Soft thumbs-down. This game is exactly what it looks like. Its the same mechanically from beginning to end and tension is steady the whole game through.
Dredge is mildly good, though if you play it for an hour, you've played it for 12.

Dredge is a good game. But it could have been more than it is.

The early game is where Dredge truly shines. The night, and the mist that comes with it, feels threatening and mysterious. You huddle in the harbor, listening to the sounds of unknown sea creatures in the distance, waiting for sunrise before setting out again.

As you upgrade your boat, as you brave the night again and again, that feeling eventually fades, and with it the game's greatest strength.

By the end-game, dodging Lovecraftian horrors as you reel in your latest haul is routine, and Dredge is little more than an OK-ish fishing simulator with your sanity as just another resource to be managed.

Had that early game fear of the unknown been maintained throughout the game, Dredge would have been excellent. As is, it is merely good.

First off, the vibes and atmosphere are simply great on their own. Exploring this cursed and mysterious world is exciting and surprising.

On a gameplay level, while there's nothing inherently groundbreaking it's all very well crafted and satisfying. The fishing mechanics and how they fit into the economy and allow you to improve your ship make for fun deeper exploration and inventory management. The story is an engaging decoration over the whole experience. The threats and other anomalous happenings are exciting and intriguing.