Dredge is an upcoming boat sailing game that melds the peaceful gameplay of fishing, exploring, and ship-upgrading, with a sort of cosmic horror element where you unravel the mystery of something dark and eldritch hidden beneath the depths, and, to celebrate its recent opening of pre-orders, developer Black Salt Games has put out a free demo that's available to download right now on Nintendo Switch.

The title is set to launch on all major platforms, but it seems like Nintendo secured some kind of promotional deal with it, as the demo is exclusive to the Switch. None of Dredge's marketing material explicitly states how much of the game you can play via this demo, but the IGN preview suggests it will net you at least a few hours of gameplay.

This Dredge preview also shows the previously detailed game mechanics in action, and it reveals some of the title's mysterious horror elements and how they play out when sailing the open sea. The usual gameplay loop revolves around going out to sea, fishing, and coming back to port to sell your bounty. Complementing this loop is a varied progression system in which you can use your money to buy new fishing poles, nets, and ship parts.



You can also talk to many of the land-dwellers to engage in optional side quests that usually involve finding stuff in the sea for them. Dredge has a seemingly open map, and you can explore the surrounding waters and their scattered isles at your leisure, as long as your ship can handle it, that is; the ocean does have its dangers.

Certain large fish can be strong enough to attack you, meanwhile traveling carelessly through the waves can cause you to crash into rocks and damage your hull. Much scarier than that, however, is the danger of your own decaying psyche, as you begin to use powers from a mysterious book you find beneath the depths.

You sometimes see red-eyed ravens oddly circling your ship, seemingly without purpose. At night, the terrain can change without warning, with rocks appearing suddenly from the darkness, and unsettling visages can confuse you as to what's real and what isn't, like an amalgamation of eyeballs staring from a distance.

Dredge launches on March 30 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.

Posted: Mar 09, 2023 1:46 pm
Related Forum: Gaming Discussion

Source: https://www.dualshockers.com/free-demo-dredge-switch/