Fans of the video game Dredge will absolutely love Deep Regrets by Judson Cowan and published by Tettix Games. The game blends a little bit of dice placement and a little bit of push-your-luck to deliver a satisfyingly creepy fishing experience that sees players competing for the highest value haul of creatures by the end of the game. Not everything beneath the waves is as it seems, however. Borrowing heavily from Lovecraftian horror and Edmond Halley's hollow earth theory, Deep Regrets contains many "foul" creatures that will force players to gain regret cards, which pushes player's madness to higher levels. Although the player with the most regret at the end of the game will suffer a penalty, there are advantages in the number of dice you can use and even discounts at shops in port that come with losing yourself to the madness that spreads beneath the sea.
The artwork, also by Cowan, makes this game really stand out as something special. The sheer number of different creatures is reminiscent of the Wing/Wyrn/Finspan games and allows for a lot of replayability before you truly know everything that lurks beneath the briny depths. The quality of the game is mirrored in the quality of the assets and extra care has gone in to reducing the amount of plastic in the packaging. This was thanks to the efforts of Cowan who, following a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, wanted to ensure there was no hypocrisy in designing a game about the ocean while also introducing more plastics into circulation.
Deep Regrets also comes with a satisfying solo experience that allows a player to take the role of a scientist completing a survey of the oceans and recording the many fair and foul creatures they dredge up. This solo mode hits a more relaxing tone than the main, multiplayer game, with less focus on the madness and regret mechanics, and no down-time in port. However, it stands alone well as an enjoyable experience and will guarantee that owners of the game will get more of their money's worth should they struggle to get a group together to play.
Thanks to the huge success the game received on Kickstarter, Cowan has since developed Shallow Regrets, now taking late pledges on Kickstarter, with Button Shy Games. Shallow Regrets is advertised as a pocket-sized game of Deep Regrets made up of only 18 cards and packed in a vinyl wallet for maximum portability. The Kickstarter page also promises a solo mode in which players will go up against fan-favourite character Frod to make the biggest catch. The popularity of Deep Regrets saw Shallow Regrets make its pledge goal well within the time limit.
Cowen has also announced that this summer will see a Kickstarter launch of Even Deeper Regrets, an expansion on the main game, that promises even more disturbing fishing, deeper madness, and a wealth of new regrettable decisions. This campaign will also allow backers to grab a copy of Deep Regrets if they have any regrets of not backing the game the first time around.
Overall, Deep Regrets is a satisfyingly meaty game to play when played with the maximum number of players, yet simple to pick up, and the theme is well executed. A must have for any fans of eldritch horror as a genre, and a fascination with the horrors that lurk beneath the waves.
