Okay, so. I can't complain too much about a game that's fun to play, largely achieves what it set out to do, and doesn't overstay its welcome... but I do have Some Thoughts.
To start with the basics: I very much enjoyed the fishing-and-upgrades loop, the range of fish to find, and the various characters you bump into along the way. The story was solid if not entirely original, and I'd have liked to see things get super messed up rather than skirting the edges of true horror.
Horror games live and die by their atmosphere, and although towards the beginning Dredge builds a real sense of terror it quickly tails off as you get a handle on the game and what kind of threats you might encounter. It soon becomes more or less a regular fishing game.
I can't help but compare it to Sunless Skies, a game which feels weighty and ominous and horrifying throughout. Although Dredge had better pacing (and engine upgrades) I didn't get the same sense of foreboding at all.
Part of this is, I suspect, down to the environment. Don't get me wrong, it's all very competent and I could believe it achieves what the devs were aiming for, but for me it was lacking. Where the 2D illustrations ooze style and hint at something ominous, the 3D environments are disappointingly bland – just flat colours and fog (and tbf some great looking water). Obviously building 3D worlds is extremely hard work and it's unreasonable to expect much more from a small team, but I feel like it must be possible to inject a bit more style into it without breaking the bank...
To end, one thing I can't praise enough are the fundamental technical aspects of the game. For an indie title to have so many options is rare. It handled switching between screens, resolutions, audio outputs, and controllers without hiccups, which sounds small but isn't common and indicates that someone really knows what they're doing.
All in all, solid game, would recommend, but don't expect anything too groundbreaking.
To start with the basics: I very much enjoyed the fishing-and-upgrades loop, the range of fish to find, and the various characters you bump into along the way. The story was solid if not entirely original, and I'd have liked to see things get super messed up rather than skirting the edges of true horror.
Horror games live and die by their atmosphere, and although towards the beginning Dredge builds a real sense of terror it quickly tails off as you get a handle on the game and what kind of threats you might encounter. It soon becomes more or less a regular fishing game.
I can't help but compare it to Sunless Skies, a game which feels weighty and ominous and horrifying throughout. Although Dredge had better pacing (and engine upgrades) I didn't get the same sense of foreboding at all.
Part of this is, I suspect, down to the environment. Don't get me wrong, it's all very competent and I could believe it achieves what the devs were aiming for, but for me it was lacking. Where the 2D illustrations ooze style and hint at something ominous, the 3D environments are disappointingly bland – just flat colours and fog (and tbf some great looking water). Obviously building 3D worlds is extremely hard work and it's unreasonable to expect much more from a small team, but I feel like it must be possible to inject a bit more style into it without breaking the bank...
To end, one thing I can't praise enough are the fundamental technical aspects of the game. For an indie title to have so many options is rare. It handled switching between screens, resolutions, audio outputs, and controllers without hiccups, which sounds small but isn't common and indicates that someone really knows what they're doing.
All in all, solid game, would recommend, but don't expect anything too groundbreaking.