From indie developers all the way from New Zealand called Black Salt Games comes “Dredge,” a single player fishing game that is an interesting take on the traditional fishing genre. The game lets you explore the sea on your fishing boat and catch a wide assortment of fish. But that’s not all; using your dredge ship, you can also dig up some other interesting things. Although fishing isn’t something that excites everyone, especially me, but “Dredge” manages to pull off a very addicting gameplay loop as well as incapsulate all of it in a very Lovecraftian atmosphere and story.
You start as a shipwrecked fisherman that gets a new boat and has to pay off his debts to the locals. As you travel through the remote isles known as “The Marrows,” you’ll accumulate items and fish that you’ll need to sell to the locals for money as well as to complete quests. Cash in the game can also be used on upgrading your boat, such as making it tougher and even giving yourself more room to store what you catch. Cargo space can be crucial as everything you catch can take up several squares of this grid. Managing your inventory is crucial, and you need to sell your fish in a timely manner, or else they can rot.
The biggest aspect that sets “Dredge” apart from other fishing games and had me even interested in the first place is its Lovecraftian themes. Many of the creatures and atmospheric places you discover are very Lovecraftian, which adds a new layer of intrigue to the game. The day/night cycle also plays an essential role in the game as some creatures you’re trying to find may only appear during a specific time of day. Another interesting mechanic this game has is a panic meter that can get set off if you’re not sleeping enough and spend too much time in the dark. You may also encounter stressful events like mysterious whispers that will creep you out. If you, the fishermen, encounter too many stressful events, and that meter fills up, then that will cause you to suffer madness, which makes this game feel even more Lovecraftian.
You need to keep your sanity up as best as you can. If your sanity gets bad, then you will also begin to hallucinate, rocks will show up in the ocean that shouldn’t be there, and crows will begin to attack and steal your inventory. Monsters may also attack your boat, but are they real? Probably not. You’re just going insane, but the damage is still real. When attempting to catch a fish, the game turns into a mini-game. The type of mini-game can change a bit depending on the difficulty of the fish you’re trying to catch. There are over a hundred different fish to come across, making the game feel more immersive.
The entire map is covered in secrets, and if you just try to speed through the main story, you probably won’t see them all in your first playthrough. This is a game where you can spend six hours playing or twenty, depending on how thorough you want to be with exploring and side quests. The game would have worked just fine as a standard fishing game, but it goes above and beyond with its themes of madness and Lovecraftian storytelling that adds an entirely new layer of immersion. For a $25 price tag, it’s well worth checking out for something you probably haven’t experienced before. Will I ever play another fishing game in the future? I’d say highly unlikely, unless it pulls off something like “Dredge” which offers a unique and engaging experience that combines traditional fishing gameplay with Lovecraftian themes that makes it stand out in the genre.
8/10
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Related: Nick Navarro Reviews
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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