Dredge Preview

You’re a fisherman sailing to your new home. The sun hangs high over your boat; an “angler wanted” sign rests amongst your messy belongings; you steer across the vast open water. Everything is calm, quiet — until it isn’t. The fog rolls in, obscuring your vision until only darkness surrounds you, and then you meet the jagged rocks. Your boat is hopelessly destroyed and you’re rendered unconscious, but hey, at least you made it to Greater Marrow (almost in one piece).

Dredge is a single-player fishing adventure developed by New Zealand indie studio Black Salt Games. The sudden shipwreck at the start of my preview perfectly encompasses Dredge’s unique ability to lull you into an almost hypnotic state of relaxation with gentle waters and beautiful sunsets while an uncanny, sinister undercurrent reminds you not to get too comfortable. I never expected to be scared of the dark in a fishing game, but after spending hours sailing around the mysterious archipelago, I’ve had enough slithering stowaways and monstrous run-ins that my guard is up the moment the sun goes down.

After the opening, your unseen fisherman wakes up on the small, languishing island town of Greater Marrow, greeted by the mayor who is more concerned about your ability to fish rather than your previous wreck. There’s no time to waste as he sends you off with three things: a replacement fishing trawler, the amount of debt you owe for using said trawler, and a warning to get back to town before the nightly fog cloaks the sea. The gameplay loop is simple and enjoyable; you’ll reel in fish with rhythmic fishing minigames, store them in a Tetris-style spatial inventory, and bring back your catch to sell to the local Fishmonger. It doesn’t take long to pay off your debt, after which you can put your earnings towards buying extra equipment such as engines, rods, nets, lights, and crab pots. You can also research new equipment, adding new items for purchase from the local Shipwright.

Dredge’s quick day and night cycle will sneak up on you if you’re not paying attention. Time doesn’t move unless you are sailing, fishing, or dredging. But when you are taking those actions, the clock moves quickly. This also affects the freshness of the fish you catch; if you wait too long to sell them, they’ll become stale (and sell for less) or turn to rot, in which case they are worth nothing. There are ways you can save time such as completing the fishing minigames without misclicks, reading books passively for quality-of-life perks, and improving your engine’s speed. You’ll inevitably find yourself in the dark whether it be by accident (which happened to me a lot) or by necessity as certain types of fish are only out at night and some quests require nighttime exploration. The longer you stay in the fog, the more your character panics, causing hallucinations. You’re at risk of sharp rocks appearing out of nowhere, sea monsters damaging your boat, and swirling cyclones blocking your way. Sleeping will reset your panic levels, so don’t forget to pass time at the dock when you return to town.

While things are only slightly unsettling at first, it progressively gets eerier the more you learn about the surrounding islands, shipwrecks, and missing people. In fact, NPCs often reference the mysterious disappearance of the local fisherman who resided at Greater Marrow before I showed up. He’s not the only one lost to the sea, though. For instance, I made my way over to Little Marrow — a smaller island across the water — and talked to a grieving father who asked me to retrieve his son’s belt buckle from the debris of his ship. As you meet more characters and complete their quests, you’ll gain helpful rewards such as books or materials that you can use to upgrade your equipment. Each quest also unveils a little more about the solemn and dangerous lives people lead in the archipelago. Black Salt Games has created a cast of characters who all seem like they’re in the same boat as I am, just trying to survive.

People are not the only victims of the sea. You’ll begin reeling in Aberrations, corrupted fish with a variety of abnormalities — many-eyed mackerel, fanged cod, and gnashing perch to name a few. After finding my first Aberration, its very presence on the boat gives my fisherman a headache and his ears begin ringing. I nervously give the Fishmonger a fish to examine, and he cuts it open, discovering a handkerchief in its belly. This leads me to a strange ex-fisherman, the Collector, a point where Dredge’s narrative feels like it truly begins.

While the Collector specialises in curios of all kinds, he asks you to find a selection of artefacts from an old ship that sank years ago. This quest ultimately sends you to different villages and biomes as you need to find wrecks and other dark depths where these relics are hidden. You also get access to the titular “dredging”, another fishing minigame that lets you pull up research parts, valuable trinkets, resources, and the artefacts themselves. After turning your first relic, the Collector grants you a haste ability that you can toggle on your radial menu while sailing, which is essential to reaching the other zones in the game. As I set off to discover the neighbouring biomes outside of Greater Marrow, I couldn’t help but stop at small islands along the way, finding abandoned campsites, mysterious shrines, and NPCs in need of help. Exploring is definitely worth it as discoveries usually yield resources or add extra layers to the secrets hiding in the sea, but you do risk getting so distracted that you forget about the time. So plan accordingly and take note of landmarks to help you return to interesting locations you passed before.

Dredge is by far the best game I’ve tried this year. I didn’t know I needed a horror fishing game until it came along. Look out for its launch on the 30th of March when it comes to PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.