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Dredge - An Indepth Review Of An Exploratory Nautical Horror Title

4K View2023-04-13

Hey folks, and thank for tapping on my latest review. Specifically, my coverage of Black Salt Games’ Dredge- A fishing oriented adventure, with a distinctly lovecraftian flavour. But that does beg the question - was this a fishing trip worth taking, or did it simply manage to dredge up bad memories? Let's Find Out, Shall we?

Sunken Secrets

It had been a long day. The call of the gulls had grown quiet, giving way to the first glimpse of dusk-tinged evening. Then the fog rolled in- thick and constricting. Washing over the deck like the tide- and smothering even the sound of grinding wood and steel as your ship scuttled against the rocks.

It was only through providence that you washed ashore upon an inhabited isle. Greater Marrow, the mayor said. And it wasn’t just the name of the town he provided, either. A new boat- a fresh lease on the sea- provided you could help feed the town.

And yet- there’s something strange in the waters. Queer things wriggle just beneath the surface, a strange corruption that seems to linger. Just like the Fog, which comes night after night to blanket the isles in a sinister silence.

Still, there are those who have answers, if you’re willing to help- though it may dredge up things best left in the deep.

And I’ll admit, the premise definitely had me hooked. That said, what really reeled me in was the execution of its narrative. See, the game is more than happy to let you bask in the mysteries at its heart, and to soak them in at your own pace. Seriously, there is literally -nothing- stopping you from simply leaving the port the moment the mayor fills you in on the situation and tosses the boat keys into your grubby grasp- to go and do a good day’s work of fishing.

That said, this is deceptively relaxing- because at some point, even if you’re trying to ignore it, the wrongness of the situation will creep up on you. Maybe time will slip between your fingers, and evening will fall as you’re out at sea- introducing you to the horrors lurking in the brume. Or perhaps something ghastly will tug onto your line. A wrongness now stored in your hull~

Whatever the case, engaging with it becomes an inevitability of sorts- a baited line that sets you on a collision course with the other strands of lore threaded throughout the isles. At every port, there are NPCS to talk to, some of which need help- but all of which have things to say which help to flesh out the troubled history of the Marrows.

And even away from the shores of civilization, the lure of lore still lies. Uncanny messages bob at sea in glass bottles, scant but with their own story to tell. Campsites, too, which lay scattered in desolate places- all with a story to tell, especially to the diligent, or fortunate.

And for the truly brave- there’s the basalt pillars which emerge from the sea. Inert, save for when your sanity has been tested- at which point, they gleam with ominous purpose, and portents.

Bit by bit, all of these come together to paint a terrible picture, and to help bring a distinctly bleak history into focus- which is only further complimented by the overall strength of writing. Best of all, its mysteries feel -earned-. Whether you pursue Dredges normal ending, or dig a bit deeper- the journey ultimately clicks together with a dreadfully delightful decisiveness that leaves me feeling narratively satisfied.

Trawling & Trailblazing

But what about the actual act of traveling the islands? Well, I honestly wasn’t kidding when I talked about how deceptively relaxing the game could be- because the core gameplay consists of you exploring the seas, and taking the occasional break to go fishing.

In fact, I would actually go so far as to say it feels almost deliberately meditative in nature. For instance, fishing isn’t an overly taxing endeavor. You simply drift around the ocean, looking for agitated waters, and the shadows of fish- then set anchor and cast a line. A process that you can either passively engage with -or- actively participate in, with the various flavors of mini-game that exist. (A mini-game which also serves as your means of getting extra large ‘Trophy’ variants- if you’re looking for bigger pay days).

Admittedly, the dredging minigame isn’t -quite- as forgiving, as it does require some degree of interaction in order to succeed- at least by default, but even that can be adjusted in the accessibility options.

That said, as kind as all these elements are- there are some extra considerations you need to make. For one thing,you have limited cargo-space on your ship. While this can be upgraded to a fairly prodigious degree over time- a key component of the pulling in good hauls is the careful management of your inventory, in order to maximize how much you can store. Which can be -especially- pressing when you’re trying to farm up different types of fish to fill in your encyclopedia, including the elusive ‘Aberrations’. Or trying to stock up on certain types of sea life in order to interact with certain puzzle oriented shrines.

And even then, you still have to be mindful- since both fishing and traveling take time- and if you’re hoping to turn a profit, you’ll need to venture to a fishmonger sooner than later- since fish can decompose.

And that’s without even taking into account the need for cautious boating- given that not only is your craft fragile- every bit of damage incurred -also- crops up in your inventory, limiting your space, potentially throwing objects overboard, and even damaging your equipment.

Which, uh- let me tell you- is definitely stressful when you’re trying to fish up something that only tends towards a specific type of environment, and your fishing rod gets disabled. That- or you only have one engine, and they knock it out- given that will reduce you to a crawl, and dooms your haul to decomposition.(To the point that it might just be safer to -reload-.)

Because, all of that assumes you’ll even -survive-. See, all of those implied threats the night hold? …Yeah. It’s not hyperbole- and there is quite a range. Whether it’s merely the hostile creatures native to an environment, or some twilight-bound terror, there’s a decent array of threats that can scuttle an unwary captain, especially as sanity dwindles, and the fog begins to play tricks on your eyes. Nothing is quite as harrowing as rocks vanishing from sight until a spotlight illuminates it.

Frankly, the game does a good enough job at making the night feel threatening, that I often did my best to keep my endeavors day-bound, when I could. Especially when engaging with it’s quests/ pursuits. Mostly because, while a number of them are fairly forgiving- that’s not the case for all of them. Whether it’s transporting a package, or a passenger- you can actually fail a fair number of these, if you’re unfortunate enough to send something to the ocean floor. And while it still counts as complete for the sake of achievements- that -will- cause you to miss out on little bits of story, and some potentially useful rewards. Like the ‘skill books’ granted by a number of pursuits- which provide passive bonuses like insanity resistance, or more max speed.

Or, you know, research points- which are somewhat rare -and- are paramount in unlocking the full potential of your skiff.

Oh, also, on the note of quest failures- while a number of them are at least somewhat apparent, I do feel the need to somewhat caution you if you’re a completionist and stuff like this bothers you. There -is- a quartet of timed quests in the form of certain robed figures. While it isn’t -super- apparent- talking to them starts an unseen timer- and given they hinge on fishing stuff that you might not necessarily -know- about, they can be somewhat daunting to complete in a timely fashion until far later in the game.

Still, that is perhaps the only real nitpick that comes to mind mechanically- So!

The Deep's Appeal

Let’s talk about visuals. Stylistically, I am super fond of this game- I think the character portraits are well done, and the overall world design is lovely. Plus- the actual act of fishing was pretty rewarding, because there’d be times where I’d just be pulling in a haul- and then I’d find myself suddenly faced with some unfortunate thing leering back at me.

It’s honestly some -great- stuff. That said, what really shined were the moments my sanity started to drain away. As the eye at the top of the hud opened, and panic started to settle in- all sorts of messy occurrences would crop up at night. The way weird apparitions would emerge from the fog was unsettling in an interesting way, especially as I was in the initial process of adapting. And this only got -better- as I moved onto new biomes, and got to witness new creatures. Like this place. It looks gorgeous to start with- but it absolutely comes to life at night. Pretty & Deadly in equal measure.

Stuff like this, really just made the act of exploring the sea feel rewarding. And the sound design only further emphasizes this. Whether it’s the soundtrack, or the sounds which emerge at night- the game does a -great- job of setting the mood, and avoiding the experience -sounding- tedious.

The Brine's Bounty

But, let’s boil this all down- shall we? While I imagine it’s already abundantly clear what my thoughts are on the game- I think I should actually emphasize just how much I enjoyed this title. Because I quite -literally- found myself losing track of time, and occasionally sinking into fishing related fugues- as my completionism compelled me to search for specific fish.

And that also meant that all the little story tidbits I was learning got ample time to percolate in the back of my head- as I slowly clicked things together, or encountered something, or someone new along my journey.

What I’m trying to say is- I honestly think this is an artfully done title. It manages to do a stellar job of marrying a satisfying gameplay loop, dabbling in being a relaxing fishing sim- but also providing a disconcerting story to discover, and solid bits of tension, and discomfort. Ultimately- I think it’s well done enough, that I can call it a -very- strong example of a HIT, and whilst I’m quite satisfied with what I got from the game, I would be remiss if I didn’t strongly recommend that you folks try it out as well.

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