Dredge Review: Fishy Job

Dredge is a new take on fishing games. If we don’t say that this game is a unique experience, at least it managed to create an interesting combination of several different themes. While this game is more about fishing, it is not necessarily relaxing, and even though it contains elements of fear, it does not prevent you from having a good time in the game! Dredge is about a man who goes to a remote archipelago with strange residents in search of a job. Upon entering this region, his boat has an accident strangely; In this way, the audience is informed at the very beginning of the game that it is not a simple fishing simulation title.

The story has different types of characters that you meet during the game. These people are not voiced, and they are just two-dimensional art. However, although their characterization is not extraordinary, they are mysterious people, especially because of their unique dialogue lines. Although the story does not have the tension to be one of the best stories you have ever experienced, thanks to the captivating and mysterious atmosphere of the game, one wants to go further in the game and understand why everything is strange in this world.

Dredge has more than a hundred types of sea creatures that you can catch. In addition, by exploring more and completing the available missions, you should discover hidden treasures, items, and parts to upgrade your boat. This game strongly encourages you to explore. So that despite having a map, the game doesn’t mark the location of the mission or the path for you to follow like many other open-world titles. Rather, you must find the place yourself by reading the mission descriptions and the map. Of course, this can be boring for some. However, the more you immerse yourself in the world and explore the corners of the map, the faster you will progress in the game.

The fishing and exploration mechanics themselves are diverse and fun. Almost everything you want to catch has its button-pressing mini-game that stays fresh almost until the end of the game. The more missions you do and the more people you meet, the more possibilities you will have to upgrade your ship. For example, you can sell what you’ve cached, buy better fishing tools and boat equipment, and upgrade them by discovering different parts and resources, etc., all of which form a fun and almost relaxing cycle. It can keep you entertained for hours.

As we said, the game is about fishing, but it is not limited to that. Survival elements are included, and even suspicion surrounds the game. In Dredge, time fastly passes with every move you make. When it becomes night, the game shows its dangerous side. Exploring at night is both more rewarding and risky. In this way, during the day, you have an almost relaxing time, but when the sun sets, the anxiety will start. Hostile fishes or mutated sea creatures, storms, and cliffs suddenly appear from the fog, making it impossible to sail safely at night. If you don’t like these scary elements you may prefer to do your duties during the day and sleep at night on one of the small islands. The game does not take away this possibility from you. it does not want to put too much pressure on the audience, but a little excitement is not harmful.

The game was technically smooth on Nintendo Switch. We didn’t have any problems with it in handheld or docked mode. Of course, noted that Dredge is not a fast game with crowded environments. However, the cartoon graphics of the game has style and can be among the best on Nintendo Switch. But if you are playing the game on the new generation of gaming devices, you should lower your expectations from the graphics of this $25 independent game that will entertain you for at least 15 hours.

The review code was provided by the publisher