Inti Navia 
“DREDGE”… a peaceful game about a fisherman, until old powers from the deep awaken.
In this open world, indie fishing game, the player chugs along a small boat, exploring different islands, finding unique fish, and talking to the mysterious residents. As the player gathers supplies to sell and upgrade their boat, the story of the island slowly becomes revealed to them, not only through the dialogue, but also in the environment around them.
The fishing works in a quirky, “Tetris” style way. The fish each have different shapes that you have to move around to fit inside of your boat’s inventory. This is one of the many obstacles of the game, including your engine overheating, and, whatever you do, avoiding the night at all costs.
When the clock at the top of your screen strikes eight o’clock, “DREDGE” shifts from a vibe to a nightmare. Strange lights start appearing on the horizon. Rocks appear in front of your boat out of nowhere, and far off in the distance, a second boat begins to follow you.
Being an indie game, it was made by a smaller team of developers. Don’t expect a video game on the level of “God of War” or “Elden Ring.” Those games were backed by major studios like Santa Monica Studios and FromSoftware.
“DREDGE” was created by Black Salt Games, a small New Zealand-based studio. Despite this, the game quickly rose in popularity, even being reviewed by the popular YouTuber Jacksepticeye, after coming out March 30th. At almost 5,000 reviews on Steam, it holds an overwhelming positive rating.
If you have 22 bucks to spare, why not give the game a shot? Sometimes indie games have as much to give as the internet-breaking one. Who knows what secrets might be waiting to be dredged?
By Inti Navia, Senior, ChiArts
All Platforms: @intinavia
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