Platform(s): PC (version reviewed), Nintendo Switch
Genre: Fishing adventure game with Cthulu-esque cosmic horrors lurking in the deep blue seas

On the surface, Dredge is a fishing adventure game. You pilot a boat out to the sea, catch fish via a bunch of minigames where you hit moving targets within the green zone with timely button presses. You also have to figure out how to bring your haul back to the village to be sold; you have limited inventory to work with and have to arrange your catch Tetris-style in your grid-based inventory. Furthermore, your ship parts (affecting your speed, your vision out at sea, and fishing gear/machinery) will take up space, so you have to sort out between your L-shaped cods to your giant-as-heck shark catch.

But Dredge isn’t the Moonglow Bay type of wholesomeness you expect from a fishing game. Instead, you’re thrust into a dark and moody world where things go bump in the night. The Lovecraftian vibe and horror storytelling is strong with this one, and is what sets Dredge apart from other indie fishing games out there.

The Deadliest Catch

After the tutorial mission and getting your sea legs in with the fishing and boat-driving mechanic, paying off your minuscule debts to the mayor of the Greater Marrow village, you then are tasked to deliver an off-putting package to a mysterious gentleman. He calls himself the Collector and offers to outfit your boat with salvaging tech most supreme (for your fishing needs) if you can help him collect relics from the deep to further the plot.

Each new island means new fishes to catch and sell, new relics to complete, and new sidequests and treasures to help upgrade your ship, or unlock new skills to navigate the world of Dredge better. They too have their own Lovecraftian dangers. Gale Cliffs is a tight maze with narrow pathways and a giant snake leviathan thing that can chase you around. Stellar Basin has vicious tentacles that will dog you to no end.

Add the panic meter (the eye at the top center of the screen) that goes frantic, and you’ll get pursued by more monsters and waylaid by terrible visions, with even rocks appearing out of nowhere to wreck your ship when you’re not paying attention. Fortunately, when you deliver relics to the Collector, he’ll help bestow some magic powers for you to equip. These include a “nitro boost” for your boat to evade pursuing beasts, a forcefield that keeps enemies away, and a one-way teleport spell back to the Collector’s mansion to escape to a safe haven. Having said that, all the islands save for Gale Cliffs seem to balance the fine line between tension and fishing-relaxation gameplay just fine.

I also feel that the game’s day-night cycle could be slowed down a tad. While I’m fishing in the daytime just fine, it goes to night pretty fast and pretty soon I’m fearing for my life watching my back and keeping the ship floodlights on. While it’s designed as such to have players experience the dread that’s on tap, I could personally use a few more daytime hours to steel myself for the darkness.

Otherwise, everything else about this indie offering is a dark blessing; the good kind. When not being pursued by horrors beyond, the fishing and chilling-out vibes are strong here. Finding out more about the denizens of the Great Marrow and everywhere else is intriguing, and the pathway to upgrading your ship, researching new equipment, and playing fish storage Tetris is quite an intoxicating combination of experiences that will hook you line and sinker for hours on end.

Gonna Need A Bigger Boat

With a chill kind of vibe in-between the fishing and dread, to the slow progression that doesn’t rush you much, Dredge is a great mix of moody atmospheric horror storytelling mixed in with fishing and sailing. The DLC that just came out, The Pale Reach, adds a ton more to an already-packed 10-hour base game, adding 11 new fishes/crabs to catch, a new ice-floe-filled landscape, and new dangers. So really, now’s a good time as any to go fish.

Pros

• Lovely-if-dread-filled aesthetics.
• Fishing mechanics and sailing/boating are both fun & tense.
• Great premise & story.
• Working towards upgrading your gear is rewarding.

Cons

• Some islands feel unbalanced to wade through.
• Day cycle could be longer.

Final Score: 90/100

Review copy & DLC provided by publisher.