ALL A-BOAT IT

DREDGE is a near-perfect Lovecraftian fishing experience

- Mollie Taylor

Dredge isn’t shy about the horrors that lie mere feet under my fisherman’s dinky boat. Sure, my bright day hours are filled with peaceful fishing to gentle piano tracks, in a quaint loop of sailing around for catches and then selling them for money towards upgrades and tools. Then dusk sets, my paranoia kicks in and Dredge bears its monstrous, mutated teeth.

Life in Dredge is Lovecraftian as hell, wonderfully ominous and effortlessly moreish all at once. Things start off simple enough: my poor fisherman has wrecked his vessel near the small island town of Greater Marrow. After being offered a replacement and a small debt for the pleasure, I’m on my way to start fishing.

Getting a target to align with green zones dotted along various shapes reels fish in. Some have my target spinning around a circle, while others have it swinging between two curved bars. The real challenge comes from what to do once I’ve landed my catch. Fish come in all shapes and sizes, which I have to fit, Tetris-style into my vessel’s tiled inventory.

A two-tiled bass is easy, but a pronged hammerhead shark proves challenging. I loved this puzzling element, adding some strategy. These tiles are also shared by designated slots for my equipment and engine. Playing around with maximizing my efficiency kept me surprisingly busy.