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Dredge 2023
Dredge is a 2023 video game in the fishing genre, developed by Black Salt Games and published by Team17. The game merges elements of survival and horror, placing players in the role of a fisherman exploring an open world made up of five archipelagos. As the player progresses, they can improve their character’s fishing tools and capabilities. The game operates with a day–night cycle where daytime is peaceful, but nighttime introduces supernatural events and sea monsters.
Black Salt Games initially envisioned Dredge as a top-down turn-based game, but abandoned that approach during early development. The team wanted to avoid relying on jump scares and instead focused on building a psychological thriller mood. Four of the five archipelagos are inspired by real geological features. After finishing development, the studio approached several publishers before choosing Team17. Dredge launched on March 30, 2023, for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Android and iOS versions were later released on February 27, 2025.
Two downloadable content packs, The Pale Reach and The Iron Rig, were released in 2023 and 2024 respectively. Critics generally praised Dredge for its gameplay, visuals, and exploration aspects, though some noted the fishing segments could become repetitive. The game's narrative, horror components, and artistic design also received commendation. Several media outlets named it among the best games of 2023, and it was nominated for multiple awards.
Crew
- Programmer
- Joel Mason
- Artist
- Alex Ritchie
- Writer
- Joel Mason
- Producer
- Nadia Thorne
- Music
- David Mason
Details
- Developer
- Black Salt Games
- Publisher
- Team17
- Platforms
- Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, iOS
- Modes
- Single-player
- Engine
- Unity
