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Dredge (video game)

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Dredge
Developer(s)Black Salt Games
Publisher(s)Team17
EngineUnity[1]
Platform(s)
Release
  • Windows, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
  • March 30, 2023
  • Android, iOS, macOS
  • December 18, 2024
Genre(s)Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Dredge is a 2023 fishing horror role-playing adventure game developed by Black Salt Games and published by Team17. The game follows a fisherman who encounters increasingly Lovecraftian creatures as he ventures out further into an open world archipelago. It was released on March 30, 2023, for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, and is scheduled to release for Android, iOS, and macOS in December 2024.

Gameplay

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Dredge sees the player control a small motorized fishing boat. The game takes place on a day–night cycle, where specific actions the player takes, such as sailing or fishing, push the clock forward. The player can look for fish to catch or underwater items to salvage at certain spots, where they play a short minigame to bring their catch on board. If the player stays out into the night, a panic meter starts to rise, with higher levels leading to hallucinations that change reality around the boat, creating hazards that may damage the player's vessel; however, some fish only become available during the night hours, forcing the player to stay out during these times. The waters around the archipelago also contain a number of sea monsters which can attack the player.

After docking at the main settlement or with a traveling merchant, players can sell their catch and buy new equipment for their boat such as brighter lights, faster engines, or better fishing equipment that expands the types of fish that can be caught. The boat has a predetermined amount of space on board, and the player has to choose which gear to fit inside along with space for their catch; however, players can upgrade their boat, expanding its capacity and resilience to damage. At other docks scattered around the archipelago, the player can also accept side quests, completing tasks for the residents of the islands to earn rewards, as well as stop and rest which decreases panic and quickly advances time for the player.

Plot

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A Fisherman sails to the coastal town of Greater Marrow, situated in a distant archipelago, to take up a job offer to be the town's local angler. While the job starts normal enough, the Fisherman soon begins to notice strange phenomena, especially at night, when he encounters strange mist, rocks that suddenly appear out of nowhere, ghost ships, hostile wildlife, sea monsters, and the feeling of being watched. In addition, as he sails around the archipelago, he begins to find messages in bottles, which are diary entries written by a newlywed wife known only as J.J. as she recounts how she first arrived in the archipelago with her husband, whom she witnessed dredging up a mysterious casket from the sea floor, which he subsequently opened and released a supernatural fog that plagues the archipelago to this day. A gargantuan sea monster called the Leviathan then awoke and destroyed their boat, killing J.J. and stranding the husband and the old mayor on a small island. In fact, the Fisherman finds himself stalked by the Leviathan itself, which is apparently the archipelago's guardian and is set on preventing the Fisherman from leaving the area.

The Fisherman then encounters a man called the Collector, who lives alone in an isolated island mansion. The Collector tasks the Fisherman with exploring the other archipelago islands and the ancient ruins they hide to recover several relics. The Collector also uses a unique book called the Book of the Deep to grant the Fisherman supernatural powers that he can use on his expeditions. Once the Fisherman collects all the relics, he can either hand them over to the Collector or withhold them.

  • If the Fisherman hands over the relics, the Collector reveals that he is J.J.'s husband, who recovered the Book of the Deep from the casket and discovered a ritual that could resurrect J.J. He had the Fisherman gather the relics, all personal items of J.J.'s, because they are required for the ritual. The Fisherman takes the Collector to the part of the ocean where J.J. had drowned and performs the ritual by throwing the collected relics overboard. The ritual successfully resurrects J.J. but also awakens a massive Cthulhu-like eldritch beast, destroying Greater Marrow and presumably the rest of the world.
  • If the Fisherman withholds the relics, he confronts the Collector and finds out, to his shock, that the Collector is a figment of his own imagination, an avatar of his own repressed memories and guilt over J.J.'s death. Rather than follow the Collector's bidding, the Fisherman heads out to sea and throws the Book of the Deep into the ocean, resulting in him, the book, and his boat being swallowed by the Leviathan. Afterwards, the supernatural fog plaguing the archipelago disappears.

The Pale Reach

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The Fisherman heads south of the archipelago to discover The Pale Reach, a frozen biome that appears and disappears every few years. After helping a nature photographer capture a photo of a ravenous creature resembling a narwhal, as well as finding and assembling an icebreaker ram for his boat, the Fisherman finds himself on the trail of an arctic expedition crew that disappeared nearly 100 years ago while investigating the Pale Reach, finding journal entries that reveal that the Captain, Navigator, and Boatswain of the crew had become enthralled by the ravaged and still-living remains of an enormous eldritch monster trapped in the ice. As the crew attempted to free the creature under the promise of treasure, the First Officer led a mutiny, ending in the crew either dying or fleeing the Pale Reach, with only the four men remaining and becoming trapped in the ice themselves, still bound to the creature and unable to die. After finding enchanted ice axes, the Fisherman is able to free the men from their torment, with their deaths killing the creature as well.

The Iron Rig

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The Fisherman comes across an oil rig owned by the Ironhaven Company and meets two of its chief staff, the Foreman and the Scientist. The Foreman asks the Fisherman to recover lost supply shipments so they can complete the construction of the oil rig, while the Scientist requests that the Fisherman collect samples of the local wildlife for study. Eventually, the Fisherman brings back enough supplies for the Foreman to finish construction of the oil rig, and they proceed to drill into the sea floor. However, this causes fissures to open up on the sea floor, releasing a dark ooze that begins to mutate the fish. The Scientist has the Fisherman collect mutated samples, but exposure to the corrupted fish causes the Scientist to mutate into a monster and he escapes to the ocean. Meanwhile, the Executive arrives and orders to the Foreman to continue drilling, even though it is angering the local sea monsters. Fearful of the monsters but not wanting to get fired, the Foreman asks the Fisherman to sabotage the oil rig's defense system, which will hopefully convince the Executive to abort the drilling. The Fisherman does so, and with the defense system down, a tentacled sea monster attacks the oil rig, destroying the drill before being eaten by the Leviathan. The Executive flees via helicopter, and the Foreman agrees to continue providing the Fisherman with advanced equipment until he and the rest of the oil rig crew can evacuate.

Development

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Dredge started development in 2020 by New Zealand studio Black Salt Games.[2] The team was inspired by other games with oppressive atmospheres, like Papers, Please and Frostpunk. Fog was used as an artistic tool to contrast the day, which is almost completely clear, to the night, where the player can barely see in front of themselves.[3][unreliable source?] A developer described the process of creating the game's mutant fish, saying they were "coming up with the craziest adjectives to describe these messed up fish".[4]

In May 2023, Black Salt Games announced a number of future updates to the game, including boat customization, a photo mode, a "passive mode" that makes hostile creatures no longer aggressive allowing for less stressful gameplay, and a paid DLC expansion revolving around the mysterious Ironhaven Corporation.[5] An additional DLC expansion entitled The Pale Reach, containing a new polar biome, was announced in October 2023.[6]

On December 15, 2023, crossover content based on Dredge was released as free DLC for Mintrocket's Dave the Diver video game.[7] Another paid DLC, The Iron Rig, was announced in June 2024 to release on August 16.[8] Ports for Android, iOS, and macOS are scheduled to release on December 18, 2024.[9] A demo will be available for iOS and Mac users, who also have the ability to pre-order the mobile edition.[10]

Reception

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Dredge received "generally favorable" reviews, according to the review aggregator Metacritic.[11][12][13][14]

Writing for Eurogamer, Edwin Evans-Thirlwell felt that over the course of the game it did not "evolve much", while also criticizing the player's ability to upgrade their ship to make challenges trivial.[27]

Roland Ingram of Nintendo Life praised the night sections, writing that "The story relentlessly sends you out of your comfort zone, out among treacherous cliffs or bobbing vulnerably atop sickeningly deep, dark waters".[19]

In GamesRadar+'s review of the game, Ali Jones wrote that he disliked the late game progression, but enjoyed the sound design, saying "the minor piano trill that cuts through when you pull in one of these nightmares, is enough to send a shiver down your spine on even the game's most idyllic-seeming days".[17]

Sales

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Dredge sold over 100,000 copies within the first twenty-four hours of release, a milestone that the developers had expected would take a year or longer to reach. In October 2023, Black Salt Games reported that Dredge had sold one million copies.[28]

Accolades

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Dredge was named among the best games of 2023 in lists compiled by GamesRadar+,[29] Time,[30] The Guardian,[31] Svenska Dagbladet,[32] and Polygon.[33]

Awards and nominations
Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2023 Golden Joystick Awards Best Indie Game Nominated [34]
The Game Awards 2023 Best Independent Game Nominated [35]
Best Debut Indie Game Nominated
IGN Awards 2023 Best Indie Game Won
2024 The Steam Awards Best Game on Steam Deck Nominated [36][37]
27th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards Outstanding Achievement for an Independent Game Nominated [38]
24th Game Developers Choice Awards Game of the Year Nominated [39][40]
Best Debut Nominated
Best Design Nominated
Innovation Award Honorable mention
Best Narrative Honorable mention
Best Visual Art Honorable mention
Audience Award Nominated
20th British Academy Games Awards Best Game Longlisted [41]
Debut Game Nominated [42][43]
Game Design Nominated
Narrative Nominated
New Intellectual Property Nominated
Nebula Awards Best Game Writing Nominated [44]
Hugo Awards Best Game or Interactive Work Nominated [45]

Film adaptation

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A live-action film adaptation is being developed by production company Story Kitchen.[46]

References

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  1. ^ "Dredge Developer Blog – Sprint 1". Black Salt Games. March 17, 2021. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  2. ^ "About". Black Salt Games. Archived from the original on April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  3. ^ Campbell, Gerard (March 24, 2023). "Dredge review: Fishing the deep, dark depths". Koru Cottage. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  4. ^ Farrelly, Steve (February 27, 2023). "From Depths Unknown - Talking and Playing Dredge with Black Salt Games". AusGamers. Archived from the original on March 28, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  5. ^ Romano, Sal (May 1, 2023). "DREDGE post-launch updates and DLC roadmap announced". Gematsu. Archived from the original on June 18, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2023.
  6. ^ Hagues, Alana (October 6, 2023). "Don't Worry, Dredge Is Fishing Up Some Chilling Paid DLC This November". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on October 13, 2023. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
  7. ^ "Dave the Diver Teams up with Dredge for an Epic New Crossover". December 8, 2023. Archived from the original on March 13, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  8. ^ Romano, Sal (June 8, 2024). "DREDGE DLC 'The Iron Rig' launches August 15". Gematsu. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
  9. ^ Lumb, David. "Dredge, the Hit Spooky Fishing Game, Comes to Mac and Phones in December". CNET. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  10. ^ "Dredge Mobile Coming Later This Year". GamesNight. October 11, 2024. Retrieved October 22, 2024.
  11. ^ a b "DREDGE for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "DREDGE for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "DREDGE for PlayStation 5 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 24, 2024. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  14. ^ a b "DREDGE for Xbox Series X Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  15. ^ Handley, Zoey (March 23, 2023). "Review: Dredge". Destructoid. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  16. ^ Barbosa, Alessandro (March 23, 2023). "Dredge Review - Grant Us Eels". GameSpot. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  17. ^ a b Jones, Ali (March 23, 2023). "Dredge Review: 'A fascinating, ever-so-gently horrifying experience'". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  18. ^ Moss, Gabriel (April 21, 2023). "Dredge Review". IGN. Archived from the original on June 29, 2023. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  19. ^ a b Ingram, Roland (March 24, 2023). "Dredge Review (Switch eShop)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  20. ^ Green, Steven (April 3, 2023). "Dredge (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on April 3, 2023. Retrieved April 3, 2023.
  21. ^ Reuben, Nic (March 23, 2023). "'Dredge' review: not R'lyeh". NME. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  22. ^ Taylor, Mollie (March 23, 2023). "Dredge review". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  23. ^ Tailby, Stephen (March 23, 2023). "Mini Review: Dredge (PS5) - Eerie Fishing Adventure Will Reel You In". Push Square. Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  24. ^ Richardson, Bob (April 8, 2023). "Dredge Review". RPGFan. Archived from the original on May 4, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
  25. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (March 23, 2023). "Dredge review: Gonna need a bigger boat". Shacknews. Archived from the original on May 28, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  26. ^ MacDonald, Keza (March 23, 2023). "Dredge review – horrors lurk in the deep in this eldritch fishing game". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 22, 2023. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  27. ^ Evans-Thirlwell, Edwin (March 23, 2023). "Dredge review - a clever fishing sim, but an underwhelming horror game". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on April 6, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2023.
  28. ^ Kerr, Chris (October 6, 2023). "Dredge smashes internal expectations after topping 1 million sales". Game Developer. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved October 14, 2023.
  29. ^ West, Josh (February 2023). "The best games of 2023, so far". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on September 27, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  30. ^ Newby, Richard. "The 10 Best Video Games of 2023". Time. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023.
  31. ^ MacDonald, Keza; Stuart, Keith (December 18, 2023). "The 20 best video games of 2023". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023.
  32. ^ Werner, Björn (December 20, 2023). "Årets bästa tv-spel står för något helt nytt". Svenska Dagbladet. Archived from the original on March 6, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  33. ^ "The best video games of 2023 so far". Polygon. March 23, 2023. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  34. ^ Loveridge, Sam (November 11, 2023). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  35. ^ Makuch, Eddie (December 7, 2023). "All The Game Awards 2023 Winners Revealed". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 8, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  36. ^ Blake, Vikki (December 16, 2023). "The Steam Awards 2023 shortlist has been revealed - here's what Steam players think are 2023's best games". Eurogamer. Archived from the original on December 18, 2023.
  37. ^ DiCarlo, John (January 2, 2024). "Steam Announces winners of 2023 Steam Awards". GameRant. Archived from the original on January 2, 2024. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
  38. ^ Chandler, Sam (February 15, 2024). "The D.I.C.E. Awards 2024 winners & finalists". Shacknews. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  39. ^ Sinclair, Brendan (January 16, 2024). "Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Baldur's Gate 3 top GDC Award nominations". GamesIndustry.biz. Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.
  40. ^ Bankhurst, Adam (March 20, 2024). "Game Developers Choice Awards 2024 Winners: The Full List". IGN. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  41. ^ "The 60 Best Video Games of 2023". bafta.org. British Academy of Film and Television Arts. December 14, 2023. Archived from the original on December 19, 2023. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  42. ^ "Bafta Games Awards 2024: Baldur's Gate 3 and Spider-Man lead nods". BBC News. March 7, 2024. Archived from the original on March 23, 2024. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  43. ^ "20th BAFTA Games Awards: The Nominations". BAFTA. March 7, 2024. Archived from the original on April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  44. ^ Baker, Kathryn (March 15, 2024). "SFWA Announces the Finalists for the 59th Nebula Awards". SFWA. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved March 15, 2024.
  45. ^ "2024 Hugo Awards". World Science Fiction Society. March 29, 2024. Archived from the original on March 30, 2024. Retrieved March 30, 2024.
  46. ^ McWhertor, Michael (April 9, 2024). "Horror fishing game Dredge being adapted for live-action movie". Polygon. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
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