Dredge Reviews
Dredge blends cosmic horror and local fishing economies into a robust but expertly paced adventure that rewards your investment with a strange tale, engaging mechanics and a unique, wonderful vibe.
DREDGE’s numerous gameplay systems that don’t overwhelm but invite players are a cloak and dagger for the true horrors that’ll keep you lost at sea. Phenomenal in its art direction and engrossing to play, it’s clear that Black Salt Games have dredged up a mystifying debut.
Overall, Dredge is a fantastic horror-tinged adventure game. Flitting effortlessly between relaxing fishing in the day and a panic-laden rush to safety at night, its off-putting ambiance and varied mysteries help drive the player to the very end. A surprisingly thoughtful title that is dripping with atmosphere and salt water.
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 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.
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
The two sides of the game meld wonderfully together, while the fascinating world and story on offer serve up just enough to pull you along until the end.
Dredge’s enjoyable gameplay loop of fishing, selling, and upgrading all set on an ocean where horrors await beneath the waves and beyond the fog makes for an unforgettable indie experience.
Dredge manages to be both a fantastic fishing game and a horrifying look at what it's like to be alone in the ocean.
Dredge is a fantastic game that offers some laid back exploration, but enough depth and tense moments to not become boring in its simplistic at times design. The slow build of horror is perfectly balanced as you start to uncover the truth about what is going on, and who this ominous collector is. There were times I was taken aback as a revelation happened, and I understood certain characters. If you’re looking for something easy to sink your teeth in and like horror, but not jumpscare or gory horror, I highly recommend Dredge.
Dredge is a unique experience and not only for fishermen. You'll be engulfed by the perfect balance of atmosphere, which is so thick it could be sliced at times. The story's ending isn't hilarious, and you're forced to grind slightly to fully upgrade your boat and abilities. The imaginative minigames and the smooth dispensing of new skills or upgrades will keep you with the game and not let go. It's easy to forget how to use basic abilities. The controls are intuitive, and you will unlikely encounter glitches or errors. If you try the title, you'll most likely never let go and get more out of it than you initially expected.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Dredge is masterful in its execution. Black Salt Games takes the most simple gameplay elements and weaves them alongside a sinister storyline, stunning art direction and moving score to create a net that I couldn’t break free from. Like a swimmer carried out to sea by a riptide, I was powerless to resist the game’s pull. I became Captain Ahab; spending hour after hour on the deck of my vessel, hunting the all elusive catch with manic addiction. The story is wonderfully told and brings the human and the eldritch together in magnificent fashion – I urge anyone to give it a try; I guarantee you’ll be hooked.
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.
Dredge is a fantastically twisted fishing horror full of charm. It snags in parts but still successfully reeled me in from start to finish. A beautifully dreary bite-sized mystery.
An extremely enjoyable and well-built solitary fishing experience, made of fears, mysteries, trips offshore and a past that, perhaps, is not the case to bring to light.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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!
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
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The constant fear and impending sense of dread make sure you're always uncomfortable, making Dredge a master class in the subtlety of horror. Even though the story never comes out and explains everything that's happening, it does enough to make sure you can put it together, while relying on the journey you've made for yourself to stand tall. All in all, Dredge is one of those near-perfect indie games-it accomplishes everything it sets out to do, keeps the player entertained throughout, and manages to be innovative in an industry filled with games for us to play.
Dredge promotes a strange fusion of genres and is proof that even outlandish ideas work when the project is well executed. Black Salt Games' debut game is amazing and delivers an experience of extremes – from relaxing fishing to terrifying moments.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review