Dredge
Dredge is a fishing adventure with a sinister undercurrent. Sell your catch, upgrade your vessel and dredge the depths for long-buried relics. Explore the stories of the strange locals and discover why some things are best left forgotten. Captain your fishing trawler across a collection of remote islands, each with its own inhabitants to meet, wildlife to discover, and stories to unearth.
What it feels like
Slow-building anticipatory fear accompanies discovery throughout—the sinister undercurrent builds as you uncover darker truths. Enigmatic pull of secrets and answers withheld drive the atmosphere and player motivation to explore and learn. The almost-familiar world of fishing and islands becomes subtly, disturbingly off as supernatural elements emerge.
What it's about
Lovecraftian cosmic dread and forbidden knowledge permeate the experience, with emphasis on things best left forgotten and eldritch secrets beneath the depths. Unraveling the hidden truths of the archipelago and its strange inhabitants is central to the narrative structure and exploration. Remote islands and loneliness of the sea emphasize being cut off from civilization as a core subject.
How it plays
Piloting and upgrading a fishing trawler is the core mode of traversal and interaction with the world. Selling catch and managing economic transactions with locals drives the core loop and progression. Interaction with strange locals and discovery of their stories suggests branching conversation and character exploration.
How it looks and sounds
Atmospheric soundscape foregrounding mood over melody supports the dread-laden exploration experience. Ornate decay and macabre elements of coastal gothic horror define the visual and thematic world. Stylized visual presentation with artistic, illustrated aesthetic evokes a hand-crafted look.
How it's structured
Explicitly single-player experience with no multiplayer component. A collection of remote islands forms a large explorable space with non-linear, player-chosen order of exploration. Archipelago traversal via trawler suggests continuous world navigation without loading screens between islands.
Kindred games
Shares Cosmic Horror, Dread, Mystery, Mysterious.
Both lean into Cosmic Horror, Single-Player, Dread, Mystery.
Shares Cosmic Horror, Dread, Mysterious, Uncanny.
Both lean into Cosmic Horror, Dread, Uncanny, Mysterious.
Shares Cosmic Horror, Dread, Mystery, Isolation.
Both lean into Cosmic Horror, Dread, Single-Player, Mystery.
Closest hidden gems
A lesser-known kindred — Cosmic Horror, Dread, Mystery, Isolation. 86% positive across 4,772 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Cosmic Horror, Dread, Single-Player, Mystery.
A lesser-known kindred — Mystery, Mysterious, Dread, Uncanny. 90% positive across 4,661 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Mystery, Single-Player, Mysterious, Dread.
A lesser-known kindred — Mystery, Dread, Dialogue Trees, Mysterious. 98% positive across 4,955 Steam reviews.
Both lean into Single-Player, Mystery, Dread, Dialogue Trees.