Dredge is easily one of the best PC games I’ve played in 2023, and there’s certainly been a few contenders for the spot at the top on that list. The nightmarish fishing adventure thrusts you into the waterlogged boots of a budding fisher, looking to make a small fortune on the isle of Greater Marrow. If you’ve been waiting for a photo mode to take pictures of Dredge‘s gorgeous scenery, then the new update is exactly what you’ve been waiting for.
You see, something lurks beneath the idyllic shores of your new home away from home, watching you with a thousand eyes, tearing your boat asunder if you stray too far from the beaten path. No one will believe you if you don’t take photos, right? That’s exactly what the new photo mode is for.
You’re not simply given the option to use it in-game, though. You’ll first have to acquire a camera from a new islander, the mysterious photographer. Find their requested item, and you’ll get the camera, allowing you to snapshot the eerie creatures that lurk beneath the bow of your boat – as well as the ten new aberrations, of course.
That’s not all, though, as there are new wildlife events to participate in, showing off pods of orca whales and the placid whale shark, which is the largest living nonmammalian vertebrate in the world. Where the whale shark drifts gracefully across the waves, an all-new terror lurks in the deep, determined to find your boat and send you back to the Shipwright with a hefty bill.
There’s also the new ‘Passive’ mode that lets you play Dredge as a simple fishing game, removing all of the evil creatures intent on wreaking havoc upon your subconscious. For me, Dredge is all about going out at night and avoiding the horrors that lurk beneath the waves, but they’re also genuinely unsettling, so Passive mode may be the welcome break I need from being swallowed whole by a yet another sea monster, again.
Dredge update 2 is available right now, so you can dive in and take in all of the scenery in peace. It’s also part of a huge new Steam sale, so be sure to pick it up for 20% off at £19.99 / £17.59 for the standard version, and $30.56 / £27.05 for the digital deluxe edition.
If you too love that surge of adrenaline, we have a list of the best horror games, as well as a rundown of all the best indie games, some of which are just as creepy as Dredge.