Indie Fishing Game Dredge Getting a Live Action-Movie Adaptation

Critically-acclaimed indie video game Dredge will join the list of video games to be adapted into a live-action film, as developers Black Salt Games have teamed up with production company Story Kitchen to bring the game to the screen in another format. Dredge launched in March 2023 and had a fantastic initial six months, selling over 1 million copies during that period and completely shattered expectations Black Salt Games had in regards to sales. The game was nominated at the Golden Joystick Awards and The Game Awards, as well as the BAFTA Games Awards which approaches its live ceremony on April 11. 

ComicBook's 4/5 review of the game states, "Dredge is a fun indie game that explores the cosmic horror genre in a unique fashion by embracing one of the recurring motifs found in Lovecraft's works – the ocean."

What To Expect

In Dredge, players take on the role of a fisherman who is exploring remote islands for fish and hidden treasures, meeting island residents who will assign quests while you learn new skills, upgrade your boat, and more. On the surface it's a relaxing, peaceful fishing game, but when sun sets in the game and a thick fog rolls over the water, the world shifts as players encounter Lovecraftian horrors. Some of these monsters include a Giant Crab, Ghost Boat, Deep-Sea Tentacles, and more, and while you're continually warned against going out at night by various characters that certainly doesn't stop you.

A great feature that contributes to the overall experience of Dredge is the core mechanic of a "panic" meter, which overall adds to the atmosphere of the game at night and immerses the player in the experience as the fisherman's panic rises or falls due to a variety of factors. While this mechanic may not be able to be implemented as a copy-and-paste addition to live-action, it's certainly safe to say that the film will seek to raise your heart rate when nightfalls. 

The Dredge adaptation is being described as "The Sixth Sense on the water," and "A grounded atmospheric cosmic horror blend of H.P. Lovecraft and Ernest Hemingway," which would indicate the live-action adaptation seeks to replicate a the blend of genres the game has.

Video game to movie adaptations are a popular move for studios right now, with massive successes seen in recent years with The Last of Us, Super Mario Bros., and the impending premiere of Prime Video's Fallout series which is highly anticipated by existing fans and newcomers alike. Horror games have always been popular to make the leap from media types with historic adaptations including Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Five Nights at Freddy's more recently, with more will be joining the list as Until Dawn, Dead by Daylight, and likely more in the future.

Have you played Dredge already? If you haven't, the game is available now on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. If you're already a fan, how do you feel about a live-action adaptation? Let us know in the comments or chat with me about Dredge on X @amazingspidrhan!