When it comes to fishing mechanics in games, I get pretty excited when it’s present in something that I’m playing. Granted, not all inclusions are great, but most manage to offer a relaxing side activity while still being pretty engaging. Dredge, from Black Salt Games and Team17, is a fishing game with RPG elements, which provides an addictive grind and an engaging narrative that is equal parts cosy and creepy.

Dredging up the past

As the game opens up, you assume the role of a fisherman who wakes up in the town of Great Marrow. After attempting to sail through the dense fog, their boat crashes into the rocks below the town’s lighthouse. Upon waking, the fisherman is met by the town’s mayor, who offers them a boat which can be paid off by catching fish for the town’s residents. Before sending you on your way, the mayor introduces you to the Fishmonger and the Shipwright, your two most important contacts in Greater Marrow. Additionally, he mentions that it’s best to not stay out after dark. A short while into your adventure, you’ll meet a mysterious collector, who tasks with you finding and retrieving a host of different relics, which will see you visiting the various locations in the archipelago.

The story in Dredge is quite compelling. While the conversations with characters aren’t voiced or animated, they are incredibly well-written and maintain a certain atmosphere throughout. The NPCs you’ll encounter make for some interesting conversations. The ones that provide a function such as buying your caught fish or upgrading your vessel are fairly normal but there are some stand-out characters across the various settlements and islands who are fairly paranoid, stare blankly or flat-out avoid certain topics. It can be pretty unsettling.

The grind is good

I’m just going to come out and say that Dredge has a strong focus on grinding, however, it’s not presented in a way that feels like a chore. The gameplay loop has you heading out on your boat and catching as many fish as you can store in your hold. You can then sell your haul to a fish market and then use the funds to upgrade your boat. Time only moves when you do and seems to move even faster while fishing or dredging. In the early going, when you haven’t invested in a new engine for your boat, time management is incredibly important if you want to avoid being out after dark. As you purchase more upgrades, you’ll be able to get more out of each day or even brave the darkness for some nighttime excursions.

It’s a simple cycle but it becomes addictive rather quickly as you unlock better equipment to buy and install. Your boat’s hold is comprised of a grid, and each item, be it fish or equipment, take up a certain number of blocks on that grid. There’s a limit to how much you can carry, however, there’s also storage space to make use of that can be accessed from each dock in the game.

Cosy or creepy? Both? Both

While Dredge is a cosy fishing game the majority of the time, it also has a sinister side. During the day, it’s colourful and the world is quite calm. Once the sun goes down, however, the tone switches almost immediately and a thick fog permeates the water, hiding all manner of threats.

Being out after dark also induces panic, causing hallucinations and rocks to materialise in your path out of thin air. While these may be your mind playing tricks on you, they have very real consequences if you happen to crash into them. The panic is represented by an eye at the top of the screen, which becomes more frenzied the longer you’re away from bright lights and without sleep. It isn’t ideal for your psyche, but it is a requirement for catching certain species of fish and completing some quests. Best to not stay out too long though, or you may lose some of your fish cargo to rot or hull damage.

Completing quests and regularly selling a decent haul can make going out at night a little less harrowing though. Cash can be used to buy new equipment while research parts can be used to unlock new gear in the store. Additionally, dredging up scrap will allow for upgrades to your ship at one of the floating or dry docks in each location. The inventory grid can be expanded to hold more items, some squares can be converted to make room for bigger engine installations or more advanced fishing equipment, and the hull can also be upgraded to take more damage before your boat sinks. Plus, engaging with characters in each location will sometimes reward you with a book, which is read over time while sailing, and once completed, will grant passive bonuses such as discounts in shops, faster fishing or boosted engine speed.

Island hopping

Aside from the starting area, there are four other locations to visit throughout the game. They’re quite varied, not just in terms of appearance, but also in the list of fish you can catch, the water conditions and of course, the threats you’ll encounter. Where they’re similar is how each location functions as a stop on your overall journey. There are a number of quests to take on that involve catching certain fish, dredging up lost heirlooms, destroying alien-like creatures and also avoiding giant wildlife.

It’s also worth checking out some of the smaller island clusters that surround these main locations, though, as there are cool secrets to find and side quests to take on that reward you with new equipment to complement your existing setup, books for more passive bonuses and texts that contribute to the world-building. Some of these side quests do have time limits attached to them, however, the game doesn’t really tell you this, which made it somewhat frustrating to return to a quest giver only to discover that you actually can’t proceed.

The world of Dredge is beautiful and while it features a fairly simple art style, it brings the world to life with the way it makes use of colour and lighting. The weather effects and the tonal shift that comes from switching from day to night are also fantastic. It’s complemented by a great soundtrack that’s mostly quite subtle, but ramps at all the right moments and works in tandem with some unsettling sound effects to deliver some palpable tension. The atmosphere is incredible.

Judge Dredge

Dredge is fantastic. The story is compelling and the cast of characters is incredibly well-written. I was hooked on the narrative fairly early on and was quite interested to see where it went. The gameplay is quite simple when it comes to sailing your boat and catching fish. However, the grind for upgrades and new equipment is something that became addictive very quickly. I always felt like I was just chasing the next best thing for my gear and it didn’t let up until close to the end of the game. Your boat is initially rather slow, making your time management very important, but it isn’t long before you can get a better engine and get more out of each day.

I also love how it manages to balance cosy and creepy so well as it does a complete tonal switch when it changes from day to night. This, coupled with the horrors you’ll see and the aberrant fish you’ll encounter, makes for such a unique experience. I do wish that the side quests with time limits attached to them were indicated as such, but it’s quite a small gripe about an otherwise fantastic game. Dredge is one of my favourite games of 2023 and if you’re looking for an experience with an engrossing narrative and simple but addictive gameplay, I’d recommend giving it a shot.

Dredge is available on Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC

Dredge was reviewed on PS5

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