Dredge Reviews
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
Never quite sure what's lurking below the surface, Dredge captivates from the jump with a well-defined and engaging gameplay loop built atop the foundation of a creepy and beautifully atmospheric setting. The storytelling and questing push this fishing management game into new territory as you uncover just how deep this ocean runs. Some repeated quest archetypes aren't enough to drag this gem down as Dredge continues to surprise and delight from the moment you first set sail to when you finally hang up your sailor's hat.
DREDGE can come off as a bit underwhelming if you’ve never played it. The same can be said for most games with a Lovecraftian theme. It’s the type of game where you have to dive into the deep end and see for yourself just how much this game has to offer. The story might be a bit vague to follow unless you go out of your way to find everybody and see what they have to say, but this is well worth it.
Dredge plunges players into a world of Lovecraftian horror, making it a catch worth reeling in. Its stunning art style and engaging gameplay make it a standout title.
This is simply a nautical adventure that continues to surprise, somehow both placid and often tense, routine and yet full of nasty surprises
If you stare long into an abyss, the abyss gazes back at you. Dredge stops just a tad short of greatness owing to its occasional repetitive nature and indie budget, but that is but a small nitpick against the overwhelming positives it provides. Fishing, inventory management, saving for upgrades and exploration – each aspect of Dredge is gamified just right, and sandwiched effectively to keep you coming back for more. Clocking in at a good 12–15 hours to complete the story, this thalassophobic collect-a-thon provides enough fun, excitement, horror and mystery to tide you through this quaint fishing adventure!
From the expertly interwoven gameplay loops to the horrifically charming story and art design, Dredge succeeds in creating a new genre blend that I desperately need more of.
Part fishing simulator and part Lovecraftian adventure but while the two concepts work together surprisingly well, they both feel disappointingly undercooked.
DREDGE mixes moments of contemplation and relaxation with good doses of mystery and exploration. It's an experience whose pacing depends a lot on how the player wants to interact in the game world and rewarding it, regardless of which approach will give the most anxiety during their solitary and mysterious adventure.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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
With quite dark touches, which in a few occasions are a bit weighed down by somewhat monotonous displacements, Dredge will not leave absolutely no one indifferent. One of the best indies so far this year.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
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.
Dredge quickly gets its hooks into you with its addictive gameplay loop, while its mysteries will keep you intrigued. The delivery of its story makes it feel like one of the create your own adventure books of old, giving it a unique identity.
Dredge, in my opinion, is a humble superstar for those who want a small-scale thrill in dark waters for a weekend.
Dredge is the perfect blend of Lovecraftian, mystery, and adventure in a role-playing game. Its greatest strength lies in the perfect harmony of its gameplay, visual, and audio elements.
DREDGE is a great fishing adventure game, with Lovecraftian horror influences. It's admittedly simple, but it absolutely works, and fortunately it ends before it could ever run out of steam.
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.
Dredge successfully blends a Lovecraftian fishing adventure RPG with a gorgeous vibrant art design and a subtle and powerful piano-led score.
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.
com/features/read/3646015" target="_blank">From Depths Unknown - Talking and Playing Dredge with Black Salt Games </a></h3>.