Giving this the same score I gave the base game, because it's pretty much just more of the same. It's a solid little 2 hour addition, and I liked everything here. Admittedly though, if you've already played the base game and are looking to go back to this... its kinda hard to recommend. The reason being is that it's balanced around mid-game level, so if you've already finished the game, it's gonna feel a little weak. If you play it DURING your first playthrough like I did, I think it's definitely pretty cool however. Not sure why they chose to make DLC mid-game content, and asking $5.99 is also a little steep, but im in a good mood so I'll keep the score at 3.5

At the time of writing if you back track my progress by about 20 minutes I was fully prepared to gives this little DLC chapter a higher rating. I think it starts off incredibly strong with tight icy corridor design, a chilling atmosphere and an aggressively hungry walrus right on your toes.

But unfortunately this adventures ends shortly after it begins. Rather abruptly I earned the trophy for completing the main quest and was very puzzled. The new tools you earn aren't all that useful, one of them being something you would only use in the Pale Reach. On top of that there isn't a new colorful quest giver unique to this region either. A character appears for a brief moment with the tease of a possible photography quest....but no she just kind of leaves. Abruptly.

I guess I shouldn't be upset? It's reasonably priced, and as a huge fan of the base game I was happy to catch new fish and sail my little boat around. But the package feels like wasted potential. What started off with a region as captivating as the Stellar Basin, eventually became just as acceptable as Devil's Spine.

I think if you are hungry for more Dredge like I was you won't regret this purchase, but lets hope Black Salt Games does a little more with the next one...

This DLC was a bit of a letdown, not bad but very thin. The Pale Reach was just lacking in personality compared to the other areas- only a handful of new fish are introduced, a single new enemy (who's kinda lame, I basically ignored it), and the mission in the area is extremely straightforward with no twists. The base game has such a tight narrative so I understand why they didn't try to tie this in but it is noticeable how disconnected the whole thing is from the rest of the story.

The refrigeration mechanic and the reward for finishing the area are great and would have made the game a lot easier- I was playing on a completed save so they weren't much use for me but it'll be an asset for new players.

A very small expansion for its price tag, but "The Pale Reach" delivers more of what we've come to love in Dredge.

Plot-wise, it does not impact the game in any way and is not necessary to enjoying the overall mystery.

Gameplay-wise, it offers a new island to explore, new creatures to bring up from the depths, and some more gear for your ship specifically tailored to dealing with the new environment.

First, this is definitely best enjoyed after the 2nd or 3rd island in the main game. This would feel pointless if you started the DLC after finishing the main story and already having a ton of endgame upgrades.

As a mid-game addition it works great. Really just another island with another type of fish and set of gear to use and it's more of the same as the main game which is great.

The DLC story I actually enjoyed more than most of the main games' side missions. It had a good set-up and did a good job of letting you uncover the mystery without spoon-feeding it to you. The main threat in this area was better than the monsters on the main islands too and had decent mechanics to combat it.

Short, sweet and more of the same Lovecraftian goodness.

If you played the original last year then this is very much more of the same - there's a new area of the map to visit, new debris to dredge, new fish to catch, a new horrible thing to avoid - but not much else, really, and for that reason I found The Pale Reach disappointing. I was hoping for an interesting slice of story or a novel game mechanic, but the ninety minutes or so this took me to finish (collecting all of the extra achievements along the way) felt very slight. More than additional content designed to build on the foundation of the original game, this instead felt like something that had been picked up off the cutting room floor, given some spit and polish and then stuck on sale for a fiver or so.

Not a bad experience, per se, as it so closely follows the satisfying and moreish formula set out by the base game, but difficult to recommend to anyone but the most committed of Dredgeheads.

The Pale Reach adds one additional zone to Dredge, on a similar scale to each of the previous areas. It's decently designed and has one of the more interesting set-ups of Dredge's stories - but struggles with its identity.

This DLC is "mid-game" content, a location to explore as you progress through each other area. But also as a DLC it's something that many will play as an additional "endgame". With the suped-up engines of a completed Dredge playthough.. The Pale Reach's main threat couldn't keep up with my boats default speed, and I was finished with the DLC in about an hour.

Had The Pale Reach been designed for an endgame level of upgrades then all players new and old would have an extra area to enjoy. As it is, don't be prepared for too much if you've already completed Dredge.

Dredge was and still is my favorite indie game of the year, but this new DLC was pretty disappointing in comparison. I 100% completed this new area in less than two hours, but the lack of scares and interesting narrative bothered me more than the lack of content. I would probably recommend waiting until all the expansion are out to revisit Dredge, because I finished this in one sitting before my tea got cold and was left feeling a little disappointed. I still enjoyed The Pale Reach, but if I had to rank every island in Dredge this one would be dead last.

Kinda disapointing dlc, nothing really happened here. Dregde hit the same iceberg (hehe..) as it did with the main game; they just don't know how to finnish a story.
The first half of the dlc shows so much potential, and then, at the tension's peak, everything falters, you're done with the dlc. That's it, nothing more to see, catch the rest of the fish and get all achievements.
I have to say that I do enjoy the aesthetic and the completion of the achievements, so I didn't have a bad time, but there is SO much wasted potential.

This is proudly marketed as an "expansion" to Dredge which is truly hilarious.

The Pale Reach amounts to little more than yet another Dredge area, except without any incentive to go there. No, really. The fish aren't that profitable (and require a whole new rod type), the rewards are lackluster, the area is divorced from the plot and confers no new powers or what-have-you, and it doesn't even bother to add to the game's world or story.

Really, it feels more like a piece of cut content. If you've already completed Dredge then there's nothing here of value, as it feels like this is aimed at people who've cleared the first two areas and are maybe getting walled by the third. Obviously it's not cut content, but that my it was my first thought bodes poorly.

All in all, skip this unless you're so enamoured with Dredge that the idea of spending another 2 hours ticking off completion tasks is appealing.