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Dave the Diver’s New In The Jungle DLC is So Massive, It Feels Like a Sequel (Review)
Since Mintrocket first revealed the Dave the Diver: In the Jungle DLC, they’ve been telling us it’d be big. But even if each new trailer built up my hype, I didn’t quite believe just how massive this DLC would be. Then, I got the opportunity to venture to the jungle with Dave and the Bancho Sushi crew early for review. And when I say In the Jungle feels so big, it’s basically a sequel, I am not kidding.
In the Jungle is the first major content DLC for Dave the Diver. It adds a whole new jungle area to explore, with fresh additions ot the game’s classic fishing by day, restaurant management by night loop. With over 10 hours of content and an entirely new flow for your daily tasks, playing Dave the Diver‘s new In the Jungle DLC feels a lot more like playing a full-on sequel. With real-time gameplay that includes roaming around in the wild as Dave for the first time, In the Jungle basically feels like everything fans love about Dave the Diver, married to the best elements of a farming sim. If you like the base game, and especially if you also love a good farming or life sim, this DLC is an absolute must-play.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| A ton of new content more than justifies the price tag | New gameplay loop does feel quite different from base game |
| Just plain fun to explore as Dave outside a 2D plane for the first time | |
| Fun spins on core game mechanics feel fresh yet familiar | |
| New characters, recipes, and items to discover |
Dave’s New Jungle Adventure Offers Exploration & Freedom Like Never Before
When Dave first steps off the boat into the jungle, players get their first taste of free exploration. Where Dave could only move in a 2D plane in the Blue Hole and Bancho Sushi, he is now set free. Did I spend a little too long just running around because I could? Perhaps. But Mintrocket puts that added freedom to good use, with an adjusted gameplay loop that gives players even more options for how to spend their time.
In the village, Dave can collect ingredients above ground for the first time. You can harvest bamboo, herbs, and more while you wander around the village. Not only that, but you’ve got plenty of relationships to maintain. A new journal tracks how much the villagers trust Dave and the crew, and yes, it comes with a life-sim-style gifting mechanic to increase those hearts. Each villager offers up quests for Dave to complete, and earning their trust means unlocking new customers for Bancho Grill. Some villagers even teach Dave exciting new activities, adding mini-games like block stacking and beetle battles to further diversify the gameplay.
To go with these activities, the In the Jungle DLC operates on more of a real-time schedule rather than the day/night cycle of the base game. You have the choice to dive or explore the village, completing side quests by day, and you can even tick off non-diving tasks after Bancho Grill closes. Just don’t stay out too late, or you’ll be tired the next day. In other words, In The Jungle pulls in many of the best parts of a good farming sim, minus planting and watering your own crops. And frankly? It’s a natural fit to go alongside the fishing and restaurant management that make up the primary gameplay for the original Dave the Diver.
All of these features come along with a brand-new story for players to uncover, with about 10 hours’ worth of plot to uncover. As usual, Dave finds himself mixed up in bigger issues as he helps the villagers try to get to the root of their lake pollution problems. Each character in the village has their own story to tell alongside the overarching story, making In the Jungle feel like a truly complete new entry in Dave’s story.
Fresh Twists Added to Familiar Gameplay Make Dave the Diver: In the Jungle An Instant Hit
Rest assured, if you love the base game, none of what makes Dave the Diver great is going away here. The signature sense of humor returns, along with quite a few familiar faces. And while we’ve swapped the Blue Hole for a freshwater lake, the diving and fishing mechanics are much the same. You’ll feel at home in the murky depths, even as you encounter new surprises and find new ingredients for Bancho to serve up at his jungle restaurant.
Similarly, running Bancho Grill brings in all the basic elements from Bancho Sushi, but in a 3D plane. You’ll still serve drinks and dishes that Bancho cooks, while also managing a few new tasks of your own. The drink-serving mini-games are new, opting for refreshing coconut and a few other island-themed surprises. And you get to set a brand-new menu full of freshwater fish dishes, complete with new animations for Bancho’s recipe enhancements.
What I love about the DLC is the attention to detail for these returning features. Each one gets a new jungle-themed skin to match the environment. Your escape pod gets a wooden glow-up (or glow-down), as do the power-ups you find while diving. This makes even these familiar elements feel fresh, while still operating how longtime Dave the Diver fans expect them to. It’s a master class in making a DLC expansion that feels truly innovative, without sacrificing what fans love about the original.
That said, not everyone may thank Mintrocket for a day packed full of even more to do, and the real-time gameplay clock could take some getting used to. As a longtime farming and life sim enthusiast, I felt right at home, but I could see some fans yearning for simpler times. For me, though, this is everything I wanted In the Jungle to be and more, taking what I love about Dave the Diver and pulling in even more cozy gaming classics to level it up a step further.
Dave the Diver: In the Jungle launches on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 on June 18th. It is priced at $9.99 on all platforms. ComicBook received a Steam copy of the Dave the Diver: In the Jungle DLC for the purpose of this review.
