"Dredge" Game Review
Fresh catch that needs a bit of salt.
The idea of a fishing game with elements of Lovecraftian horror is an interesting one, and Dredge makes good use of it for the first few hours. The cozy atmosphere and music are immediately arresting, and the mysterious narrative hooks and art style make for an intriguing introduction.
Once the novelty wears off, Dredge quickly settles into going through the motions of checklist gaming. After the first couple areas, you've essentially seen everything the game has to offer, and most of the progression entails optimizing tasks that aren't particularly demanding to begin with. The main threats at hand are nightfall and the leviathans that occupy the different areas, but both of these pose minor inconveniences at best and hardly live up to the mythology the game presents. The various tasks you're given are equally formulaic and rarely require much thought or intrigue to get through. These problems are compounded with the addition of DLC which add more padding to a game that doesn't need it.
Ultimately I think the fundamentals of Dredge are solid, and it's worth picking up the base game and spending a few lazy evenings with it. There are a few interesting story beats that crop up, and pulling a new horror out of the water never ceases to be satisfying. But once you hang up your captain's hat, I wouldn't expect much of this largely frictionless experience to stick with you in the long run.
3/5
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