Dave The Diver: Plunging Headfirst into New Worlds

A Review of Hit RPG, Dave The Diver, that Transports Players in a New Underwater Adventure

Too scared to play Subnautica, but want to traverse a deep sea environment? Meet Dave The Diver, developed by studio Mint Rocket, a cosy, yet challenging experience as the player inhabits Dave, a diver returning from his vacation, as he gathers different types of fish for the renowned Bancho Sushi. Pact full of incredible animations, dynamic boss battles and quests, Dave The Diver is easily one of the best games I’ve had the pleasure to play this year.

A visually stunning experience, Dave The Diver utilises an intricate pixelated art style that fully encapsulates the depth of the Blue Hole, an underwater expanse that holds many mysteries for the player to unravel – namely, discovering and helping the race of ancient sea people alongside archaeologist Doctor Bacon. When Dave isn’t scavenging for parts to upgrade his equipment, discovering new types of fish or fighting off John Watson, the leader of the corrupt organisation Sea Blue, Dave is the hardworking front of house manager at Bancho Sushi.

Bancho Sushi holds a lovable cast of characters, namely, Bancho himself; when enhancing sushi dishes to serve to customers, researching new recipes or requesting Bancho to make new dishes, the game serves us up some of the most detailed, stylish, and absolutely un-skippable animations I’ve ever seen. These animations extend beyond Bancho to his customers and culinary rivals when tasting his delicious food, as well as anime lover and most likely Reddit user, Duff, who has some hilarious animations when he crafts or enhances Dave’s weapons.

My personal favourite animation takes place when helping out the Sea People, as Dave is rescued by the cocky coward Suwam who views himself as the hero of his own people and hilariously revels in saving Dave. These animations are not only visually pleasing, but reflect the vibrant personalities of the characters themselves.

In Dave The Diver, it’s the small details that truly count – I appreciated that each fish had a different look when being served as sushi, which made gathering and serving up dishes to customers even more satisfying. As the player chooses the menu every night, it was wonderful to check Cooksta, the game’s version of Instagram, to see customers post the different dishes served the previous evening.

___STEADY_PAYWALL___

Additionally, simple mechanics like being able to feed Momo, the resident cat, in the day at the restaurant, earning money to renovate Bancho Sushi to your own tastes and training your staff (which included a comic animation of a Gordon Ramsey lookalike), made the whole gaming experience even more fulfilling. Mini games such as playing through Duff’s dream or having your very own Tamagotchi or “GYAO!” as the game calls it, which lives on Dave’s phone, also helped to give the game a distinct personality.

For those of you who are completionists, Dave The Diver continues to not disappoint. With the Marinca app on Dave’s phone, a suspiciously dressed “Sato” (clearly yet cleverly taken from Ash Ketchum’s Japanese name, Satoshi) challenges you to catch em’ all! In each area of the game there are new fish to collect and new foes to fight. I found the boss battles against menacing sea creatures, as well as dealing with aggressive foes such as narwhals and sharks, a challenge, forcing me to approach each battle in a new way. I had to be mindful of how much oxygen I had left or even consider switching out my equipment, whether this be through my gun, harpoon, or melee weapon. I delighted in taking down each enemy I met, and was thoroughly satisfied when finally conquering a boss I had been struggling with.

Besides dominating the sea with brute force and greedily collecting more fish then Dave can carry for maximum profits (which results in an encumbered Dave swimming more slowly), the game also encourages you to appreciate the scenery and fish along the way with different photo opportunities to capture creatures in a new light. Playing as Dave you have the opportunity to rescue dolphins, beluga whales, and even a pet squid Selgio, owned by one of the Sea People, Linchen. Interestingly, the game also gives Dave a choice to either kill or spare when pesky sea creatures get in his way, although sparing always results in a reward for the player.

Dave The Diver is a silly yet immensely fulfilling experience; a perfect balance of intense battles and missions coupled together with comedic moments and dynamic characters. It is a game that very easily pulls you in for hours of enjoyment, and I was often telling myself to just play through one last mission before spending an extra two hours exploring the game and completing other quests. Whatever your playstyle, Dave The Diver truly is an aesthetically beautiful experience that has something for everybody.