Dredge is a delightfully cozy fishing game developed by Black Salt Games and published by Team17. You step into the boots of a professional fisherman suffering from amnesia. After your ship runs aground near a small archipelago called The Marrows, the welcoming (if slightly suspicious) locals in the town of Greater Marrow patch you up, provide you with a new boat (on loan), and equip you with the tools you need to set sail once more. As you cast your lines and haul in your catch, you slowly uncover more about the surrounding waters, the people who inhabit the islands, and a lurking mystery beneath the surface.
Going into Dredge, I expected a straightforward fishing game – a charming angling simulator with a few light RPG elements tossed in for good measure. Imagine my surprise when I found myself in a game that’s more of an adventure-horror experience with survival undertones. To be clear, it’s not a hardcore survival simulator. The gameplay is streamlined and accessible. There’s no need to manage hunger or health, and you’re not gathering endless resources to build houses or farms, as you might in a traditional survival-crafting game. That said, there’s a “panic meter” that requires careful management through sleep and daylight. You’ll also need to dredge (wink, wink) the ocean floor to collect materials for upgrading your boat and equipment. Fishing is, of course, a major element, but primarily as a means to earn money for these upgrades. Best of all, you’re free to play at your own pace.
Wait, a panic meter? That’s right! There’s something sinister about these waters, and every evening, a dense, almost suffocating fog rolls in over the sea. This is when things start to get eerie and unexplainable. The longer you stay out in the dark, the more unhinged you become. Ghost ships might emerge from nowhere, sharp rocks can appear seemingly out of thin air, and strange lights may begin to stalk you. It’s usually safest to head to a harbor and dock for the night, but if you find yourself stranded far from the shoreline, for heaven’s sake, turn off your lights and keep a low profile. Some fish only surface after sundown, but is it really worth risking your sanity – and possibly your life – for a better catch?
Despite its relatively simple graphics, Dredge is stunningly beautiful. Light and color do more heavy lifting here than high-end textures or polygon counts, and the music is the perfect finishing touch. You can almost feel the warmth of the rising sun after surviving a fog-filled night at sea. Personally, I wish the days were a bit longer – it’s almost meditative to sail across the waves, casting your line over and over again, accompanied by the gentle plucking of the instrumental soundtrack. And when the sun sets on the horizon and the reverb-drenched piano kicks in, the atmosphere becomes downright chilling. From start to finish, Dredge nails the mood. Black Salt Games has absolutely outdone themselves.
As the story progresses, the game gently nudges you to spend more time at sea during the night. It’s unsettling at first, but as your boat becomes faster and you grow more familiar with the waters, you’ll find yourself braving the dark more often. The narrative is straightforward – there are no branching dialogue trees or convoluted plot twists. You’ll meet scattered characters across the islands and exchange brief conversations. Some offer quests, others provide assistance. A few stand out, like the old lighthouse keeper who doesn’t trust you one bit, or the enigmatic “Collector,” who tasks you with finding artifacts scattered across the game world – items that turn out to have much greater significance than they initially appear.
As for what truly lies beneath the surface – both figuratively and literally – I’ll leave that for you to discover. It’s best to dive in blind; uncovering Dredge’s secrets on your own is part of the magic. I came in expecting a quirky little fishing game but ended up with a deeply atmospheric and unforgettable experience that I can’t quite let go of. This is a game for explorers, for those who appreciate mystery and suspense – or for anyone looking for something refreshingly different.
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