The open sea is too safe

[Some Wizard]

I really like this game, and all 4 area's main threats are really well crafted in my opinion, in order to present a challenge and play/counterplays to the player while being very scary.

Problem is, the open sea. Having such huge areas and not adding more encounters feel like such a missed opportunity. I used to speed up between islands because I was afraid to be attacked by something from the deeps, but soon realized that the only danger from open sea is the stress timer and lack of sleeping spots.

Looking at Sea of Thieves, any time you're on the open sea, a Kraken or a Megalodon can take interest in your boat and attack. Similar challenges, but focusing more on escaping than fighting, would have been perfect for Dredge.

[RequiemsRose]

There is something like that in the open ocean though. I'm just not exactly sure what makes it pop up. The first time I saw it I was completely sane during daytime hours, but i have seen them more often (and sometimes multiple) if i've lost my mind...or left the map boundaries. They can quickly mess your boat up, or just plain swallow you whole though.

Did manage to snag a screenshot of one as it was leaving, so not the best shot, but if you wanted a peek:


https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2956886956

[Kaine]

I've only seen that when I tried sailing off the map. Speaking of, I was surprised how far off the map I actually had to go before it killed me.

The only thing that ever really threatened me at sea was the ghost shark, but I've only seen about three times across as many playthroughs. I was most disappointed to discover that the mirage islands weren't angler whales or something, like the ships are.

[Some Wizard]

oh yeah I saw it once, even got hurt by it!
Honestly it highlight exactly that, I wish there were more events like this

[Strexxin]

That is one of the biggest disappointments in this game. It sells itself that you have to brave the ocean at night, that just isn't true. Most of the things you see at night are either imaginary or easy to avoid. The only thing I found of any threat was the ghost shark.

[Samsquamch]

I like just puttering about in my little boat, I love the vibe here and I loved it in Windwaker 20 years ago. I don't think this game really needs that sort of challenges, there are other games for that.

[GuineaPrince]

Despite the eldritch atmosphere and occasional giant monster, the game tends to be relatively grounded insofar as "you're fisherman, you fish, and so long as you're not in a dangerous area or panicking out of you're gourd you're alright".

But the sailing and the art style remind me of Wind Waker so much. So I actually do end up missing peahats on the open sea even if it contrasts with the tone completely.

[RequiemsRose]

I've actually seen that big guy more often than the ghost shark. Played long enough to get all achievements and started a second playthrough now but still only seen the shark one time, while i was pulling up to the dock at the scientist's place. I dunno if it's just because i'm generally good about not losing my mind completely or if the sharky is just incredibly rare. The big guy though? No idea what makes it show up, i've seen that one a few times while completely sane and during daytime hours, and it isn't even always incredibly aggressive. Like when i got that screenshot it really didn't seem to care much about me at all, but it was the first time I had seen it so suddenly having a giant sail pop up right next to me still made me panic for a minute. Other times though, it can be outright relentless. I was going a little mad because I was trying to make the trip from devil's spine to Stellar Basin while skirting around Twisted Strands (wanted that dang abberant anchovy on the way to getting the abberant aurora jellyfish, for achievements lol) and was dodging one of them for pretty much the entire portion between twisted strands and the basin before it managed to just swallow me whole when i thought I had lost it and stopped swerving all over.

The fact that I don't have any idea what triggers that guy is what makes me so nervous about it though. Everything else I can generally avoid by either not being insane or leaving my lights off at night...but that? no clue. Still get jumpy if i'm in open ocean and hear something big breach before i locate whether it's a whale or a sail.

[Tolkien Book Fan]

The part of this game I enjoyed most was getting the Abyssal-Hadal-Oceanic rod, cruising around the western open sea catching random new fish, and finally not having the pressure of dealing with any monsters except maybe the anglerboats (which I could outrun). It was nice to have a section in which I could just sail and fish, as a break from the tension of the rest of the game.

[Rithrin]

Originally posted by RequiemsRose:

The fact that I don't have any idea what triggers that guy is what makes me so nervous about it though. Everything else I can generally avoid by either not being insane or leaving my lights off at night...but that? no clue. Still get jumpy if i'm in open ocean and hear something big breach before i locate whether it's a whale or a sail.

Yes, exactly! And normally when you see him, he surfaces, goes under, and then after a bit will turn towards you, so you know how to react to get away.

But one time I was just scooting along between two zones and I stopped for a moment to fish, then suddenly I see the leviathan's tail surfacing under me. It caused damaged, then when I scooted forward to get out of there, he stayed surfaced and formed a complete circle around the boat. Trying to escape just caused more damage. I quickly dialed up Manifest and just barely got the heck up out of there!

The unpredictability really drove home the tension.

[Rena Ichigawa]

The leviathan, beyond leaving the map, is constantly circling the map. You can even hear him roar from time to time echoing through the air if you're close enough to him when he does. Is he dangerous? Kinda, but overall you're not likely to see him, unless you're constantly at open sea, or looking for him.

[Kain]

I guess it could benefit from more events, insanity events and more creature encounters, I don't necessarily want it to be harder, since I don't think it's this game's point, but, more weird events would have been appreciated.

[53 & still gaming]

Originally posted by RequiemsRose:

They can quickly mess your boat up, or just plain swallow you whole though.

Confirmed, I just got insta-swallowed by that Leviathan. Did ruin my day and the last 15 minutes or so what I had achieved.

[Aquillion]

I honestly think it's a good thing. The game is trying to be subtle about the dangers of the depths, rather than having them constantly be in-your-face. The fact that it is sometimes a relaxed fishing simulator makes the monsters more shocking when they appear.

[Spiratic]

The first time I encountered the leviathan was during a storm. Maybe it hangs around and when it's close a storm happens? I remember reading something in game regarding storms and a sea monster I believe (could be wrong)

[MagpieOAO]

Originally posted by Aquillion:

I honestly think it's a good thing. The game is trying to be subtle about the dangers of the depths, rather than having them constantly be in-your-face. The fact that it is sometimes a relaxed fishing simulator makes the monsters more shocking when they appear.

And being a fishing sim puts a better contrast between the eldrich lovecraftian stuff.
Sunless Sea for instance everything is Bizziare in a world of bizziare so eventually things being nonsensical becomes the normal.

But here you can chug around, fish a bit with a lovely little tune with each catch until you get a random grotesque mutant monstrosity with that little tune twisted out of pitch, just reminding you something isn't quite right.