PS5 Fans Claim New Indie Game Is a “2023 GOTY Contender”

Every year there are a couple of indie games in the Game of the Year conversation come the end of year. According to some PS5 users over on the PS5 Reddit page, Dredge may be one of these games. Developed by Black Salt Games, Dredge was released on March 30 via variety of platforms, but it’s PlayStation fans on the PS5 Reddit page that are currently gushing about it. 

“I reviewed this game and frankly it’s an early 2023 GOTY frontrunner for me….It’s such an original game and I really hope it gets the attention it deserves,” reads one glowing review of the game.”Preordered immediately and played an hour before work. It’s so good! I love anything fishing related but boat building, cosmic horrors, and chill music are icing on the cake. I just might plat this twice,” adds another Reddit user.

“Thoroughly enjoying this three hours in, surprisingly deep and eerie,” adds a three Reddit user. “That being said it’s very cosy, easy to tot up hours and lose track of time.”

While these user reviews and impressions suggest the game would be getting rave reviews, it’s not. It’s coming up short of being critically-acclamed, but it does boast solid Metacritic scores of 81 to 84, depending on the platform.

Dredge is available via Nintendo, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, and Xbox Series X. Below, you can read more about what we think of the new fishing game, courtesy of our own review. 

“The daily relaxing monotony of simulators like Animal Crossing is subverted in Dredge, a new game that pulls Deep Ones from deep sea fishing,” reads the opening of our official review of the game. “The new game by indie developer Black Salt Game cleverly combines exploration mechanics and a familiar gameplay loop of collecting fish and flotsam with a sinister and haunting undercurrent pulled straight out of the cosmic horror genre. Dredge proudly wears its Lovecraft influences on its sleeves in more ways than one by providing players with a comforting daily ritual while constantly reminding players of deeper threats lurking just under the surface of the ocean. The result is an intriguing game that unfolds at the player’s pace, providing a fun and unique experience that’s not quite like anything you’ve played before.”