A creepy experience of exploring a world of mutations | Dredge Review

Have you ever wanted to feel the joy of being on the open waters with the sole purpose of fishing, but also needed that jolt of fear during the night, I have the perfect game for you. Dredge mixes these feelings and a mysterious story into one amazing game.

Arrive at this new, tiny island that will be your home, and the mayor will give you a warm welcome as he informs you about your new job: the town’s newest fisherman. With the last one having vanished on the waters, there is a need for fresh fish and looks like you’re the only one up for the job. You get a short tour of the grounds, a fresh market to sell your daily catches, a repair shop for your boat, and a place to shop for upgrades.

So, what are you supposed to do? Well, fish. There are many different types of fish to reel in and thus begins the loop of selling more fish to get more upgrades for your boat. Different fish require different fishing rods to try and catch, so you will need to play Tetris with your boat’s storage as you put everything you carry in there. You will also have special slots for things like lights, engines, rods, and nets, so make sure you can fit that rod before you buy it (you can resell it for the same amount of money if you don’t store it or install it). Of course, there are ways to expand your cargo and add more of these special slots, but you’re gonna have to bare with a tiny cargo and frequent trips back to port for a bit.

Now, one of the main things you will be warned about is the odd things that happen once the sun sets. If you are brave enough to venture into open waters in the dark, you will encounter strange mutations of the fish you found during the daytime. These anomalies are much more common at night, but so are large, dangerous fish that might hunt down your boat. You will encounter creepy boats and large sharks that will ram at you and will be the most likely reason your ship goes down.

In the beginning, your ship will be able to take three hits. These can be large night fish ramming into you or you accidentally hitting rocks. If you do end up taking too much damage, you will simply start over from when you last docked your boat. This flows well with the gameplay as you will be coming into ports often to repair, sell fish, or upgrade, so you will never lose more than a minute or two of progress. The sadness part of taking damage or dying is the lose of precious fish. There have been many times when I have lost a new mutated fish because a large sea creature chose to ram into my boat. But at least the log updates as soon as you reel anything in.

Now, for the storyline. Just south of where you start the game, there is a man who gives you your mission: Find ancient relics at the bottom of the sea.

Each of the four areas in the corners of the map holds a relic and a mini storyline. A simple marker will direct you to a place where odd things have taken place. Help the few people that are still living there and see what you can uncover as you hunt for new fish and that pesky relic. Each time you return from a mission, the creepy man will give you a useful ability.

You will have a wheel with things from turning on your boat lights, blowing your horn, letting down your nets, and many more as you progress. These things play a minimal role in the game, but I will say that there are certain ocean dwellers that can only be caught with crab pots and nets.

If you come close to shorelines, you might find some materials floating in the water, you can dredge these for scrap for upgrades to your ship. Now how do you actually get these upgrades? Anything from fishing, looting, or buying from shops can get you cogs that can be used to gain new material. Each time you dock, you can put those cogs toward new fishing rods, nets, motors, and lights. Some will take as little as two cogs, while others need five or six. Once you unlock all one of these items, it will be available for purchase in the shop.

This game was amazing. I loved every second I spent in it (there were a few moments of frustration due to being hunted down by a large fish, but I digress). The calm fishing in the morning mixes perfectly with the deadly hunt-or-be-hunted feeling the night brings. I would highly recommend this to anyone! I don’t care what games they prefer, I think anyone who enjoys games can enjoy Dredge. There is a plot that keeps things moving but it’s not super deep so I think all players can follow and enjoy it. Each section can become its own bite-sized pieces of the game that feel like a natural stopping point for a day. This makes things feel less daunting and I didn’t feel overwhelmed by the tasks that I was trying to finish. This is a solid 5/5 indie game that I’m going to be talking about for a while!