Dredge Review
Dredge is wonderful. The exceptionally satisfying fishing mini-games paired with its lovely little sinister narrative and storage…
Dredge is wonderful. The exceptionally satisfying fishing mini-games paired with its lovely little sinister narrative and storage management made for a really cozy game. I especially loved upgrading my ship and the parts within, which helped me explore a map that I found to be quite expansive. This was the perfect thing for me to pick up and play in between all the action-packed stuff released this year.
I say cozy, but there is certainly a catch. The horrors of the deep. There is a day and night cycle. Things are… creepy at night. You’ll have a bit of sanity management as well… it’s in your best interests to keep to the light and fish during the day… but even during the day sometimes you’ll fish something up that just… shouldn’t exist. Shouldn’t be possible. Hard to comprehend. Fetches for a nice price at port though.
The Lovecraftian elements are fun for sure. I thought it would be even more unsettling than it is, but I think it’s the perfect amount of spice for a small “completely normal with definitely nothing amiss” fishing adventure.
I think some people might be a little disappointed with the fishing mini-games because they don’t necessarily require a lot of skill, and while many of them are visibly different, they are all mechanically the same (push ‘X’ at the right time). Because this is true, I can see that line of thinking, but, I think it’s how the fishing interacts with the other mechanics of the game that makes Dredge interesting as a whole. Time, space, equipment, and resource management layered on top of the fishing (with the sanity on the side), really does make it quite the fun and engaging experience. I found it relaxing and enjoyable.
Dredge’s overarching mystery got its hooks in me and helped pull me through the game to make it even more exciting. It continuously unravels bits and pieces as you do little quests from those you meet in your travels, and as you follow the main quest line around islands. I enjoyed the unique mechanics introduced at each of the four major outlying islands, which made them all feel variated and interesting. Of course, there are also unique fish everywhere you go, both during the day and at night, to contribute to this, all with their own little descriptions. Every step of your journey gets you closer to the end of the game, to the mysterious core of the Lovecraftian mystery, which I thought was paced quite well and had a pretty good payoff.
Dredge certainly isn’t a long game if you’re just going to coast through the story, I beat it in about 13 or so hours, and after I rolled credits I thought about going back in and getting more fish for my compendium, or finalizing the upgrades in my ship, but I haven’t quite been pulled in just yet to do so. I noticed that it has DLC, and while I know that could be fun I’m not particularly looking into playing that at this point in time.
Overall, I’m absolutely satisfied with Dredge with its cozy fishing, and creepy Lovecraftian secrets. Not for everyone, but if you’re down for some good fishing in a really chill game, then I can’t see why you wouldn’t enjoy it, and say it’s certainly worth your time. Played exceptionally well on SteamDeck.
Originally published 20 Sept 2023 at https://www.backloggd.com.