In JoinDispatch, a text adventure from indie developer Kyle McCullough, local emergency systems are overwhelmed and underfunded, so the state has turned to crowdsourced dispatchers to keep up with the endless wave of calls. You play a Citizen Responder, ready to do your part to save lives.

But what did you sign up for? Your first caller has been attacked by a bear—in his living room. Gangs of aggressive collared cats are chasing people down. Worse, your systems are going haywire—dropping calls and possibly being hacked!

There’s no time to think: People are in danger, and you need quick wits to save them. With only one police car, fire truck, and ambulance, you’ll have to deploy them sparingly.

Eventually, you’ll gain skills so you can offer your own first-aid and scientific advice, and even decipher Morse code (which actually proves handy).

Text adventures live or die by their writing, and McCullough manages to pack his quirky game with immersive, witty dialogue. It soon becomes clear that there’s much more going on in this twisting narrative than first meets the eye.

Let’s just say that these emergencies may only be the beginning of your problems.