being and he no longer has the luxury of solving everything with money. Instead, Robert's story v Send it shows how true heroism is borne through determination, effort and a willingness to keep going even when it's hard – “not all heroes wear capes” as it were.

Systems

Released

October 22, 2025

ESRB

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

Developers

AdHoc Studio

Publishers

AdHoc Studio