DREDGE

DREDGE launched March 30, 2023, and StreamerHouse caught 264 viewers as this "cosmic horror fishing game" became the year's indie darling. Black Salt Games expected their niche concept to take a year reaching 100,000 sales—it happened in 24 hours. By October 2023, it hit one million copies with 96% positive Steam reviews (Overwhelmingly Positive). Critics praised the juxtaposition of cozy fishing mechanics and creeping Lovecraftian dread—Nintendo World Report called it "near-perfect," while reviewers commended the art style, inventory puzzles, and thriller atmosphere without cheap jump scares. The game earned GOTY nominations from Digital Spy, GamesRadar+, Time, The Guardian, and Polygon's best indie lists. Developers admitted surprise at the "incredible range of players" attracted to their weird hybrid genre. The formula was brilliant: catch mutated fish during the day, avoid eldritch horrors at night, manage tetris-like inventory, and slowly descend into madness. StreamerHouse viewers in 2023 watched indie lightning strike—a student-project-turned-studio's debut becoming one of the year's most acclaimed games.