Dredge, an analysis

As a developer, I’ve always been drawn to games that completely pull you in—the kind of immersive experience where hours feel like minutes. Before you know it, it’s 8 p.m., you haven’t started dinner, and your girlfriend is about to walk through the door wondering where that promised meal is. For me, it’s all about creating worlds that are easy to jump into but impossible to leave. Not because of flashy mechanics or complicated systems, but because the atmosphere is so compelling you just can’t bring yourself to step away.

This is something that the developers of Dredge have nailed. From the first moment, I was hooked. The game’s atmosphere is everywhere, woven into every detail, even in the subtle UX feedback and sound effects from the first loading screens. 

Dredge is a masterclass in creating an atmosphere that’s both haunting and oddly soothing. Set in the 1920s, it captures the lonely, melancholic atmosphere of a fisherman’s life, while still managing to feel satisfying and relaxing. You're gently introduced to the game's core themes of isolation and survival, with the simple task of paying off a debt easing you into a world full of unknown dangers and mysterious characters.

The gameplay is simple yet engaging, revolving around skill-check fishing, carefully organizing your catch in a slot-based storage system, and upgrading your boat with better rods, engines, nets, and lights. As the story unfolds, players encounter more and more absurd lovecraftian entities and artifacts. Despite its somber tone, Dredge is remarkably approachable, with mechanics that are easy to pick up and characters that feel compelling. It’s a game that wraps its heavy themes in a positive & approachable experience, leaving you hooked from start to finish.Dredge's atmosphere feels both spooky and calming because of how it uses visuals and sound. The game's colors are mostly blues and grays, making everything feel a bit sad and lonely, like the open ocean. But your boat's light and the lighthouses around feel warm and safe, like little islands of comfort in the darkness. This plays on our need to feel safe when we're unsure of what's around us.  The sounds of waves and foghorns also pull you in, while also making you feel a bit on edge.

The developers at Black Salt Games aimed to create a "spooky" vibe rather than outright horror, focusing on a sense of mystery and unease. They achieved this, in part, by drawing inspiration from the concept of cosmic horror, which often involves raising unsettling questions without providing clear answers.  This approach allows players to project their own anxieties onto the game's world, enhancing the immersive quality. The team intentionally avoided jump scares, instead building tension through environmental storytelling and subtle audio cues. They wanted players to feel like they were constantly on the edge of something unknown, creating a psychological tension that complements the game's relaxing elements. (Noclip 2024)

It's interesting to note that this atmosphere, so neatly intertwined with the game's core mechanics, wasn't an initial concept. In fact, it wasn’t even concepted until about four months into development.  As Joel Mason, one of the developers, explains, the team first needed to establish the world's scale and scope.  Only then did they begin weaving in the narrative elements and gameplay systems that would leverage this carefully crafted ambiance. (Ivan 2024)

Start of the game & Core Gameplay Loop

This start puts the player right at the core of the game, fishing. The fishing mechanics centers on a timing-based mini-game that varies with the type of fishing gear used. Players must hit highlighted zones on a rotating or linear progress bar to reel in their catch, with precision speeding up the process and mistakes slowing it down.

The beauty of fishing in Dredge lies in its simplicity and its forgiving nature. While missing a skill check means you lose the chance to speed up the process, there are no real setbacks. A set amount of time must pass before a fish is caught, so no matter how many timing mistakes a player makes, they’ll always reel in their catch once the timer runs out. This approachability ensures that the mechanic remains engaging and enjoyable, without turning mistakes into a frustrating experience. The developers designed the fishing minigame to be accessible, allowing players to succeed even without interacting with the timing prompts. This is a conscious choice to reduce stress and frustration, which is key when it’s the core of the game. 

Fishing is closely tied together with the game’s main resource, time. Time only progresses when fishing, sailing, or performing certain actions, and pauses when idle. It is a subtle yet powerful tool that shapes the player’s experience, adding layers of strategy. This design choice gives players a unique sense of control, while also introducing a delicate balance between exploration and risk. As Joel explains, the initial prototype had a much faster day-night cycle. They slowed it down significantly to give players more time to explore and to create a greater contrast between the peaceful daytime and the dangerous night. This also allows players to choose between spending their days exploring or fishing, adding another layer of player choice. 

As mentioned earlier, night in Dredge introduces new challenges. The panic mechanic comes into play, with reduced visibility and increased anxiety affecting the player. This is combined with the appearance of more dangerous creatures and environmental hazards. The constant progression of time forces players to make a choice: stay out longer to fish, potentially catching unique nocturnal species, or return to safety before conditions become too much to handle.

Panic gradually increases when the player stays out after dark, visually represented through distorted vision, creeping fog, and an eerie glow around hazards. As panic builds, the environment becomes more hostile. Rocks appear where there were none, monstrous shapes emerge from the shadows, and strange phenomena like phantom lights mislead the player. The higher the panic level, the greater the frequency and intensity of these dangers.

Development process of Dredge

Overall, the development of Dredge was a learning experience for the team at Black Salt Games. They faced challenges, made adjustments, and ultimately created a game that exceeded their expectations. One area they might have approached differently is the structure of the game world, which is all loaded in a single scene. This has caused performance issues, especially on the Nintendo Switch (whoops!). 

They also had to make difficult choices, such as scrapping the planned harpoon mechanic. It didn't fit with the game's overall tone and would have allowed players to fight back against the horrors of the deep, undermining the cosmic horror aesthetic. The developers had to balance player expectations with their creative vision. For example, they initially didn't show the player's exact location on the map, to foster a sense of getting lost at sea. However playtesting showed that this was too disorienting, so they eventually compromised and pinpointed the players position.

Conclusion: Atmospheric Game Design

Dredge stands as a good example of the power of atmospheric game design. By blending elements like fishing and cosmic horror, Black Salt Games has created a unique and memorable experience. The game's core loop, narrative, art style, and sound design all work in harmony to create a world that is both captivating and unsettling.

Summarizing, a few strong points popped up during my exploration of Dredge:

• Creating a strong core loop: The fishing, selling, and upgrading cycle provides a satisfying sense of progression and keeps players engaged.
• Building a compelling narrative: The Lovecraftian story adds depth and intrigue to the world, encouraging players to explore and uncover its secrets.
• Utilizing art and sound to evoke atmosphere: The minimalist art style and eerie sound design create a sense of unease and tension that perfectly complements the gameplay.
• Embracing player feedback: The developers' commitment to playtesting and iteration helped them refine the game and create a truly polished experience.

Dredge’s success isn’t just about critics and sales. It has brought together a lively group of players who enjoy its mechanics and set up their own challenges. This shows the game’s lasting appeal and how it encourages creativity and exploration.

It's fascinating how Dredge's popularity has sparked conversations about difficulty in atmospheric horror games. Many players, even those who loved the game's eerie atmosphere and focus on exploration, are asking for a more challenging experience. This shows that there's a real ask for horror games that can scare you with both their atmosphere and their gameplay. It raises the question: how can developers create a game that is both genuinely unsettling and offers a thrilling challenge without sacrificing the immersive experience, and how do gems of the horror genre try to achieve this?

Sources

Ivan. 2024. “The Making of Dredge: An Inside Look - IndieGames.” IndieGames - All about Indie Games (blog). August 17, 2024. https://www.indie-games.eu/en/the-making-of-dredge-an-inside-look-at-black-salt-games-debut/.
KIWI TALKZ, dir. 2024. #172 - Dredge Developer Interview With Joel Mason. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1XsWj9Xx5I.
Noclip - Video Game Documentaries, dir. 2024. The Design of Dredge - Noclip Documentary. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXQipk_mBAo.
“Trawling in the Deep: How Black Salt Games Made Spooky Fishing RPG, Dredge.” n.d. Accessed January 21, 2025. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/design/trawling-in-the-deep-how-black-salt-games-made-spooky-fishing-rpg-i-dredge-i-.