DREDGE

DREDGE launched March 30, 2023, and we caught the moment Black Salt Games' weird hybrid became a phenomenon. Cosmic horror fishing game sounds niche—and it is—but there's genius in the formula. Fish during the day in cozy solitude, avoid Lovecraftian horrors at night, manage your tetris-like inventory while descending into madness. We ran 8 hours and watched the house get hooked. That 264-viewer peak was indie lightning striking—a student project turning into a multi-award nominee with a million copies sold. Sometimes the weirdest games are the best ones.