Dave the Diver: In the Jungle Review

Dave the Diver has spent three years proving that genre-blending, when done with enough charm and care, does not need to feel like a gimmick. What began in 2023 as a surprise hit mixing roguelike deep-sea exploration with restaurant management has since grown into one of the most inventive games on the market, and Mintrocket has kept it alive with a lot of different content, including many crossovers and events. In the Jungle, however, is something different. It is the studio's first major paid expansion built around an entirely original story and not just a licensed crossover, and the first to introduce mechanics that simply did not exist anywhere in the base game.

Mintrocket

The jungle's freshwater lake is just as lush and inviting as the Blue Hole ever was, sunlight and all.

Out of the Blue Hole, Into the Jungle

The premise sends Dave and the Bancho Sushi crew away from the familiar waters of the Blue Hole entirely, off to investigate a strange phenomenon reported near the remote jungle village of Utara. A dead, ancient creature has washed up beside a freshwater lake, and naturally, Dave being Dave, he agrees to help get to the bottom of it. As a result, you get ten hours of new content, making In the Jungle comfortably the largest expansion the game has received to date and one that definitely feels a lot more like a sequel than a DLC.

With 'In the Jungle', Mintrocket has not simply reskinned the existing loop with jungle textures; they have rebuilt large parts of how the game plays above the surface while keeping the core diving mechanics close enough to home that long-time fans will not feel lost.

A Stardew Valley Detour

The most significant change in In the Jungle happens entirely outside the water. Where the base game's surface sections were confined to simple side-scrolling movement around Bancho Sushi, Utara Village is presented in a full isometric perspective, and for the first time in the series, Dave can roam freely in every direction and not, like before, just back and forth. The result feels like a detour into Stardew Valley territory, and it is a detour the game pulls off really well.

Mintrocket

Electric eels are among the new underwater hazards waiting in Intisuyu's depths — handle with care.

Time now flows in real time as you explore, while in the base game, it moved only when Dave went on diving expeditions. You will spend portions of your day farming, fishing on land, catching bugs, and gathering resources like wood, stone, and even lizards, all while getting to know more than thirty new characters who call the village home.

Each villager has their own likes and dislikes, and building relationships with them through gifts and favours unlocks new side quests and mini-games and eventually convinces them to visit your new jungle restaurant, Bancho Grill. These mechanics flip the entire gameplay formula on its head, making this DLC even more like a survival game with resource needs and all, which in the base game existed without any purpose.

The new restaurant itself follows the same isometric logic as the village around it. Instead of the more straightforward layout of the original Bancho Sushi, you now have to physically navigate around tables and chairs while grilling appetisers, mixing drinks, and serving dishes to villagers who, true to form, do not trust your unfamiliar cooking at first and need to be won over one mango shake at a time.

Miintrocket

Crocodiles bring a genuine sense of danger to the new lake, a step up from the Blue Hole's usual threats.

Familiar Waters, New Currents

Beneath the surface, the jungle's freshwater lake will feel comfortably familiar to anyone who spent time in the Blue Hole, with the same satisfying loop of harpooning fish, managing oxygen and stamina, and hauling resources back to shore before your tank runs dry. New dangers populate these waters, however, including crocodiles, electric eels, and giant sturgeon, and Dave's underwater arsenal gets a notable new addition in the form of a jungle-specific weapon that essentially functions as four water firearms in one, letting you switch between sniping, shotgun-style spread shots, and netting modes depending on what you are hunting.

Where the expansion takes a bit of a bigger gameplay risk is in its new turn-based combat system, used primarily during jungle exploration sequences away from the water. Contrary to popular belief, this combat system didn't sit well with me, because it somehow breaks the flow the base game has and is probably the part of the experience that will feel the most awkward to anyone who spent their time with Dave inside Blue Hole.

Mintrocket

Utara Village in full isometric view — the biggest visual departure the series has taken since launch.

Conclusion

In the Jungle is a rare example of a DLC that earns comparisons to a full sequel rather than something that adds seamless content to a game. The shift to an isometric, freely explorable village, the new relationship and farming systems, and the expanded restaurant management all represent real structural evolution and not just surface-level additions, and the underwater diving at its core remains just as satisfying as it always has been. The new turn-based combat is an addition that won't sit well for everyone, but this small downside is simply not enough to undercut just how much content, charm, and innovation Mintrocket has packed into this expansion.

At roughly ten hours of fresh material for a modest price, In the Jungle stands as the most ambitious and successful piece of post-launch content Dave the Diver has received to date, and for fans who have been waiting to see what this team can do beyond the Blue Hole, it delivers in a way that genuinely exceeds expectations for what a DLC is supposed to be.