Have you ever dreamed of being an angler operating out of Innsmouth’s run-down neighboring city, pulling mutant fish from the depths and constantly hoping some terrible, giant creature doesn’t drag you to the bottom of the ocean? If you answered yes, you’re probably crazy, but you are also the ideal player for DREADMOOR.
DREADMOOR is a horrific fishing game with deeply rooted Lovecraftian vibes. It sees you working to pay off a debt to a mutant fish merchant after he (or they, since they have two heads) saved you from becoming a mutant yourself. Armed with nothing but a leaky dinghy and all the scraps you can find, you progress through a linear, story-driven experience while fishing up some of the most disgusting-looking monster fish to finance your quest. You will have to upgrade your boat, craft bait and weapons from scrap, and fight giant monsters to survive this naughty nautical adventure.
Currently in Early Access, DREADMOOR stands out from other fishing games for its unique horror premise, and it stands out from other horror games for its borderline cartoony, disgusting aesthetic that focuses on fishy mutations and giant monsters. The idea of giant creatures lurking beneath the depths and a disease that spreads grime, scales, and gills throughout our human world, much like the ocean rots wood and spreads barnacles, are staples of fish horror. Fish horror isn’t a genre we see many unique takes on, and I’m ecstatic to see yet another entry in this neglected genre.
The game’s gameplay loop follows a two-part formula. One half follows the game’s linear questline, which gates progress behind certain materials the player needs to collect or particular fish the player needs to catch. The second half is the fishing economy, where the player catches and sells fish for a profit. Both systems are tied together by the game’s resource economy: A player might need wires to progress in a mission, which they have to collect in the world or buy with the money they earn by fishing. In order to catch a certain fish, the player might need to collect resources for a certain kind of bait or might need to upgrade their equipment or boat to take on the challenge. It is a pretty simple system that challenges you to engage with both aspects of the game, even if you’d rather focus on one more than the other.
As far as the fishing mechanic goes, it’s pretty fun, if basic and uninventive. You cast your baited line, wait for a bite, and then pull against the fish’s movement to tire it out before reeling it in. You can see this system in several other RPGs, and you could say it has become a generic, if proven, fishing mechanic for games.
Unfortunately, while catching each new fish and seeing their grotesque designs is fun, there is never anything done to switch up this mechanic or make things different for different catches. It is safe to say that after several hours of the same fishing mechanic, you will get pretty bored of it, especially since fishing plays such an important role in the game. I would like to see the game expanded in this regard as development continues. On that note, I was pretty disappointed that I couldn’t use the grappling hook to shoot and pull fish up from the surface.
The story is good, but it can get a little tiring at times when you realize the game’s dialogue and voice acting aren’t the greatest. It isn’t bad, but at times the word choice and the direction the actors were given for delivering their lines can feel a bit odd. I can’t say I was especially drawn to any of the game’s characters or particularly interested in completing the story for the story’s sake.
What the game did manage to do to keep me invested was deliver a very interesting, creepy, and visually unique world. I was driven forward by the idea of seeing each new fish, getting to more boss monsters, and upgrading my ship. I left feeling the game might have been even better with less narrative, letting you get out on the water and earn those upgrades faster, but I can’t fully imagine what that version would look like.
What certainly won’t help players become invested in the narrative is how long the tutorial drags on. The game teaches you mechanics for upwards of an hour, spoon-feeding you basic information through quests. Frankly, the game doesn’t need to tie its mechanics this closely to the narrative or the characters. I would have preferred to learn to upgrade my boat and get out on the water without having to talk to NPCs for as long as I did.
Overall, DREADMOOR is in a great place for an Early Access game. The gameplay loop is fun, albeit repetitive, and definitely could use something to mix things up, especially when it comes to the fishing. The narrative and characters are fine, but not the game’s strongest aspect, as the dialogue and voice acting can feel a bit stiff and awkward at times. What really reels you in is the game’s setting and visuals, and the freaky monsters it delivers with them. There is plenty to do in the game as it is now, but I look forward to seeing what a completed version of DREADMOOR might look like.
Pros:
- An excellent Lovecraftian world with great fish horror and monsters
- A fun gameplay split between fishing, crafting, and exploring the narrative
Cons:
- An extended tutorial makes first impressions a drag
- Voice acting and dialogue can be a bit awkward
- The fishing mechanic is tried-and-true but tired, and it quickly becomes repetitive
Comments