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 encounters increasingly Lovecraftian creatures as he ventures out further into an open world of archipelagos. The player is tasked with collecting ancient ruins throughout the map. They can upgrade their fishing equipment in order to venture out to other archipelagos. It takes place on a day–night cycle; the day is relatively peaceful, while during the night, horror elements of the game take place.
Black Salt Games originally wanted Dredge to be a top-down turn-based game, but that idea was later scrapped during the prototype phase of the game. Considering that the studio did not want Dredge to become a jump scare horror game, they instead created a thriller atmosphere with Lovecraftian elements. They created five archipelagos for the game, with four of them being based of different geological formations. After the development was finished, they contacted about 40 publishers and settled with 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.
Dredge received positive reception from critics. Its gameplay, presentation, inventory management system, progression system, and exploration have been praised, though some have disliked the fishing aspects due to being repetitive. The game's story, horror, and Lovecraftian elements have also been commended, as well as the art style and soundtrack. The two DLCs have also been positively received by critics. It was named one of the best video games of 2023 by numerous news sites and was also 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 New Zealand-based independent[14] studio Black Salt Games and published by Team17.[15][16] They announced the game in August 2022 by publishing a trailer.[17][18] It was presented at Gamescom the same month.[19] The game was developed using the Unity game engine.[20]:8:20 Black Salt Games started developing the game by making three prototypes, a real-time strategy game, a stealth game, and Dredge; their friends and colleagues playtested the prototypes and Dredge was the most positively received.[20]:2:08 The original concept for Dredge was written in two paragraphs and was inspired by many games, including Papers, Please (2013) and Moonlighter (2018), with developers wanting to have at least two main elements in the gameplay. It would have been a top-down turn-based game, but with similar elements with the final version of the game. However, it did not feature fishing mini-games.[20]:3:20
Design
The prototype only featured the starting location of the game, The Marrows. The first six months of the development was spent entirely working in that area, primarily working on controls and the movement system. Once the finalized the starting location of the game, as well as most elements of the game, they started building out other four biomes (archipelagos). Nadia Thorne, the game's producer, said that they had spent two to three months on each of the biomes. The team had liked the open world style of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) and decided to also implement it in Dredge. Joel Mason, the game's programmer and author, noted that the player can visit other archipelagos in any order, though that technically the second area of the game is Gale Cliffs, an area inspired by Scandinavian looks. The third area, Stellar Basin, is based off a blue hole, while the fourth area, Twisted Strand, is a mangrove swamp that is filled with fog. The fifth and final area, Devil's Spine, features volancos. The developers also originally created an ice biome, however, it was scrapped and later introduced in The Pale Reach.[20]:10:42
While initially working on the game, Black Salt Games did not intend to introduce too much narrative into the game, as their team only consisted of an artist, programmer, and producer. They intended to have characters represent different stages of grief, but abandoned this idea during the development. The studio, however, ended up using Yarn Spinner, an open source dialogue tool that helped them create most of their narrative structure. Beyond the main narrative that is derived from dialogue, Black Salt Games expanded that by adding messages in bottles and quest descriptions. Additionally, instead of doing voice overs, the developers opted to have characters make a variety of noises.[21]
Michael Bastianes, the studio's 3D art director, said that they intentionally made Dredge's world disturbing and that they did not want to orient the game towards jump scare horror.[22] The studio said that they did not want to create a horror game, but rather a "spooky game" with thriller atmosphere and Lovecraftian horror elements.[20]:18:43 Bastianes added that the studio wanted to "leave things to the player's imagination". The studio worked on making the day as peaceful and lively as possible, which they thought would "create a sense of security" that they could exploit by making the player stay longer on the open than intended.[22] The relaxing music also helped create that atmosphere.[20]:19:21 Regarding the night phase of the game, Bastianes said that they had to set up a fog shader that would be centred around the player and not the camera. The studio also worked on creating sea monsters for specific archipelagos and for the in-between in the ocean, however, they made it so that they would not be exposed to the player from the beginning, but that they would be introduced gradually while playing the game.[22] The night, on the other hand, does not feature music but rather static noise.[20]:19:21
Art style
Dredge features a low poly art style;[10] something that has been present in the game since the original prototype. Alex Ritchie, the art lead for Dredge, intentionally chose muted colors and simple shapes to style the game; he described the game's art style as cartoonish, having chosen not to feature a lot of gradients in the game. He was primarily inspired by Disco Elysium (2019) regarding the abstractness of the game. Throughout the development, the water shaders were changed several times. The team had been able to change colors and transparency of the water when the player is present around different archipelagos. During the initial stages of development, water transparency was not present in the game, however, the developers later implemented a feature where a player would be able to clearly see fish swimming in the ocean.[20]:6:27
Gameplay
The upgrade system worked differently in the early phases of the development. The game would list upgrades available to the player and then they would be able to buy such upgrades with money. The developers saw this system as uninteresting. When working on the inventory system, the developers thought that besides the main purpose of the inventory, it would also feature the player's loadout system (e.g., the player would be able to choose whether they would want to have a fast or a slow boat, depending on the engines the player puts in the inventory). The final upgrade system, featuring materials as upgrade items, was introduced later during the development.[20]:23:14
Mason worked on adding fishing to the game. He used his knowledge about fishes, while also consulting Wikipedia, to consider which fish should be added to the game. Ritchie designed their looks; regarding aberrations, he would add human features to the fish. For most of the development, there was a single fishing mini-game. Shortly before the end of the development, playtesters complained that the mini-game was repetitive. In response, developers added multiple variations. Mason thought that the mini-games should be simple and accessible to the player and not in the style of fishing in Stardew Valley (2016). He added that Dredge's fishing mini-games are optional and that the player will eventually catch the fish even without interacting with the mini-game.[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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