Dredge Reviews

Dredge is ranked in the 89th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
Mar 29, 2023

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.

Review in Italian | Read full review

Unscored
Mar 24, 2023

Dredge, in my opinion, is a humble superstar for those who want a small-scale thrill in dark waters for a weekend.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 23, 2023

Dredge is a dreadfully enticing horror experience draped in the skin of a fishing game. The way Black Salt Games executes its terrors of the deep should be respected because the developer has created a slow-burn dread that utilizes the best aspects of Lovecraft's cosmic horror.

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7 / 10
Mar 23, 2023

We will say the gameplay can become repetitive when you need to grind for cash or certain items. Additionally, managing the game's grid-based menus can be pretty fiddly. The remedy for both things is those all-important upgrades, which smooth out frustrations with cramped inventories or limited fishing capabilities. Despite any rocky waters, though, Dredge's rewarding progression and enjoyable premise keep it afloat.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 23, 2023

An oddly addicting fishing game that, at times, will make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. The story is merely a means to an end, but fishing in the dark has never been this much fun, or this creepy.

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7.5 / 10.0
Apr 11, 2023

Dredge is an unmissable game for fans of Lovecraftian stories and procedural horror experiences. The open world is unique and memorable, the fishing and exploration are fun and intuitive, and the gameplay loop of risking your life and limb for another great catch is surprisingly addicting. Dredge is a light in the fog amongst a saturated genre; we need more dedicated horror fishing sims.

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Jeremy Penter
Top Critic
Buy
Apr 15, 2023
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82 / 100
Apr 11, 2023

DREDGE is an experience that shimmers amidst the swell of the unknown with a mesmerising light that induces both attraction and chills.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Mar 23, 2023

It’s indicative of just how important a game’s moment-to-moment hooks are that even with its shortcomings, Dredge is by and large an enjoyable experience. There are games with bigger problems, but for Dredge, a few missteps and an eldritch twist that never goes anywhere make a solid foundation feel a little like a wasted opportunity.

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8 / 10
Mar 24, 2023

With its encyclopaedia of over 125 fish, Dredge's bounty is a boundless as the sea, its action RPG upgrade compulsion loop as deep. That said, you get out what you put in – during the first couple of hours, anyway. Once you achieve the sweet spot of an upgraded boat, manageable difficulty and a story in full flow, it's magical. The excellent presentation of a terrifying ocean really hits home. The need to stretch the limits of safety to reach your next catch leads to edge-of-the-seat moments, while the slapping rain and eerie creaks of the sound design hardly help you to peace out. Interspersed with confidence-building angling in the sunshine and the fun of slotting oddly shaped creatures into your tight inventory, there's just enough encouragement to keep enjoying the horrors. A wonderful first effort from Black Salt, Dredge is absolutely the kind of game you mount over the mantelpiece rather than throw back into the water.

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Jake Su
Top Critic
4 / 5.0
Mar 23, 2023

On its surface, Dredge promises a fishing adventure and there is no doubt that there’s plenty of fish out there to be caught. However, the sinister undercurrents are truly what hooked me, like a voice in the fog that constantly calls me back to explore further, fish deeper, and embrace the madness of its twisting tale. This premise may not be for everyone, but for this new angler on the dock, Dredge is definitely one hell of a catch of the day.

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9 / 10.0
Apr 12, 2023

I've rarely played a game with a more satisfying and simple loop in an intriguing and dubious world I just wish I could've seen more of. Between the cults (yep, this game has got those too) and the sort of unexplained nature of Why This Stretch Of Sea Is Like This™, I think it's actually a world ripe for even more exploration. But even if nothing more should come out of it, Dredge is a wonderful experience in smooth sailing over choppy (maybe even supernaturally charged) waters.

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77%
Apr 8, 2023

A commendable and adequate Lovecraftian tale worthy of your time.

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Apr 4, 2023

Mysteriousness proves tricky to sustain, but Dredge reels it in and mostly keeps it aboard through its run. Bolstered by beautiful music and visuals, the game features engaging episodic quests that promote exploration. With addicting fishing mechanics and the promise of something new on the horizon, the game sails full steam ahead with fish to catch and secrets to uncover. Dredge may have some dings in its hull, but this boat is more than seaworthy.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 24, 2023

To use fishing terms, Dredge isn't one you'd kiss and throw back. It's the definition of a trophy catch. Its series of elegantly simple systems interplay nicely, blending seamlessly with an eerily stunning eldritch style and a moreish checklist of sea life to catch.

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4.7 / 5.0
Apr 14, 2023

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.

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8.3 / 10.0
Apr 3, 2023

It's impossible not to get caught in Dredge's clutches: supernatural horror, dry and fascinating narrative and an intoxicating gameplay loop make Black Salt Games' first effort an indie to remember.

Review in Italian | Read full review

9 / 10.0
Mar 28, 2023

With its masterful mixing of cozy fishing gameplay and horror elements, Dredge is pretty much a slam dunk of a debut for Black Salt Games. The style in its presentation and gameplay shows competence and confidence, and I hope they follow Dredge up with something great very soon.

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8.5 / 10.0
Mar 24, 2023

com/features/read/3646015" target="_blank">From Depths Unknown - Talking and Playing Dredge with Black Salt Games </a></h3>.

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9.5 / 10.0
Mar 23, 2023

Dredge is a delightfully dark game that gives you a well-sized world with danger lurking at every corner, and a satisfying fishing mechanic that doesn't get tired.

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