14 DAY TRIAL // Icefish are plentiful enough that I got the Astral and Thawed aberrations after depleting just two fishing spots. They are gnarly looking but brought in enough money to buy research spots and unlock the best pots on the market. There are two species of crabs that hide in deeper waters that I hope to get when I pull my traps out of the water in a few days.
In the meantime, my little boat is moving through the narrow ice-covered channels at night, looking for wolffish spots. I have enough toothfish to get the glowing horn narwhal to open up a new area if needed, but the focus is on catching trophies and aberrations.
But with rocks rising out of the water and weird things slithering into the cargo hold, it might be time to turn back. A few hours of sleep will do wonders for my sanity, and I might spend daylight hours exploring other points of interest and looking for icebreaker parts.
The Pale Reach is developed by Black Salt Games and published by Team17. This is the first downloadable content pack for DREDGE. It adds a new location to explore and more sea creatures, including twisted aberrations, to catch.
The Pale Reach appears as a big question mark in the south and players can choose to explore it at any time. I think it’s a good idea to have the Haste special power and some speed upgrades before heading there, to make the exploration easier. The narrative is centered around a doomed crew and a mysterious presence trapped under the ice.
I like the combination of fishing and existential horror that Dredge delivers, and the new location uses it in interesting, although familiar ways. Gamers will have to find or create ice-breaking equipment to see all of the Pale Reach, using the new Bleak Pontoon as a base.
The ice-encrusted location is treacherous, and I had to pay more than I usually did on boar repairs after collisions. It’s also home to 11 new fish species and crabs for the player to catch. Mechanically, the game is the same, but it feels that aberrations are a little rarer than in the base game.
Players still have to play short mini games associated with different fishing spots, while also choosing the best spots for crab pots. Special dredging spots will allow gamers to pull up pieces of an icebreaker that opens up exploration. Wrecks aren’t always what they seem. Nigh time still brings escalating horrors.
For me, Dredge is at its best if I ignore the pressure to push the narrative forward. Just move through the waves, hunting a particular aberration or trophy, thinking of what’s the best place for a crab spot, wondering if I can interact with the giant whale that’s just taken a bite of a tentacle.
The Pale Reach’s new area is beautiful, especially when the sun finally appears after a long night of fishing and dodging terrors. The design of the aberrations remains a highlight. I’m not sure if there’s new music but the soundtrack fits well with the game’s tone.
Conclusion
The DLC is a Yay for anyone who’s finished the core story and wants to catch more fish. Dredge’s mechanics and atmosphere remain great. Pale Reach is a solid first paid piece of content, but I hope the developers create weirder ideas and maybe some new mechanics for future Dredge expansions.
Review key provided by the publisher.
