DREADMOOR Gaming Crusaders Pax East Preview!

Dreadmoor was one of the games I was really looking forward to checking out at PAX and it did not disappoint. The whole thing has this dark Lovecraft style atmosphere that hits you right away. It feels heavy eerie and weird in all the right ways. Even with a few bugs in the preview build mostly with grabbing and moving things it was nothing unexpected for an early slice. The core of the game was smooth and fun and that is what matters.

Once I got my ship together and started heading out the game immediately put me into a situation where someone reaches out to you. You are left deciding if you trust them or not but either way you are going in that direction. It sets the tone fast with mystery tension and that feeling that something is not right out there.

The boat mechanics were surprisingly clean. Moving turning and parking all felt natural. No fighting the controls and no guessing what the game wanted from you. Just smooth sailing until it was not.

When you pull up to your destination the game hits you with a scene that sets the tone perfectly. A monster stalking you creeping and without spoiling anything it did not go the way I expected but in a great way. It is one of those moments where you realize the devs know exactly what kind of horror they are building.

What I did not expect was how hands on the game feels. You are not just pressing buttons. You are attaching fuel hoses dragging items around crafting bait on a worktable and using a grappling hook to pull crates. It makes the world feel more real and more dangerous. The NPCs fit the vibe too with strange fish folk characters like Gill and Betsy who buy your catch and push the story forward. Everything feels like it belongs in this drowned cursed world.

All in all this Lovecraft fishing game hooked me. The atmosphere is strong the boat gameplay is solid and the preview left me wanting to see how deep this nightmare ocean goes.

CRUSADERS SCORE:
4/5

Website:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/3629430/DREADMOOR/

Developer: Dream Dock
Publisher: Digital Vortex Entertainment

I want to give a HUGE Shout out to my guy Ian for making this preview possible!