Summary
Dredgeis an indie title developed by Black Salt Games that was released in March 2023. As its name implies,it’s agame about an ordinary vocation, but with much more going on beneath its deceptively simple surface. It straddles the line between being a survival simulator and a mystery tale inspired by classic Lovecraftian horror. With elements of both woven together to create a unique tone that pulls from the best of each, it is a breath of fresh air in the often crowded space of both areas.
Dredgerecently received DLC, The Pale Reach, and while it doesn’t shake up the structure much, that’s actually its greatest strength. Many DLCs attempt to introduce entirely new mechanics or put complicated twists on existing ones. The Pale Reach, however, is basically more of the same from the main game without bogging it down. Instead, it offers the perfect compliment to what already makesDredgean incredibly compelling experience.
Dredgehas been nominated forBest Independent Game at The Game Awards 2023as well as Best Debut Indie.
The Lovecraftian Life Aquatic
Dredge’sgameplay rests on two pillars. Players first focus on excursions on the high seas, searching for stocked fishing spots to catch and haul in the rarest, most valuable (and sometimes bizarre) species in service of financing and improving their rickety vessel. The other main loop revolves around investigating the mystery surrounding the nameless captain and his past deeds. As players unearthDredge’s darker secrets, they will need to venture further into increasingly dangerous waters in search of more clues while making sure their boat and supplies are shored up enough to survive.
As aLovecraftian horror game set at sea, one ofDredge’sgreatest assets is its presentation. Through its dreamy watercolor art style and hypnotic understated soundtrack, it can easily lull players into a sense of security, making it all more jarring and effective when night swiftly falls, and terrors both illusory and real rise up out of the depths. Being out at sea too long increases the likelihood of mundane and otherworldly obstacles appearing, and navigating to a safe harbor to recover becomes a harder task. Balancing these survival elements with its unfolding cosmic horror tale is whatDredgedoes best. In the same way, players must carefully manage their resources while continuing the quest for answers.
The Pale Reach’s Mysteries and Treasures
Calling to mindLovecraft’sAt the Mountains of Madness, The Pale Reach adds a new frozen biome with its own dangers to explore and endure. The main pursuit tells the tragic tale of a lost expedition becoming increasingly suspicious of each other as the eldritch artifacts they uncovered in the jagged icebergs affected their sanity, until the worst came to pass, in classic cosmic horror style. While not directly connected to the captain’s story, The Pale Reach’s side missions fit perfectly with the world and lore, providing another beautiful but disturbing region that adds to its general unsettling atmosphere.
In addition, The Pale Reach offers a few new useful ship upgrades and items, a couple of species variations, and a challenging map to navigate. Though it is essentially the same in design, and could’ve easily been a section in the main game, that’s kind of the point. Everything contained in The Pale Reach highlights and sits alongside the best parts ofDredge’s overall package.Dredge’s Pale Reach DLCseamlessly compliments its existing elements, providing a satisfyingly similar experience by not trying to fix what wasn’t broken.
