4/5 ★ – russelljar6's review of Dredge.

Dredge is essentially a cozy fishing game with a coat of horror paint on it. You start as a simple fisherman with a case of amnesia and old bucket of bolts for a ship. Through the game, you are able to upgrade your boat and fishing gear, through a variety of materials. There are 5 main areas in the game and they each have their own biome and sea monster(s). This is certainly not a game I thought I would enjoy too much, but the gameplay loop and the mysteries of the sea were enough to keep me entertained. Learning how to complete your tasks around each sea monster was the bread and butter to me, even if this part fell short in a few areas (especially the tropical island, Stellar Basin). The fishing aspect of the game was satisfying enough as there were frequently side quests and upgrades to work towards. The mysteries and stories of the game did seem to take a back seat, and I feel like they could have been presented and uncovered in a more compelling way. This game does have multiple endings. I found the bad ending to be quite predictable. The good ending did manage to take me by surprise, but both endings were executed well. I do feel like a few more random encounters with various sea monsters would have added to the traversal of the game. TLDR: Decently fun fishing game made more interesting by the horror aspects that pique my thalassophobia in a good way. As a Game: 8/10 My Liking: 7.5/10