DREDGE

Dredge is a masterclass in atmosphere, worldbuilding, tactile mechanics, and game flow. Like all good sinister stories, by the time you get to the end of the line you might wish you had never kept going. But in Dredge, it’s impossible not to.

Dredge‘s ending, like the rest of the game, succeeds in marrying bewilderment and satisfaction. The title is, simply put, a must-play. Every element — atmospheric mystery, engaging moment-to-moment action, and brilliant storytelling earns it the top spot in my favorite games of the year so far.

Dredge is the first indie game of 2023 that will surprise you. The overall simplicity of this game will at first deceive you and afterward, you will appreciate this decision and how everything is synchronized with each other. Maybe the quest designs were too simplistic, but the other aspects of the game, especially the music is so good, that you would eventually forget about it.

DREDGE is a one-of-a-kind fishing game with an interesting premise that keeps players engaged throughout. Though its ending leaves something to be desired, DREDGE shines in its ability to create an enveloping atmosphere through its appealing art, well-composed music, and entertaining gameplay.

There is no doubt that the most original stories and proposals in the video game industry are found in indie games now, and Dredge comes to continue confirming this theory with a unique game that mixes the peace of fishing with the tension of a lovecraftian story.

Anyone with a passing knowledge of H. P. Lovecraft and adjacent works will immediately get the idea, but the vastness of the sea alone paints an adequate picture. You are a small fisherman, doing what he knows how to do to answer a litany of questions, and the world is big, dark, scary, and fascinating. It's a mystery worth seeing and an experience worth having, because every satisfying game mechanic shines bright even in the blackest of fog drenched seas.

From the expertly interwoven gameplay loops to the horrifically charming story and art design, Dredge succeeds in creating a new genre blend that I desperately need more of.

DREDGE is both atmospheric and mechanically engaging. The story threads are very personal and, at times, heartbreaking. Even though I didn’t catch all the species featured in the encyclopedia, I had plenty of fun moving around the world, trying to identify the best spots for certain species and mastering mini-games. Narrative progression can sometimes feel slow, especially if players only approach fishing as a means to an end. Catching some fish feels needlessly complicated. But these are minor issues with a game that has a big dark heart and makes exploration and fishing very fun. DREDGE is a great experience that mixes genres and ideas while keeping the experience accessible to everyone.

Dredge is the well-realized synthesis of a simple idea with the graft of the mysteries and the horrors of a sea full of secrets, aberrations and forgotten stories. Black Salt Games manufactures an astounding debut, capable to keep the players hooked beyond its final credits. Suspended between curiosity and fear, Dredge can be lived by the players at their own pace, without haste, knowing full well that the ocean, with its wonders and its nightmares, will always be out there, waiting for us.

Dredge’s blend of relaxing fishing and unnerving Lovecraftian horror fuels a unique atmosphere and makes for a game that’ll charm you one second and terrify you the next.

An excellent realisation of a brilliant pitch, Dredge nails its core ideas and never strays too far from what makes it great. Progression means that later chapters struggle to maintain the early game's impeccably creepy vibes, but this is still one of the tightest indie creations I've played in a long time.

DREDGE is a fishing game that breaks all the rules, and is all the better for it. The combination of relaxing fishing and Lovecraftian horror is a match made in heaven (or maybe hell) and the loop of catching sea creatures and selling them for upgrades is consistently compelling. If you think you can handle the horrors that lie beneath, you’ll find a fantastic game that’s unlike anything else.

DREDGE is the perfect mix of an RPG, fishing, puzzle, and survival game. It combines all these elements with an interesting and creepy story that evokes feelings of horror from an H.P. Lovecraft tale. This is a must-play title, especially if you want something more unique to try out.

Dredge is a fantastically twisted fishing horror full of charm. It snags in parts but still successfully reeled me in from start to finish. A beautifully dreary bite-sized mystery.

Dredge offers a unique and engaging fishing adventure, enriched by elements of mystery and unsettling atmospheres. Its mechanics are so well-crafted that they keep the attention high and manage to create a strong bond with the secrets hidden in the ocean depths. It shines the most through its nearly silent narrative, full of mystery and suspense, and incorporates every element into an incredibly intriguing exploratory context. Dredge is the perfect example of how to integrate themes and messages appropriately within a video game without ever introducing unnecessary or forced elements. Highly recommended: it might become one of the best experiences I'll have this year.

Dredge is an incredibly motivating game with great mechanics. Black Salt Games have created an idyllic fishing adventure that never fails to show its sinister teeth.

Never quite sure what’s lurking below the surface, Dredge captivates from the jump with a well-defined and engaging gameplay loop built atop the foundation of a creepy and beautifully atmospheric setting. The storytelling and questing push this fishing management game into new territory as you uncover just how deep this ocean runs. Some repeated quest archetypes aren’t enough to drag this gem down as Dredge continues to surprise and delight from the moment you first set sail to when you finally hang up your sailor’s hat.

Although fishing is an intrinsically repetitive activity, Dredge is proportioned so well that it is able to give you every virtual day a reason to take your boat and push your limits a bit further than yesterday, fighting against everything and everyone but above all against yourself.

Dredge is a low-poly, low-fi experience that punches so far above its weight it feels like eldritch magic at times is behind it all. The game’s painted representations of its many characters is charming to a fault, and some of the best we’ve ever seen, while its score throughout, as well as the overall audio design, is perfection. It is a joy to move through, and its discovery and exploration elements are a cut above. It just suffers some gameplay balance issues and perhaps dries up in the activities department a tad too early. Otherwise this is an incredible debut for Black Salt Games and we can’t wait to see what the studio does next.

Dredge is a fine combination of fishing and adventure, gives you peaceful mind and thrill of an adventure at the same time. It shows a number of aspects to avoid repetitive gameplay that fishing games normally have. Also, it is a must-try game for the fans of Lovecraft.

A game that is disturbing, charming and full of spirit, all at the same time. It draws from H. P. Lovecraft and does it very well – and it also manages to stay on point, not wasting your time with anything that isn’t needed. You should make the journey, even if there are some blemishes to be found.

I get it. You don't go into Lovecraft expecting to giggle. It's a deep spiral of depression and ennui that lets you explore human nature. With boats. What I want to get through is that despite that, despite my anxiety and hesitation to play this, I actually enjoyed myself. I liked dredging wrecks for supplies. I liked pulling up exotic catches while dodging aberrant anglerfish. Heck, I even loved a few of the characters like the Researcher. Despite my hatred for stress inducing games, I found myself unable to pull away from this game. It's good! Depressing, but good. And maybe that's all it needs to be for an Eldritch fishing simulator.

It's a delightful mix. It's really fun to fish peacefully during the day and try to escape the monsters at night to reach the nearest harbor. Unfortunately, the sense of tension wears off quickly and once you figure out the monsters, you can easily escape them all. Still, it's fun to try to catch all the fish species, solve the mystery of the islands and reach different endings.

Black Salt Games answers a question we never have thought we’d ask: Would you like to become a fisherman in Cthulhu mythos? The answer is a resounding “yes”, even though Dredge has many areas where it could be enriched.

Dredge delivers fish and fear in equal measure, providing an atmospheric escape, and a world you'll want to thoroughly rinse for all it's worth.

A relaxing fishing voyage into the deep blue laced with some sinister Lovecraftian horror. A delightful, well-rounded experience that hooked me in.

Dredge is both relaxing and unnerving in the best ways. While the day/night cycle could be handled better, it's still an exciting seafaring voyage and one that's worth checking out.

It’s creepy, but never explicitly grotesque – and it can be beautiful and calming, too. It’s mostly up to you whether you tempt fate out in the dark or stick to the daytimes and keep to the shores. The way that its mood can turn so quickly and the intrigue of its sparingly told story kept me hooked.

It’s quite clear that Black Salt Games has made Dredge its lovechild, with the sheer amount of effort and thought put in place underneath the game’s surface. Every time a player interacts with something in the game, be it a fish, fisherman, or Eldritch monster, it feels purposeful and important, reflecting the hard work and attention from the devs. As a small indie team hailing from New Zealand, Black Salt Games should be proud to release Dredge out into the sea, knowing full well that the game will keep people hooked in their own mysterious fishing adventure for hours on end.

While not a hardcore gaming experience, Dredge certainly sates the thirst for Lovecraftian vibes. Though the game can get a bit repetitive by the end, the majority of Dredge is enjoyable enough to warrant a purchase. I left a few mysteries unsolved in my playthrough, and I may jump back in to check those off in hopes that I can hit “snooze” on the elder gods’ alarm clock.

Dredge will delight fans of cosmic horror and exploration of a strange world. Fans of survival and crafting games will not find what they want, even though the gameplay is based on such mechanics.

Dredge is surprising in its proposal to mix fishing and the RPG genre, but it loses steam after a few hours of play. Still, it is a very interesting and innovative work.

DREDGE offers an addictive fishing loop that pairs well with its surface-level Lovecraftian horror, undone only by a missed opportunity to dive deeper.

Dredge is a short, humble game full of unrealized potential. The longer I played it, the more I regretted that it offers so little content. Black Salt Games also couldn’t decide whether their debut title should be relaxing or challenging, and as a result it does neither well. However, it is still a fun change from huge RPGs and open worlds that devour weeks.

The constant threat of the night and the engaging balance of risk and rewards is ultimately what makes each of the hours spent with Dredge so rewarding. The manifestations of your stressed psyche are intelligently represented by varying degrees of oddities at sea, which instill an appropriate sense of unease that is supported by the uneasiness of all the other characters you meet sprawled across each of the game's wonderfully varied islands. There are instances where its eldritch themes could've been expanded on more, especially when taking into account how the otherworldly powers you're bestowed are the least interesting part of your repertoire. But Dredge does a lot with many small, simple mechanics, all of which coalesce into a satisfying system that makes the horrors of this maritime adventure a thrill to tackle bow-on.

Dredge draws a line between Animal Crossing's pun-laced fishing minigame and Lovecraft's fondness for a seaside locale, and the two prove a surprisingly natural fit. [Issue#384, p.117]

I just don’t think Dredge is all that it could be. While the sea-harvesting foundation is solid and well thought out, nothing else around it has much depth. There’s a dearth of imagination surrounding it, which I found disappointing. The plot is lifeless, the gameplay is one-note, and it never really picks up speed. However, if you want a more relaxing take on horror, Dredge might be worth hauling up from the depths.

A beautifully decorated vessel that runs well for the first few hours, before revealing itself to be a bit of an old clunker, the experience of playing Dredge doesn’t line up with the promise of its enchantingly strange presentation.

Dredge is a nice, enjoyable fishing game with a low-fat horror coating. The mechanics, upgradability, and weird fish variety are enough to make for a lightweight and engaging time. But if your primary interest is in the narrative or atmosphere, you may find yourselves disappointed.