Captain your fishing trawler across a collection of remote islands, each with its own inhabitants to meet, wildlife to discover, and stories to unearth. Scour the sea for hidden treasures and complete quests to gain access to strange new abilities. Research special equipment and upgrade your boat’s capabilities to gain access to rare fish and valuable deep-sea curios. Sell your discoveries to the locals to learn more about each area, and upgrade your boat to reach even more secluded locations. Strengthen your mind and use your abilities to survive trips out on the water after dark...

Captain your own small fishing boat

Dredge sees you play as captain of your own small fishing boat. You wash up ashore on a mysterious island with little memory of who you are. The local mayor takes pity on you and offers you a job as the local fisherman - he even lends you the money to start you off with your own boat. Once you get your sea legs you'll need to catch fish to sell to the local fishmonger and dredge the depths to find materials to use to modify your boat. You might even unearth buried treasure if you're lucky.

The main part of the game sees you taking your boat out, discovering new harbours and towns and travelling between ports trading items and running errands for villagers.

Play minigames to catch fish

As you bob around on the ocean you'll need to look out for fishing spots. Once you're above one, and assuming you have the right gear to fish that area, you engage in a mini game in order to land your catch. Time only moves when your boat is moving or you're fishing. You'll need to keep an eye on the time as you'll ideally want to be back in port before it's dark - unless you're night fishing for nocturnal species. This is where your lights come in useful, as mysterious rocks appear randomly at night. Hitting one of these will damage your vessel, costing money to fix when you get back to the mainland.

Dredging spots are similar to fishing spots, but the prize will be materials to upgrade your boat, random treasures or research intel, which allow you to research new and better equipment.

Mysterious islanders have quests for you

As you progress through the game you'll unlock special skills, like the ability to use lobster pots, a trawling net and extra bursts of speed for a limited time. There's always something new to keep you wanting to keep playing. The graphics are great, as is the subtle score.

I have to admit I got completely hooked (sorry!) on this game. I kept finding myself coming back to it time and time again, when I should have been doing other things. For £20 this is a steal. It's fun, addictive and it keeps pushing you forward to complete more tasks and explore more islands.

9

Darren Rea