Dredge is a 2023 fishing video game developed by Black Salt Games and published by Team17. A survival and horror game, it follows a fisherman who faces progressively Lovecraftian creatures as he explores an open world of archipelagos. The player's duties include exploring the area and catching fish. He can upgrade his fishing equipment and venture out to other archipelagos. It follows a day–night cycle; the day is rather serene, while the game's horror parts take place at night.
Black Salt Games had planned for Dredge to be a top-down turn-based game, but that notion was scrapped during the game's prototype phase. Given that the company did not want Dredge to be a jump scare horror game, they built a thriller atmosphere with Lovecraftian undertones. They built five archipelagos for the game, four of which are based on various geological formations. After the development was completed, they approached around 40 publishers before settling on Team17. Dredge was released for Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch platforms on March 30, 2023. An iOS and Android version were published on February 27, 2025. Two downloadable contents (DLCs), The Pale Reach and The Iron Rig, were released in 2023 and 2024, respectively.
Critics gave Dredge a positive reception. Its gameplay, presentation, inventory management system, progression system, and exploration have all received positive feedback, while some have complained about the fishing portions being repetitive. The game's tale, horror, and Lovecraftian undertones have all been praised, as have the art style and soundtrack. The two DLCs have also been well received by critics. It was deemed one of the top video games of 2023 by several news outlets and was nominated for numerous awards.
Gameplay
A screenshot of the game, showcasing the player's fishing boat. Players explore the world while avoiding sea monsters.
Dredge is a fishing, horror, and survival video game.[1] The player controls a fisherman on a boat who is tasked with fishing and dredging to make money,[2][3] while also helping inhabitants of various islands that are scattered throughout an ocean.[4] The player can fish up regular fish as well as their aberrations (mutated versions of a fish),[5] such as fish with multiple eyes,[4][6] and dredge for materials like wood and metal.[3] When selling fish, the amount of money the player gets is determined by the freshness of the fish.[4] Aberrations also sell for more money.[7] With the money the player collects, they can upgrade their equipment and boat's functionalities, such as the boat's engine and lights,[8] as well as obtain better fishing lines and nets.[2] To unlock such upgrades, the player has to find "research parts" while fishing or when completing a quest.[4][8] The game features a skill tree;[9] the player can additionally improve their skills by reading books,[6] and expand their inventory size using materials such as cloth, wood, and metal.[8] The player's inventory consists of a grid, where the player is able to rotate fish and equipment to utilize the inventory size as best as possible.[3][7] In the base game, the player can catch up to 128 different species of fish. Each species appears during specific time of the day and environment.[10]
The game takes place on a day–night cycle, where specific actions the player takes, such as sailing or fishing, push the clock forward.[8][10] During the day, the ambient is relatively peaceful, while throughout the night, the game embraces its horror elements when the fog appears;[2][5] the player's panic level increases during the night,[6] new rocks appear out of nowhere,[10] crows steal fish the player had caught,[5] and the player is chased by massive enemies in the water.[2] The higher the player's panic meter is, the higher the chances are for these occurences to happen.[4][10] Additionally, if the player does not sleep enough or fishes too long during the night, their panic meter will increase and they will become mentally insane.[2][1] A passive mode is also featured in Dredge, which disables enemies hunting the player.[11]
Dredge features four archipelagos that are located around the center archipelago called The Marrows.[4][12][13] Each archipelago features new fish, quests, and enemies.[4]
Plot
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 meets the Collector, a man living alone in an 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 uses the Book of the Deep to grant the Fisherman supernatural powers. Once the Fisherman collects 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
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 Antarctic 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 enthraled 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
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 equally fearful of the Executive, 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
Dredge was developed by the New Zealand-based independent[14] studio Black Salt Games and published by Team17.[15][16] The game was announced in August 2022 with the publication of a trailer,[17][18] and later in the month was showcased at Gamescom.[19] It was created using the Unity game engine.[20]:8:20Dredge started development as one of three prototypes created by Black Salt Games, alongside games in the real-time strategy and stealth genres. After all three were playtested by friends and colleagues, Dredge was rated as the most enjoyable and was selected for further development.[20]:2:08 The original concept for Dredge was written in two paragraphs and was inspired by games including Papers, Please (2013) and Moonlighter (2018), with developers wanting to have at least two main elements in the gameplay. In its original conception, Dredge would be a top-down turn-based game with elements similar to the final version. It would not, however, feature fishing mini-games.[20]:3:20
Design
The prototype only included the starting site, The Marrows. The first six months of the development were spent entirely working on that area, particularly on controls and mobility mechanism. After determining the beginning location and most gameplay characteristics, the team began developing four additional biomes (archipealgos). The game's producer, Nadia Thorne, stated that they spent two to three months on each biome. The open world concept used for player traversal acrsoss biomes was inspired by the design of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017). The game's programmer and author, Joel Mason, stated that the player can visit other archipelagos in any sequence, albeit the second location of the game is Gale Cliffs, which has a Scandinavian aesthetic. The third region, Stellar Basin, is based on a blue hole, while the fourth, Twisted Strand, is a fog-filled mangrove swamp. The fifth and last region, Devil's Spine, includes volcanoes. The developers had planned an ice biome, but it was shelved and eventually included in The Pale Reach.[20]:10:42
While working on the game, Black Salt Games did not want to include too much narrative because their team consisted of simply an artist, programmer, and producer. They intended to have characters symbolize various stages of grieving, but this notion was abandoned during the development. However, the company ended up adopting Yarn Spinner, an open source dialogue tool that helped them develop the majority of their narrative structure. Black Salt Games enhanced the core plot, which is generated from dialogue, by including messages in bottles and quest descriptions. Furthermore, rather than using voiceovers, the developers chose to have characters produce a variety of noises.[21]
Michael Bastianes, the studio's 3D art director, stated that they purposefully made Dredge's world unsettling to avoid focusing the game on jump scare horror.[22] The studio stated that they did not aim to produce a horror game, but rather a "spooky game" with a thriller atmosphere and Lovecraftian horror elements.[20]:18:43 Bastianes added that the studio wished to "leave things to the player's imagination". The studio sought to make the day as tranquil and cheerful as possible, believing that this would "create a sense of security" that they could exploit by forcing the player to stay out longer than intended.[22] The relaxing music also contributed to the atmosphere.[20]:19:21 Regarding the game's night phase, Bastianes said that they needed to create a fog shader centered on the player rather than the camera. The studio also worked on inventing sea monsters for specific archipelagos and the in-between in the ocean; however, they designed them so that they would not be introduced to the player right away, but rather gradually as the player progressed through the game.[22] In contrast, the night features static noise rather than music.[20]:19:21
Art style
Dredge has a low poly (a polygon mesh that has a low amount of polygons) art style,[10] which has been present since the game's original prototype. Dredge's art director, Alex Ritchie, purposefully chose subdued colors and simple shapes to create the game; he described the game's art style as cartoonish, with few gradients. He was mostly inspired by Disco Elysium (2019) because of the game's abstract nature. The water shaders were altered multiple times during the development process. The crew was able to adjust the hues and transparency of the water when the player was present in various archipelagos. Water transparency was not included in the game during its early phases of development; however, the developers later added a feature that allowed player to plainly view fish swimming in the ocean.[20]:6:27
Gameplay
The upgrading system functioned differently during the early stages of development. The game would display a list of available improvements, which the user could then purchase with money. The developers found this system dull. When working on the inventory system, the developers imagined that it would include the player's loadout system (for example, the player would be able to choose whether they wanted a fast or slow boat based on the engines they had in their inventory). The final upgrade system, which included materials as upgrade items, was incorporated later in development.[20]:23:14
Mason worked on including fishing into the game. He used his expertise of fish, as well as Wikipedia, to decide which fish to include in the game. Ritchie created their appearance; regarding aberrations, he would add human traits to the fish. Throughout most of the development, there was only one fishing mini-game. Shortly before the end of the development, playtesters reported that the mini-game was repetitive. Developers responded by adding various versions. Mason believed that the mini-games should be easy and accessible to the player, not like fishing in Stardew Valley (2016). He also stated that Dredge's fishing mini-games are optional, and that even if the player does not interact with the mini-game, the fish would eventually be caught.[20]:26:18
Release
Black Salt Games wanted to look for a publisher since the early development of the game, but were unsure if they would be able to get one considering that Dredge was the studio's first game. In the end, they contacted about 40 publishers; 20 of them responded back. They eventually settled with Team17, who had already seen their content on Twitter.[20]:36:27Dredge was released on March 30, 2023,[23] for Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch platforms.[24] The developers released several editions of the game: a standard edition of the base game, a digital edition that also features the Blackstone Keydownloadable content (DLC), and a physical edition that also included a poster, soundtrack, and in-game items.[25] In October 2024, the developers announced that Dredge will also be released on Android and iOS platforms.[26] Initially scheduled to release in late 2024, the developers later delayed the game to 2025;[27] it was released on February 27, 2025, for iOS and Android platforms.[28] A collector's edition for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch was released in November 2024.[29]
The first paid DLC, Blackstone Key, was available from the game's release date.[25][30] The DLC allows the player to unlock the Blackston Isle Workshop, which in return allows the player to obtain a powerful boat engine.[30] The second DLC, named The Pale Reach, was released in November 2023 and introduced a polar biome, as well as new types of fish and pursuits.[31] The third DLC, The Iron Rig, was supposed to come out in the fourth quarter of 2023, but was eventually delayed to 2024.[32] The DLC introduced tasks related to an oil rig that is located in the ocean,[33] as well as over 50 new types of fish.[34] It was released in August 2024.[35]
Dredge received "generally favorable" reception from critics, according to the review aggregator website Metacritic.[37] Steven Green of Nintendo World Report called Dredge a "near-perfect indie game".[3] 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.[44] Four Famitsu reviewers gave the game positive reviews.[38]
Reviewers have praised Dredge's gameplay and presentation. Harrison Abbot of Bloody Disgusting wrote that the gameplay is "well-balanced and thought-through",[43] while Nicole Carpenter of Polygon described the game as being "dark yet cozy".[45] Fishing elements have received mixed reception; some reviewers have praised it,[2][40][39] though some reviewers have also disliked it due to its repetitiveness.[9][13][16] The inventory management system has been commended,[4][5][43] with reviewers comparing it to Tetris-style management.[13][45] Stephen Taliby of Push Square, however, criticized the inventory.[41] Matt Cabral of IGN described the puzzles as fun.[46] The game's progression system has also been praised,[46][16][41] though Ali Jones of GamesRadar+ criticized the imbalance of late-stage progression.[40] Mollie Taylor of PC Gamer and Ozzie Mejia of Shacknews complained that the day–night cycle was short.[2][4] Abbot compared the open world style to Breath of the Wild,[43] while Katharine Castle of Rock Paper Shotgun and Jerry Williams of RPGFan praised the exploration.[9][12] Mejia commended the gameplay as having relaxing atmosphere, but that the game becomes more enjoyable once the player upgrades their equipment.[2] Critics noted that the game is not difficult to complete.[47]
The game's story and dialogue has also been commended by critics. Green wrote that the story leaves the player to wonder while it also "never truly [answers] anything".[3] Edwin Evans-Thirlwell of Eurogamer and Zoey Handley of Destructoid, however, disliked the plot.[16][48] Gabriel Moss of IGN and Keza MacDonald of The Guardian commended the characters,[10][42] with the latter describing Dredge as a "clever, compelling fishing adventure game".[42] Taylor found the Gale Cliffs archipelago frustrating considering that the player is tasked with escaping from a "snaking monster" that is faster than the player,[4] while Stephen Gregson-Wood of Pocket Gamer disliked the fourth and fifth island for not being interesting as the first three.[5] The horror elements have also been praised;[3][12][13] Taylor said that Dredge is "a near-perfect blend" of horror and cozy fishing,[8] while Gregson-Wood commended the elements as being "billiantly executed".[5] Several publications wrote that it incorporates Lovecraftian elements,[6][4][9][49] which were also praised.[9][40][41] Roland Ingram of Nintendo Life commended the mysterious monsters.[14] Alessandro Barbosa of GameSpot, however, complained that its Lovecraftian elements were rather mostly present in the final stages of the game.[39]
Williams commended the game's controls,[9] while Nic Reuben of NME disliked them.[13] The art style has been praised by critics,[4][43][41] with Gabriel Moss of IGN describing it as "mesmerizing" and "colorful".[10] Taylor wrote that "horrific moments make it strangely even more gorgeous to look at".[4] Abbot and Handley praised the soundtrack,[16][43] while Moss praised the overall sound design.[10] Mejia complained that the map could have been incorporated as part of the heads-up display (HUD),[2] while Green complained about long loading times on the Nintendo Switch and disliked that some quests were on a timer.[3]
The Pale Reach for the PC and PlayStation 5 received positive reception, according to the aggregator website Metacritic.[50] Hirun Cryer of Rock Paper Shotgun praised the DLC's game design, particularly of the narwhal. He also noted that questions about its story left unanswered, which he saw as a positive feature.[57] Tommy Holloway of PlayStation Universe said that he wished to have seen more detail in design of the polar biome; he also noted that the area is not that challenging like the main five areas of the game. He complained that the main quest lacked depth.[56] Shaun Musgrave of TouchArcade wished that more gameplay was added to the DLC.[54]
The Iron Rig for the PC received positive reception, according to the aggregator website Metacritic.[51] Castle saw the DLC as engaging, but also wrote that "it's a shame the world of Dredge doesn't have a stronger reaction to the events of The Iron Rig". Compared to Still Wakes the Deep (2024), The Iron Rig is "a little toothless", according to Castle.[58] Mark Warren of VG247 commended the new types of fish.[55] Jamie Moorcroft-Sharp of Destructoid criticized the incosistency in NPC reactions, while praised the integrated progression.[52] Erwan Lafleuriel of IGN disliked the vagueness of the story and repetitiveness while praising the streamlined experience.[53]
Accolades
Dredge was named among the best games of 2023 in lists compiled by Digital Spy,[49]GamesRadar+,[59]Time,[60]The Guardian,[61]Svenska Dagbladet,[62] and Polygon.[63]Shacknews also featured it on its list of best indie games of 2023.[64]Pocket Gamer and Rock Paper Shotgun featured Dredge on their most anticipated games lists.[65][66]
12345678Green, Steven (April 3, 2023). "Dredge (Switch) Review". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on September 3, 2025. Retrieved October 29, 2025.
12Lafleuriel, Erwan (August 16, 2024). "Dredge - Critique"[Dredge - Review]. IGN (in French). Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
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