The writer knew absolutely nothing about the project linked to Dredge, before the editorial staff was offered the opportunity to review the title; it was one of those unseen missions that end up enriching the person concerned in a completely unexpected way. Of course, the idea itself was enough to arouse the curiosity of those who, over the years, have found themselves chewing disturbing narrativesallucinate e weird: un fishing simulator – which as we will see is more of a fishing adventure than a real simulator – in colors horror. Too good to be true, too improbable; and instead it is true, with a dutiful premise. Dredge is not bought to scare: he is bought for the horror atmosphere. And for an incredibly functional gameplay, so much so that, and it is the opinion of the writer of course, most likely today the title is easily placed on the podium of the best indies of 2023. If not even in first place. Team17when he wants, he doesn’t miss a publication.
Sea Adventures: The Dredge Story
Sea Adventures: The Dredge StoryThe Dredge narration proceeds by disseminating an almost imperceptible series of details along the way; the overall picture is then easily reconstructed – we are not at the level of any Souls, to be clear, and if you have read our review of Elden Ring you will know what we are talking about – provided you pay attention to the details, to the conversations even with personages apparently marginal, and above all to visit every single point of interest on the (largely aquatic) game map. The protagonist is an unnamed fisherman who seeks his fortune in the local archipelago: Dredge’s map is made up of water and a few small islands, nothing more; all your adventure will take place inside the boat.
We know nothing about the unlikely nameless hero, apart from his good will: he decides to make a living fishing for the local market, so as to help not only himself but also the local population, who would otherwise die of hunger. Dredge waters, in fact, are notorious for hiding lethal dangers, especially after sunset: between rocks during the day and mysterious apparitions at night (or in the presence of fog) being a sailor is truly a complex profession. Spending too much time at sea ensures madness, as strange creatures move between the seabed and the surface.
Something very important happened years before the start of the narrative, but to know exactly what it will be necessary to complete the missions of the main story, summarized in a practical bulletin board on the protagonist’s ship. There structure of Dredge envisages visiting the five main environments one after the other – distinguished by as many major islands – up to solving the individual local problems. The latter can also consist of family affairs, such as a brother who has been away for many years because he wanted to abandon the profession of whaling; you will also meet a researcher interested in a mysterious creature at the bottom of the Star Basin; and much more.
As you continue in the main adventure, our advice is to continue the side missions (which are not secondary at all) related to Collector. In the first moments of the game, Dredge will direct you to his home; but still, try to satisfy the demands of him. It will be important to be able to attend both endings of the title, which in any case reach in a fairly limited number of hours.
Game based on fish (and sea monsters)
Il gameplay by Dredge is wisely balanced between the exploration of the game world and the actual fishing. The protagonist, as has been said, can never go ashore, or at least we don’t see him directly: the interaction with the inhabitants of the small seaports takes place with texts and images on the screen, as in any management system. The answers to the various questions and considerations are chosen on the basis of a pre-set canvas and, with the exception of the final mission, in reality they all lead to the same outcome, varying slightly the interaction. Secondary missions usually consist in the search for a particular object (present in a given maritime location) and its return to the rightful owner or to the interested party on duty; but the personal backgrounds of the various characters are interesting, and contribute to the composition of a distressing and always very elusive world.
In the fishing actual, however, lies at the heart of Dredge. And it is curious how such a simple mechanic does not get boring over hours of play which would still be sufficient to divert attention from much more complex modalities than this. It is basically a mini-game: you have to execute the X command on the DualSense when an indicator, which oscillates continuously, is placed on the colored dial of the interface; continuing in the plot and in the species of fish available, variations are also proposed, but never really fundamental. To balance an offer, all in all, the collecting factor: just like in the Pokémon series, the player begins to search for all the fish present in the archipelago, which vary according to the day and night, require special baits and hooks to be caught, and sometimes require paying attention to still conditions more details. Then the real Lovecraftian atmosphere also takes over: within a certain species there is always the deviant specimen, the one “corrupted” by the abyss. And so you will find yourself on the catfish fishing spot for days just to be able to pull up the “special” variant, a bit like it happens for chromatic Pokémon.
Progression and technical sector
Moving between the various islands and catching all the fish present while continuing in the plot: Dredge is not reduced to this. In the meantime you will also have to boost up your boat, recovering different types of material left and right, always fishing (but the wording becomes, in these cases, “dredge”). The materials must then be brought back to the nearest port workshop, so that the expert can use them to expand the number of lights available on your boat, or upgrade the engines, or even add space for nets and fishing rods ; in short, these enhancements are necessary and attention must be paid to them, because only in this way will the boat become more efficient and resistant to dangers.
About dangers: During the night hours (6pm to 6am) Dredge becomes a very dangerous place. Apart from the visibility at night, in the dark they also reach the sea diverse threats but all equally lethal: such as assassins, octopuses, rocks that suddenly appear damaging the hull. The more time you spend at sea at night, the more your level of “madness” will increase, to eliminate which you will have to sleep in the village, recovering lucidity. The fact is that some species are available only during the Night, so inevitably you will find yourself facing danger in two different cases: when you have to do it to advance in the plot or complete the missions; when you realize too late that you have entered the open sea a few hours after sunset.
From the point of view merely technicianare PlayStation 5 Dredge turned out to be a little gem: usual, clean, finished, spartan but at the same time carefully detailed. Okay, it’s an independent production, and you can guess it in many situations, but everything we’ve seen has been more than convincing. We would have liked, yes, secondary missions equal to the main ones in terms of interest and stimulus for exploration; and also one greater longevity it would not have hurt, given that in any case the replayability is practically absent once all the over 120 fish present have been caught. But perhaps that would have been too much to ask. And after all, we have no doubts that Dredge will see a small niche of faithful enthusiasts build up around it over time, also thanks to the advertising studied by Team17. We therefore dare to hope for a sequel with a higher budget in the coming years.
Piattaforme: PS5, PS4, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, Switch
Sviluppatore: Black Salt Games
Publisher: Team17
The merit of independent productions is to refresh an otherwise increasingly asphyxiated panorama, even risking – inevitably – anonymity due to the growing difficulty of establishing oneself in a videogame market rich in genres, releases and questions. Dredge effectively manages to carve out its own place in the sun, proposing an original and effective adventure, and above all by inserting a typically Lovecraftian horror atmosphere (the Lovecraft of Dagon and the Chthulu Cycle) inside a fishing simulator with arcade traits . Impossible not to fall in love with it and not give it a chance, even considering the extremely low introductory price.
