Parents' Guide to Dredge

OK, so a video game about virtual fishing may not sound too exciting -- though titles like Animal Crossing, Stardew Valley, and Red Dead Redemption 2 make it fun as a minigame. However, Dredge proves an engaging story can also be told while catching and selling fish. Without giving away too much, the tasks you perform for the mysterious people in this village, and the tales you'll hear throughout, is what will keep you glued to this game for a few hours. While not perfect, as it's a relatively short experience and the actual act of "fishing" is oddly tied to timed clicks or button presses on a disc, Dredge is a worthy, solitary adventure. If you can pardon the pun, the real hook for this fishing simulation is the dark story, deep secrets, and rich atmosphere, all tied to the characters, neighboring islands, and ominous creatures you may encounter among the 125 or so deep sea denizens within the game (and collectible artifacts, too). It's also fun to outfit and upgrade your ship and gear with special equipment to gain access to rarer catches.

The system used to fish could have been more realistic and/or more engaging -- it's like a rhythm game where you must click or button-press at the right time. But the graphics and music are both top-notch, so kudos to Black Salt Games for creating an immersive experience that looks and sounds -- nay, feels -- great. This is especially impressive for an indie title, where production values are often much lower than AAA games due to a lack of budget. Dredge is a stellar experience, but know the fun will be over within 8 or 9 hours, and there is very little replayability as there is no multiplayer or map editor. There is some downloadable content (DLC) called Blackstone Key, however. Overall, Dredge is a super fun and unique game that gets it mostly right across the board.