In Dredge we just want to earn our living as a simple fisherman. However, we soon find ourselves in dangerous waters.
What could be better than sipping a hot drink in the cold and dark season while sinking into an atmospheric game world? For me, only a few things and actually I have already found the perfect game for this purpose in Dredge – which is unfortunately not due to be released until 2023. But at least the Steam Next Fest offers a chance to play until 10.
October (play the demo).
I took this opportunity and had a lot of fun with the first hour of the dark adventure. Why Dredge could also be something for you, I want to explain here.
Table of Contents
What lurks in the darkness?
In Dredge you are a simple fisherman on a desolate and gloomy archipelago. Your predecessor has left (probably for good reasons) and you are now supposed to provide food for the inhabitants. In the game, you steer your small boat, fetch all kinds of creatures from the sea and sell your catch at the harbours. The best way to see what this looks like is to watch the trailer:
The only superficially peaceful world is impressively presented here. However, the trailer reveals little about the features of Dredge, which I would like to briefly summarise for you!
Fisherman”s daily routine
Use your boat to navigate to fishing spots for various sea creatures and collect your prey via mini-game. You sort the fish into your hold and then sell your catch at a harbour. There you can also repair your boat and install better equipment.
Species and encyclopaedia
In the ocean of Dredge there are many different sea creatures, each of which can be found in certain regions and water depths and some of which you can only fish for with certain equipment. You can find the most important information about them in your encyclopaedia. Rarer species are logically worth more. In addition, the different fish require different amounts of inventory space, so you”ll have to do some clever jigsaw puzzles.
Quests and Story
Dredge also wants to tell a dark story with horror elements via quests and conversations with the locals. I didn”t see too much of that in the demo yet, but what was shown already made me curious. Apparently you are searching for ancient artefacts for a mysterious person and uncover a dark secret in the process.
Scares of the Night
If you are out at night for too long, your panic will increase. This can have negative consequences for you or your boat. In the demo, for example, my cargo of fish was attacked by a strange infection. There are also huge monsters lurking in the ocean that can attack us at night. What other consequences the night can have, however, is not yet known.
However, it also serves as a kind of level cap. Because with better equipment like headlights, we can lower our panic. And with better engines, we can cover further distances before the darkness catches us. So we slowly work our way into more remote, and probably more dangerous, areas.
Who is Dredge suitable for?
If you like atmospheric games and also horror elements, but you don”t want to fall off your chair with fright, then Dredge might suit you well. The eeriness here is rather subtle, jumpscares or scenes of violence are unlikely to be present. Dredge is also a very relaxing game that doesn”t push you to hurry, nor does it get extraordinarily complex or very difficult.
If you want to try a smaller title again instead of huge building or role-playing giants, Dredge could be just the thing. After the demo, it is not yet possible to estimate exactly how long the game could keep you busy. But since there were 5 island groups on the map, one of which we were able to explore, and a lot of content was still locked, I assume a playtime of about 15 to 20 hours.
Editor”s Verdict
I”ve only played Dredge for about an hour and a half, but already can”t wait for the release. Even the entertaining fishing routine is already a lot of fun. Coupled with an exciting story full of dark secrets and eerie occurrences, this game could give me pleasure for a very long time.
This is also made possible by the simple but coherent graphic style, the atmospheric soundtrack and the fascinatingly creepy atmosphere. Filling out the encyclopaedia by fishing for a wide variety of species is also motivating and brings fun to the game. The only thing I would still like to see in the game is a soundtrack for the conversations and more atmospheric cutscenes, of which there is so far only one at the start of the game.
