History VideoGame / Dredge

** The supernatural ability Atrophy allows you to instantly fish up everything available from an active fishing spot, at the cost of destroying it for a ''very'' long time (around 3 in-game weeks). There is no reason besides insanity (and one achievement) to ever use this skill, because the cost far outweighs the benefit, even in comparison to other supernatural abilities.
*** It is useful to help complete the collection of aberrated fish when combined with Bait. Bait produces a temporary fishing spot containing several types of fish from the region, and Atrophy increases the chance that those fish will be aberrant.

* MonsterInTheIce: In the Pale Reach DLC you can find an enormous [[CallASmeerpARabbit ''Narwhal'']] frozen in the glacier.

You're a sailor who gets caught in a storm and washes up in the seaside town of [[LovecraftCountry Greater Marrow]] while answering an ad asking for a fisherman. Luckily for you, they need a new fisherman after their last one disappeared, and you just happen to fit the bill. The mayor loans you a boat and urges you to get started feeding the town, but before you begin, he gives you a stern warning - don't stay out on the sea at night.

You get to work, but soon you start catching fish that... aren't quite right. A local [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep collector]] takes notice of the odd fish, and approaches you with an offer - use your ship's salvaging equipment to help him find relics from shipwrecks that seem to be connected to the grotesque fish, and he'll help you improve your vessel. Sounds like a good deal... Right?

Following the release, Black Salt Games have stated their intention to keep supporting and expanding upon the game, with both some free minor updates and paid DLC. The first expansion, ''The Pale Reach'', released on November 16, 2023, and adds an icy area and the story of how a doomed expedition to the region met its end. The second expansion, ''The Iron Rig'', focused around an oil rig, is anticipated for early 2024.

* GottaCatchEmAll: As of ''The Pale Reach'', there's a total of 171 different marine species to catch, about half of which are aberrant variations of otherwise normal real-life species. Achievements are awarded for catching every aberration and every species in general, respectively. Thankfully, the game provides a comprehensive encyclopedia to keep track of your progress and help you hunt down specific targets you still need to bag.

* GottaCatchEmAll: There's a total of 128 different marine species to catch, about half of which are aberrant variations of otherwise normal real-life species. Achievements are awarded for catching every aberration and every species in general, respectively. Thankfully, the game provides a comprehensive encyclopedia to keep track of your progress and help you hunt down specific targets you still need to bag.

* BaitAndSwitch: After you deliver the dog to the Researcher, the dog suddenly starts convulsing and vomits, giving the impression that [[SuddenDownerEnding he has been infected like the Abberant fish.]] It turns out he actually just swallowed a piece of jewellery, which becomes your reward for the quest.

* MonsterInTheIce: In the Pale Reach DLC you can find an enormous [[CallASmeerpARabbit ''Narwha'']] frozen in the glacier.

** The Wandering Merchant carries at least one each of refined metal and research parts, which refresh every time the shop is reset. If you're having trouble hunting down upgrade materials, she's a quicker alternative if you're willing to shell out the cash. This is especially true of research parts, which are a rare drop outside of quests, making it unlikely you'll naturally find enough to cover all your research. She'll also sell explosives and bait once you've unlocked them, so you don't have to sail back to the main source each time you need more.

Following the release, Black Salt Games have stated their intention to keep supporting and expanding upon the game with both some free minor expansions and at least one paid DLC. The DLC, teased under title of ''Ironhaven'', is set to release in late 2023 and will focus a quest to explore the activities of the titular corporation, as they start up a new drilling operation, claiming it to be part of a plan to revitalize Greater Marrow through a series of private initiatives, but in reality their seemingly friendly corporate facade seems to be a cover for some sort of nefarious scheme...

** One of the supernatural abilities allows you to instantly fish up everything available from an active fishing spot, at the cost of permanently destroying it. There is no reason besides insanity (and one achievement) to ever use this skill, because the cost far outweighs the benefit, even in comparison to other supernatural abilities.

** The best engine in the game is the Engine Stack, which provides 67.2kn (11.2 per slot) of speed. That comes at the cost of being a six-slot engine that will be disabled if a single slot suffers hull damage, at which point you'll have to crawl to the nearest shipyard. By comparison, the Jet Drive Engine provides 9.5kn (third best in slot efficiency), only takes a single slot, can be researched immediately after the first engine unlock, and you can stack up to ten of them on a fully-upgraded ship. Hull damage will at worst disable two of them, which won't affect performance significantly, and your top speed will only be slightly lower than an optimal setup.

* LastLousyPoint: There's an achievement for catching all the aberrant variants of fish species. This can be extremely tedious for the large species with low-volume spawns like sailfish, requiring you to scour the map for fishing spots hoping the one or two you drag up is the right one. Even worse are the trawl-specific catches, which are down to random chance.

** "Good Ending:" [[spoiler:The fisherman follows the Lightkeeper's advice on throwing the TomeOfEldritchLore back into the sea at the specific point she directs the spotlight at, and [[BittersweetEnding sadly gets swallowed]] by the Leviathan that's been warned about. The result is that Greater Marrow is safe.]]
** "Bad Ending:" [[spoiler:The fisherman can follow the Collector's instructions on bringing back his love from where she had drowned, and in turn unleash a Cthulhu-like giant squid from the depths. This [[DownerEnding results]] in Greater Marrow's burning destruction.]]

** The Mouth of the Deep is the best crab pot in the game, being slightly larger and longer-lasting than any other crab pot. It can be obtained as soon as you reach Ingfell, as long as you have a basic crab pot.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality: [[spoiler: The Leviathan isn't some vicious mindless predator, but a living guardian that protects the seas from an Eldritch God seeking to destroy the entire world. For recovering the [[ArtifactOfDoom Tome of the Deep]] that can summon the cosmic horror, the sea monster swallows up everyone, including the Fisherman's wife. Only the Fisherman survives. It follows him in the hope he'll dispose of the Tome. Once redeemed the monster [[TogetherInDeath swallows him up as well]] in the good ending.]]

* AwesomeButImpractical: The best engine in the game is the Engine Stack, which provides 67.2kn (11.2 per slot) of speed. That comes at the cost of being a six-slot engine that will be disabled if a single slot suffers hull damage, at which point you'll have to crawl to the nearest shipyard. By comparison, the Jet Drive Engine provides 9.5kn (third best in slot efficiency), only takes a single slot, can be researched immediately after the first engine unlock, and you can stack up to ten of them on a fully-upgraded ship. Hull damage will at worst disable two of them, which won't affect performance significantly, and your top speed will only be slightly lower than an optimal setup.

* DaylightHorror: If your panic meter is too high, the monsters ''will'' come for you in broad daylight.

** Your inventory is handled as a grid where your catch, supplies, and equipment all take up a set amount of space, and equipment can only be put on specific regions of the grid. Upgrading your ship is often based on increasing the amount of squares on the grid and modifying the grid squares to allow better equipment, which takes up more space. Taking damage causes grid squares to become damaged, preventing those spots from being used until repaired. An additional challenge is posed by most items and fish having weird, rotatable shapes similar to ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'', which usually forces a fair bit of fiddling to fit as much as possible into your hold, to the point that completely filling your inventory awards an achievement.

* MessageInABottle: Several are scattered throughout the world, and the messages inside provide some background on the relics you're seeking out.

** The timing-based mechanics to fish and dredge wrecks can be disabled from the settings menu, the only penalty being that the action takes longer than it would if you completed the minigame without error.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The best engine in the game is the Engine Stack, which provides 67.2kn (11.2 per slot) of speed. That comes at the cost of being a six-slot engine that will be disabled if a single slot suffers hull damage, at which point you'll have to crawl to the nearest shipyard. By comparison, the Jet Drive Engine provides 9.5kn (third best in slot efficiency), only takes a single slot, and you can stack up to ten of them on a fully-upgraded ship. Hull damage will at worst disable two of them, which won't affect performance significantly, and your top speed will only be slightly lower than an optimal setup.

* CoolButInefficient: Few fish in the sea are more impressive catches than sharks, but the ones in the game are almost exclusively huge, have extremely weird shapes, and don't actually sell for all that much. Even a fully upgraded boat can barely fit two sharks in its hold, three if you're frugal with your equipment. It's much more efficient to go after small to mid-sized fish that are far easier to store while turning a significantly higher profit.

* ForeignQueasine: Rotting conger eels are a delicacy in Ingfell, and one of the locals will pay you if you bring her one.

** In the beginning, a conspicuous red PillarOfLight can be seen a little ways to the west of the Greater Marrow. Both the Fishmonger and the Shipwright will comment on it. Once you've acquired Dredging equipment from the Collector, the Lighthouse Keeper can mark the spot on the map for you after talking to her, though she'll recommend you actually stay away. The glowing red pillar is revealed to indicate the locations of the artifacts, that the Collector requests of you to acquire for him. Collecting the first artifact by the Greater Marrow will have the local merchants notice how the eerie red light at night has disappeared and how things seem somewhat more peaceful.

** The timing-based mechanics to fish and dredge wrecks can be disabled from the settings menu.
** Failing a sidequest (such as by losing an item you were supposed to deliver) still counts as completing it.
** If the monstrous Serpent patrolling the Gale Cliffs damages your boat, it will just keep on swimming past you, even though in context, [[GameplayAndStorySegregation it would make more sense for it to hang around attacking until you died.]] This is useful since you can't really fight back and it's possible to have it chase you into a dead end. This doesn't mean it won't come back, however, so it's best not to loiter.

* BrownNote: The Mind Suckers in the Twisted Strand let out a cry that gradually chips away at the Panic Meter until its at max and keeps it at max, even in daylight.

** The Mouth of the Deep is the best crab pot in the game, being slightly larger and longer-lasting than any other crab pot. It can be obtained as soon as you reach Ingfell, as long as you have a basic crab pot

* SubsystemDamage: Whenever your boat takes damage, a random square in your [[InventoryManagementPuzzle inventory grid]] is rendered unusable until you get it repaired. If that square happens to intersect with a piece of equipment, that equipment is disabled until repairs are made. Losing your engine in this manner can leave you crawling back to the nearest shipyard at a snail's pace, unless you have more than one.

** The Flame of the Sky is the most powerful light in the game, marginally stronger than the best purchasable option but with only half the range, and can be obtained by dredging up three pieces of a tablet in Devil's Spine, well before the final light is available for purchase.

** You can do this yourself once you've unlocked the ability to use mixed bait. It works by creating a temporary fishing spot at your location that can spawn any combination of fish native to the biome you're currently in, regardless of the time of day. Some extremely rare fish like the moonfish can almost exclusively be caught this way.

* OrganicTechnology: Diligent players can unlock up to five creepy pieces of fishing equipment linked to the monsters in the deep. They're all made from various organic components like tendons, sinew and bone, with the occasional hunk of stone thrown in for flavor.

** Research parts are mostly acquired through quests, but can also rarely be dredged from wrecks, and are crucial for advancing your TechTree. They can also be purchased from the Travelling Merchant if you find yourself lacking. Any surplus can be sold to the shipwright for a very healthy sum.

* ShopFodder: To be expected of a game where a primary focus is catching and selling fish. If you fish and sell regularly, you'll be rolling in cash by the end of the game, especially with the relatively small number of things to spend it on

* TimedMission: A few missions have invisible timers attached to them; namely, the delivery missions to the dock worker in Little Marrow (the packages will spoil if you take too long), and the strange hooded figures, who will keel over and die if you take too long in finding their fish.

* AwesomeButImpractical: The best engine in the game is the Engine Stack, which provides 67.2kn (11.2 per slot) of speed. That comes at the cost of being a six-slot engine that will be disabled if a single slot suffers hull damage, at which point you'll have to crawl to the nearest shipyard. By comparison, the Jet Drive Engine provides 9.5kn, only takes a single slot, and you can stack up to ten of them on a fully-upgraded ship. Hull damage will at worst disable two of them, which won't affect performance significantly, and your top speed will only be slightly lower than an optimal setup.

** If the monstrous Serpent patrolling the Gale Cliffs damages your boat, it will just keep on swimming past you, even though in context, [[GameplayAndStorySegregation it would make more sense for it to hang around attacking until you died.]] This is useful since you can't really fight back and it's possible to have it chase you into a dead end.
** The Wandering Merchant sometimes carries the rarer crafting and researching materials you need for unlocking better gear. They're expensive and they restock slowly, but it can be more convenient than hunting for the various dredging spots. She can also upgrade your ship and sell you consumables so that you don't have to sail back across the map.

* InventoryManagementPuzzle: Your inventory is handled as a grid where your catch, supplies, and equipment all take up a set amount of space, and equipment can only be put on specific regions of the grid. Upgrading your ship is often based on increasing the amount of squares on the grid and modifying the grid squares to allow better equipment, which takes up more space. Taking damage causes grid squares to become damaged, preventing those spots from being used until repaired. An additional challenge is posed by most items and fish having weird, rotatable shapes similar to ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'', which usually forces a fair bit of fiddling to fit as much as possible into your hold, to the point that completely filling your inventory awards an achievement.

* LastLousyPoint: There's an achievement for catching all the aberrant variants of fish species. This can be extremely tedious for the large species with low-volume spawns like sailfish, requiring you to scour the map for fishing spots hoping the one or two you drag up is the right one.

* SubsystemDamage: Whenever your boat takes damage, the [[InventoryManagementPuzzle inventory grid]] gets damaged spots that are unplaceable until repaired.

** Research parts are mostly acquired through quests, but can also rarely be dredged from wrecks, and are crucial for advancing your TechTree. Any surplus can be sold to the shipwright for a very healthy sum.
** Refined metal is an extremely rare resource that's required for upgrading your ship's hull. It can be found in well-hidden spots around the game world or, failing that, purchased from the Travelling Merchant for a whopping $500 apiece. Strangely, selling the stuff pays out less than the research parts do despite being more expensive to buy.

* KrakenAndLeviathan: Stellar Basin is home to a massive kraken that is holed up in the center. If you idle too long over the center, such as when attempting to fish, it will lash out with a tentacle that will wreck all but the strongest ships, though it can be dodged if you get moving quickly. The Reseacher's quest provides a way to suppress it temporarily.