Dredge is an adventure game by New Zealand-based Black Salt Games, which has been nominated for Best Debut Indie Game at The Game Awards. We play as an unnamed fisherman who finds himself in a mysterious marine region where strange things are happening, but none of the inhabitants are going to give specific answers. You immediately get the feeling that the game is similar to the works of the American writer Howard Lovecraft, who wrote in the horror and mystery genres. A small, quiet town with eerie secrets, the hero finding it difficult to distinguish reality from imagination, characters achieving their goals thanks to a book - all of this is inherent in Lovecraft's works, and Dredge has it all. So if you're interested in this kind of theme and you missed Dredge this year due to the influx of many releases, it's time to fix it. Those who are already familiar with the game have a good reason to return to it, because in November, the authors released the first full-fledged expansion, The Pale Reach, which adds an icy location and a new story. The gg editorial team has explored the mystical waters and will share their impressions to help you understand whether Dredge and The Pale Reach expansion pack are worth buying.
5 reasons to buy Dredge and The Pale Reach DLC
- You like Lovecraft's work
- You are looking for an interesting game that you might have missed in 2023
- You are attracted to the low poly graphic style
- Dredge offers an exploration experience in a marine region full of mysterious creatures
- The Pale Reach add-on gives you new content that makes you stay in the game
2 reasons not to buy Dredge and The Pale Reach DLC
- You hate fishing
- You are more attracted to action
Quick transition:
- Plot: a riddle that no one wants to answer
- Gameplay: fishing, exploration and activities
- About The Pale Reach add-on
- Call of Cthulhu: the technical side of the game world
- What we didn't like
- Five things you need to know about Dredge and The Pale Reach DLC
Plot: a riddle that no one wants to answer
An ordinary fisherman sailed on his boat to complete a task. Out of nowhere, fog appears, and our hero crashes into a rock with a lighthouse on it, although at first no lighthouse was visible. That's how he ended up in the town of Greater Marrow, where he starts working and trying to figure out what's going on. No one is clear about whether they are seeing strange things, where the former fisherman and the mayor have gone, or what these waters hide. Most of them seem to be playing stupid and naive, and only a few are trying to hint at something.
Very soon we meet a collector with a mysterious book, to whom we hand over one relic, and now he asks us to explore the entire region and bring back all the relics. From this point on, the main part of the game begins.
Although the emphasis is on the process of exploration rather than the story, it is interesting to understand it. Each character will tell you something different that will help you better complete the puzzle. Somewhere in the sea, there are notes in bottles that also help you understand the history of this region, or you find mysterious objects, and everything around you becomes only more interesting. This story is not difficult to understand, especially if you immerse yourself in it a little, but it does not need to be complicated. It has its unexpected moments, and that's more than enough for a debut game that will take you a few evenings.
Characters: strange stories of strangers
There are not many characters in the game, but each one stands out in some way. Some are mysterious, some are funny, some are crazy, and some are just nice to talk to. And for a small project, this is more than enough. You want to talk to almost everyone, ask them more about their life or region. Some of them have their own individual stories that you want to bring to a logical conclusion.
For example, we meet two elderly men in different cities who tell us that they each have a brother, and now we need to make sure that they are reunited again. It may sound simple, but Black Salt Games has skilfully played out all these events so that you are interested in watching and participating in them.
Game world: Lovecraft's archipelago
The game world complements these two components. We are waiting for an archipelago with different islands and 5 main (+1 in the expansion) locations. And each of the locations offers something different. It can be the tropics, rocks, jungle, ruins of the ancient world or small towns. Each region requires its own approach. For example, in the jungle, due to the large number of trees and thick fog, you need to manoeuvre the boat very carefully to avoid breaking it.
Each Dredge location feels like a separate world
All the islands are small, and it would be very easy to explore them, if not for one thing. Each location has its own underwater monster. Let's imagine that you wanted to go fishing in a rocky area. What could go wrong? But let's remember that the game is somewhat similar to Lovecraft's works, and then a giant creature appears - The Serpent with one red eye and big teeth. And if you don't notice that such a guest is coming towards you in time, you will be very, very hurt. But if you don't want to be attacked, you can turn it on in the settings.
There are several sea monsters in the game, each with their own characteristics and location, so you should always check if you have swum "home" to one of these creatures. Although sometimes there are moments when you don't realise you've done something wrong.
I just wanted to collect materials.
Thanks to these elements, the game does not bore you for 8-10 hours. You do not know what awaits you on the new island, what surprises and challenges the developers have prepared. But the desire to learn the secrets overcomes your fear. And now you are already in a new region, setting traps against monsters, and every time you feel like a winner when the trap works. Despite all this, you manage to find a moment to relax and enjoy the moment when you move to a new area and killer whales swim next to you. And for such a world, I have no choice but to praise the authors of Dredge.
Gameplay: fishing, exploration, and activities
The basis of the entire gameplay is fishing. There are different types of fish scattered around the world that we can catch. The process itself is simple and made in the format of a mini-game that requires the player to press one button at the right time. And once you have caught a fish, there are several options.
You can sell it and get money, and then invest this money in improving our inventory: new fishing rods, a more powerful motor, a better lamp to make it easier at night, or you can buy fishing nets so that some of the fish will be collected automatically. Just remember that fish tend to spoil and if you don't sell them in time, they will spoil and you will have to throw them away.
One of the examples of fishing in the game
However, in order to buy new tools, we need to provide access to them. To do this, we collect spare parts, which are analogous to upgrade points. They are scattered around the world or given out for completing tasks.
We collected three spare parts, spent them on opening a new fishing rod, bought it, and so on in a circle. But the game doesn't require you to spend hours collecting parts or saving money. By the end of my playthrough, I had unlocked almost all the best tools and didn't spend much time on it.
In addition to tools, we can also upgrade the boat itself. This opens up new slots in the inventory for fishing rods, a motor, and fish storage. To improve the boat, we no longer need spare parts, but wood, canvas and old motors. There are a lot of them in the water, and I've never had a situation where I can't find an item for a long time. The game does not "strangle" you with these elements, but makes them a pleasant bonus.
Returning to the fish, it is also worth mentioning that some of the species are needed to complete additional or storyline quests. So before you sell them, make sure you don't need them. Because some exotic species are very difficult to catch, and if it turns out that you sold it before you closed the quest, it will be very unpleasant, so don't make the same mistakes I did.
As for the aforementioned additional quests, most of them are short and simple. Usually, they ask you to bring something out of the ordinary, and this can be the biggest challenge. But there are already dozens of guides on the Internet that tell you step by step where and who is located.
Although there are more interesting quests. For example, in the tropics, we find a lonely dog that needs to be approached in the right way so that it jumps into a boat and then takes it to people.
And even this is not the end of the activities, because the game also has treasure maps, ritual monuments where you need to put fish, jewellery that can be sold to a collector, and more. There are no problems with the content at all. It is more than enough for a 10-hour game. The developers have struck the perfect balance when the map is not overcrowded with activities, but you can't say that you didn't have enough and would like something else. So we got a game that has a simple but peculiar story, an interesting game world, and an enjoyable gameplay. What else do you need for a small studio's debut casual game?
About The Pale Reach expansion pack
On 16 November, The Pale Reach, the first full-fledged expansion for Dredge, was released. It opens access to a new ice location, which is available immediately after the prologue. On the map, you will see a big red question mark - this is the place where the expansion starts.
The story of the expansion, like the main game, remains mysterious. We come across several interesting places where frozen people (or their spirits?) are located. At the same time, we open journals, from which it becomes clear that once upon a time, an entire sea crew was here, which was betrayed, and now its fate is unknown. We need to bring it all to a logical conclusion.
Players now have access to 11 new fish species and 4 new boat tools. One of the most interesting is the icebreaker, which allows us to move better around the location and destroy objects that hinder us. As well as ice blocks that extend the shelf life of fish.
An example of an icebreaker operation
I recommend completing the add-on after the first 2-3 story missions and when you have $500 in game money to buy a fishing rod that allows you to fish in icy terrain (purchased during the add-on). After completing the DLC, you will receive items that will help you collect fish more easily, which will allow you to earn money faster.
It took me 2 hours to complete The Pale Reach, and I liked it. The add-on fits harmoniously into the main game and allows you to discover new content. So I advise both those who have completed Dredge to return to the game for an evening and those who are just starting their journey to get all the content at once. You will have to pay $6 for the add-on.
Call of Cthulhu: the technical side of the game world
I played the game on PlayStation 5, and the game was stable at 60 fps all the time. At the same time, I did not encounter any bugs or crashes, and the game worked correctly all the time. Also, the game has low system requirements, which allows those who have not updated their computer for a long time to play. If you prefer portable gaming, Dredge is still available on Nintendo Switch, where it also works well.
Low poly visuals
The game uses a low poly art style because it's easier and cheaper, but this is only a plus because the team is small and thanks to this style, more time can be devoted to other aspects of the game. Although low poly is not so common, so, on the contrary, there is a certain difference and peculiarity compared to other games. Such visuals are only appropriate for this sea adventure, and thanks to the good work with lighting and locations, it gives beautiful landscapes and scenes where you want to take screenshots.
Low-poly, but at the same time picturesque visuals of the game
Not the brightest music, but great sounds
The music in the game is mostly calm and dramatic, but apart from the main melody, I hardly remember the rest of them, as they don't have something so expressive that they would stick in my head for a long time. But the situation with sounds is quite different. The sounds of waves, wind, seagulls, and everything else that is inherent in the sea are performed at a good level in the game. The sounds immerse you in this world and for months it seemed that you were in the game yourself. I especially remember the moments when you swim to the sound of calm waves and watch the low-poly sunrise.
What I didn't like
The game has a very important mechanic of changing day and night. During the day, everything is more or less quiet and calm, but as soon as night falls, the game begins to vaguely resemble a horror. The fisherman has a panic meter, and the higher it is, the worse it is. The hero begins to see eyes, rocks, and ships in the water that are actually monsters, and some sea monsters go hunting at night. To get through this, you need to swim to the nearest pier and rest. The day starts at 6 am, and at 4 pm the sun starts to set, and at 6 pm it is almost dark.
And the mechanics are interesting, but the problem is that the day passes very quickly, about 4-5 minutes of real time, and this is very little. You don't have time to do much, and only after half the game, when you've adapted and improved your boat and tools, can you stay a little longer. So, ideally, a day should last about 8 minutes, and then the game, especially at the beginning, would give you much more emotions.
Five things you need to know about Dredge and The Pale Reach DLC
- Dredge is the first game by Black Salt Games
- Howard Lovecraft's style is felt in the game
- Fishing and exploration are the main focus of the game
- The Pale Reach DLC adds new story, fish and tools
- The Pale Reach is suitable for those who have already completed the game and those who are just about to buy Dredge
| Dredge | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Adventure |
| Platforms. | PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC |
| Number of players | Single player |
| Developer | BlackSalt Games |
| Publisher | Team17 |
| Time to complete | 8-13 hours |
| Release date | 20 March 2023 | DLC - 16 November 2023 |
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Our game editor has been playing games since he was 4 years old and can't imagine himself without it. He has played 100+ games on PlayStation, but still considers The Last of Us Part II to be the best in the industry. In January 2022, he joined the gg team. He studies at the Faculty of Journalism at Kyiv International University.
