Dredge review: Fishing meets horror in one of 2023’s breakout hits

The coral grouper’s skin erodes like the living reef it inhabits. The blue spots on the bright orange skin bleach to white and fall to the bones where rotting and scales are exposed. lurking in Dredgestellar basin. The ocean may be an alien world completely uninhabitable for humans, but it covers most of the planet and holds more mysteries and horrors than most people can imagine.

of Dredgethe debut video game from developer Black Salt Games, these mysteries begin to unfold. Dredge It begins with fishermen arriving, under unique circumstances, on Greater Marrow, one of the islands in the archipelago that interrupts the vast dark waters of wine. His ship was wrecked on the rocks guarding the shoreline, so he was immediately given a new boat and fishing line and sent by the mayor. People must have something to eat.

and he fishes. Dredge It’s a fishing game, after all — it’s a pull, but idea Than the reality of fishing. Become a fisherman, go out to sea and cast a fishing line. In 12 hours of daylight, you can see the fish rise to the surface and their shadows dance beneath the waves. As soon as you cast the fishing line, the fish will bite. No need to wait patiently for a single nibble. Catching fish requires a simple timing mini-game that requires pressing buttons at precise times. However, space must be made in the hull to hold fish for later sale. Each catch means rearranging gridded cargo holds to optimize storage. little game of Tetris for each new fishSpace and time management are essential Dredge.

The more fish you catch, the more you can sell, leading to upgrades to your fishing rods, engines, and nets. The challenge, however, is that new equipment also takes up the same valuable cargo space as fresh (and rotten) catch. You will soon find that you can fill the . many Rays and sharks are difficult to organize and quickly take up space in an irregular manner. Through all this fishing, selling, and upgrading, you can find places to dock on other islands. One of them spurs the fisherman on a search for some artifact that threatens to reveal more secrets of the sea than he perhaps would like. look.It is immediately clear that DredgeThere are many mysteries in the ocean, many of which occur at night.

It’s not just mackerel and coral that swim Dredgeof the sea; something is rotting the fish, turning them into grotesque monsters. If you fish long enough at night, they will more easily emerge, leap out of the water, and tear your boat to shreds.in these moments Dredge It becomes a little scary. But it’s a mild psychological horror that stalks fishermen during the dark hours of the morning. Dredge It has sharp edges, but it doesn’t hold it in my throat.

Image: Black Salt Games/Team17

in many ways, Dredge Developed by Adam Robinson-Yu short hike. Dredgelike short hike, makes you think about why you are playing the game. It’s not about winning or getting rewarded as soon as possible, it’s about stopping and doing nothing: paying meaningful attention to the minutiae of the world.in the way DredgeThe sun hides behind the water when day turns to night, with a shocking terror that pulls out fish that are nothing more than a collection of eyes, or by dredging bolts of soaked cloth. just When you need it for a new hull. The atmosphere is DredgeThe world of is better than any previous dialogue. It’s a story composed of gentle nudges into subtle pockets of beauty and terror.

Image: Black Salt Games/Team17

Loitering is encouraged Dredge; there are no waypoints to place, so we need to get that map and investigate. There is no marker on the screen to guide you to the next quest. Instead, head northwest or far east, looking for landmarks that match what you see on the map.And there are sure to be some surprises along the way: maybe quieter Shuwashwa The murderous cries of a pod of dolphins before you see them, or of crows ready to poke your eyes out.

Dredge Analyze these moments of rewarding exploration without losing focus on your core beliefs of fishing and discovering new creatures. But it also strikes a nice balance between two different tones. It contains the fear and terror that creeps in and makes your eyes tingle after many nights of too little sleep. It’s not boiling fear and panic, it’s more boiling. There is enough sunlight for a short break, but it doesn’t last long. Dredge Dark and cozy, it’s the perfect game. Yes, it can be unnerving, but don’t swim too far into the abyss.

the dredge Released March 30 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and Windows PC. This game was reviewed on Steam Deck using a pre-release download code provided by Team17. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not affect editorial content, but Vox Media may earn commissions on products purchased via affiliate links.discoverable Additional information on Polygon’s Ethics Policy can be found here.