Pros:
+ unique genre mix of horror and fishing game
+ great art style and technical performance
+ very atmospheric night time sceneries
+ fishing QTEs are varied and scale naturally
+ Tetris system for item storage is simple but satisfying
+ most fish have a distinct look and logical locations
+ the encyclopedia is helpful and quick to navigated
+ all main areas offer new biomes and require new strategies
+ clean UI and quick menu navigation
+ good to great writing in the style of H.P. Lovecraft
+ story holds a few genuine surprises
+ incredible ending sequence that does a lot with little
+ thumb stick dead zones can be adjusted in the options
+ a playthrough is quick and without any fluff
+ ship upgrades have a tangible effect on gameplay...
Cons:
- but it never feels like you actually have more room for cargo
- the horror elements have little effect on gameplay
- some enemy attacks cannot be avoided, even with the boost upgrade
- hull damage does not always correspond to the point of impact
- quest descriptions have few hints on their completion
- quest rewards are usually disappointing
- treasure is worthless and not worth the time to dredge them up
- metal scraps are pretty rare and cannot be bought
- no reward for catching all different kinds of fish
- weather effects are well-implemented but have no impact on gameplay
- the final journey feels abreviated and almost comes out of nowhere
Playtime: 13 hours, most quests finished and all endings unlocked.
Magic Moments: Daring the eye in the middle of the night and finding out what lurks beneath the ocean. The ending sequence reveal.
Verdict:
From the low-key but well-implemented horror elements to the satisfying loop of catching and selling fish, Dredg is a great little game that came out of nowhere to me and genuinely surprised me. Even though the setting and Lovecraftian elements could have been pushed a lot further and could have intertwined with the player's journey in a more meaningful way, the core mechanics just work, the presentation is great, and the writing is sharp.
Play it to the end and explore all endings. It's absolutely worth it.
+ unique genre mix of horror and fishing game
+ great art style and technical performance
+ very atmospheric night time sceneries
+ fishing QTEs are varied and scale naturally
+ Tetris system for item storage is simple but satisfying
+ most fish have a distinct look and logical locations
+ the encyclopedia is helpful and quick to navigated
+ all main areas offer new biomes and require new strategies
+ clean UI and quick menu navigation
+ good to great writing in the style of H.P. Lovecraft
+ story holds a few genuine surprises
+ incredible ending sequence that does a lot with little
+ thumb stick dead zones can be adjusted in the options
+ a playthrough is quick and without any fluff
+ ship upgrades have a tangible effect on gameplay...
Cons:
- but it never feels like you actually have more room for cargo
- the horror elements have little effect on gameplay
- some enemy attacks cannot be avoided, even with the boost upgrade
- hull damage does not always correspond to the point of impact
- quest descriptions have few hints on their completion
- quest rewards are usually disappointing
- treasure is worthless and not worth the time to dredge them up
- metal scraps are pretty rare and cannot be bought
- no reward for catching all different kinds of fish
- weather effects are well-implemented but have no impact on gameplay
- the final journey feels abreviated and almost comes out of nowhere
Playtime: 13 hours, most quests finished and all endings unlocked.
Magic Moments: Daring the eye in the middle of the night and finding out what lurks beneath the ocean. The ending sequence reveal.
Verdict:
From the low-key but well-implemented horror elements to the satisfying loop of catching and selling fish, Dredg is a great little game that came out of nowhere to me and genuinely surprised me. Even though the setting and Lovecraftian elements could have been pushed a lot further and could have intertwined with the player's journey in a more meaningful way, the core mechanics just work, the presentation is great, and the writing is sharp.
Play it to the end and explore all endings. It's absolutely worth it.