Dave the Diver: In the Jungle Review: A Buffet I Don't Want to Leave

2 hours ago 1

Published Jun 18, 2026, 8:10 AM EDT

Stephanie Watel is a Contributing Writer at DualShockers who has been covering games professionally since 2022. She specializes in guides and reviews, with additional experience writing lists and features across RPGs, horror games, cozy sims, action games, open-world RPGs, JRPGs, and indie titles.

Before joining DualShockers, Stephanie contributed to GameRant, IGN, MovieWeb, Pro Game Guides, Twinfinite, and Prima Games. Her work has covered major releases, underground sleeper hits, and indie games across a wide range of genres. Stephanie holds a B.A. in English, including studies in journalism.

It had been some time since I last stepped foot into Dave the Diver, since the last DLC saw Like a Dragon's Ichiban Kasuga pay Dave and the others a visit a little over a year ago. Before that, the kaiju of legend, Godzilla, made a memorable appearance that made for a thrilling, albeit somewhat brief adventure. Since then, the day-to-day for Dave had otherwise stayed pretty routine, exploring the depths of the Blue Hole for fascinating and delicious fish and crustaceans while keeping things running smoothly at Bancho Sushi.

However, the news of an epic-sized DLC taking Dave and the gang on an entirely new tropical adventure into a mysterious jungle and beyond was music to my ears. The teasers (including a wholly unexpected live-action one) and tidbits of details about what it would entail only fueled that anticipation, and despite the delays in its development, given Mintrocket's exceptional dedication to its craft, I had good faith that the wait would pay off in spades. With promises of it being the biggest and most ambitious DLC to date, a whale of a DLC you could say, there certainly was a lot to prove.

Now with Dave the Diver's Into the Jungle DLC finally in my hands, I can say with chili-seasoned gusto that it's easily the absolute best post-game content they've put out so far. Not only that, they definitely weren't kidding about it being the biggest. Hints of it practically being a direct sequel to the main game weren't entirely unfounded, because its sheer size makes it feel that way from start to finish. It all but perfectly exemplifies what Dave the Diver is capable of, and it's astounding, to be frank. This ten-course meal of an adventure was thoroughly satisfying from one proverbial dish of content to the next, and by the end I felt delightfully full.

Utara Village Quickly Feels Like Home

The start of this DLC brings you to the remote village of Utara, deep within a jungle that Dave and co. have to reach by boat after learning of a strange creature that's washed up on its shores. Upon arriving, it's no surprise that the locals initially don't take too kindly to the presence of outsiders, despite your best intentions and Dave's jolly disposition.

Thankfully, the village chief, Panutah, does help break the ice a bit, as he alludes that you're not the only ones who have passed through over the years. Nonetheless, it'll take some time for the villagers to warm up to you, and this makes the experience feel more realistic in that regard. As things progress, you get ample opportunities to help out the locals, and it's not just simply running this or that errand for them. A new Affinity system allows you to do things like provide gifts that suit their personal interests. As their trust grows, you'll unlock a variety of new daily activities to keep you plenty busy outside of diving in the nearby lake and running your latest new restaurant spot.

Once you really start getting settled, Utara honestly starts to feel like a home away from home, or even more. Sure, the Blue Hole is where everything started, but this bustling jungle hub is the closest Dave's gotten to planting roots, literally. It's such a vibrant and well-designed locale that gives you the freedom to explore every bit of it isometrically and interact with so much. You even get to set up and customize your own little abode for resting after a long day of underwater escapades, so it does in fact become a home that just gets better and better.

Even when the main story came to a close, I found myself not really wanting to leave anytime soon with so much left to do in terms of content, and thankfully, you don't have to. Utara can be a permanent vacation, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

There Is so, so Much for Dave to Do

I dove into this DLC knowing that there would be a good, hearty chunk of stuff to do in and around the jungle, but in hindsight, I thoroughly underestimated just how much. That's not a reflection of exasperation either, because it felt like a constant but welcoming buffet that wouldn't and hasn't ended. There was still plenty left on my plate by the end of the story, and it lets you indulge at your own pace rather than force you to shovel too much too fast.

To step back a bit, you have the overarching story that drives Dave and the gang to the jungle in the first place, and that serves as a solid foundation for everything else that comes alongside it. You have an abundance of side quests to embark on with your colleagues as well as the village locals, once you've gotten to know them better. Some of those quests, in turn, unlock various new activities for you to integrate into your daily routine, and there are, well, a lot.

This doesn't even count the new methods of combat gathering materials, since your adventures are about evenly split between land and sea here. To name just a few, you get access to a shooting range, the ability to literally battle beetles, catch and raise lizards in terrariums, and more. Marinca also makes its return, but with a twist.

It can almost feel like there's too much to do in a day, but you don't ever have to. Rather, it means that you always have enough to do each day, and it's so satisfying. It also doesn't downplay the much simpler routines you have at the Blue Hole, because this DLC evidently shows just how much Dave the Diver can blossom and grow as a gaming experience, and how far it's come overall. It leaves me with a sense of pride in what they've accomplished with this.

Dave The Diver Was Partly Inspired By One Piece

Yakuza and Metal Gear have also been cited as sources of inspiration.

Diving and Serving Feel Familiar But Fresh

While Dave's jungle adventures in Utara have so much to do that's new, the DLC takes care not to leave behind the two cores of the game's foundation — underwater exploration and restaurant management. Soon after you arrive in the village, it isn't long before you're strapping on your flippers and back in the water to discover what's behind the strange pollution in the lake. The same bells and whistles are there, and while the lake is aesthetically more tropical, it's conceptually the same routine. The layout occasionally changes, just as before, and catching troves of appetizing fish and crustaceans is your day-to-day errand outside of getting to the bottom of the mystery at large.

However, there is an incredible abundance of new underwater wildlife to find here, as you're now in freshwater rather than the saltwater of the ocean. Dozens upon dozens of new creatures big and small, including some more formidable ones that take substantially more firepower and intuition to bring down. While I won't spoil what most of those are, there are plenty of crocodiles to go around, rest assured.

Of course, wherever Bancho goes, a world-class restaurant must follow. As a wholesome way to help build more trust in the village while simultaneously bringing it closer together through exquisitely-crafted food, Bancho Grill opens its doors, again with much of the same routine you already know. It does cut out some of the more tedious steps, such as vetting and training new employees, to help keep things more streamlined. Also, just know that the employees that eventually join your roster are by far some of the most eccentric and unexpected, in all the best ways.

While much of the routine is comfortably familiar, the DLC does introduce a few new elements to spice things up during service. For example, Dave will pick up skewer grill duties alongside his usual tasks, so you'll have to stay on top of that while managing output from the main kitchen. As a more open-concept restaurant, the isometric movement comes well into play, and it provides just enough of a new challenge while keeping it interesting. Not only that, since it is a village in the middle of the jungle, you may even have some critters pay a visit during service.

After numerous dinner shifts and expeditions below the surface, I think the DLC found the perfect balance with these particular elements of the gameplay. Keeping it familiar enough while incorporating new twists to give both features a fresh look in a new environment. Not only that, the team at Mintrocket actually traveled to southeast Asia to research its native cuisine, right down to the seasonings and exact processes used. So most, if not everything seen on Bancho's menu in Utara is genuine and authentic to the region. If that isn't dedication to getting it right, I don't know what is.

Combat is Ridiculously Fun

Combat gameplay in Dave the Diver has always been quite niche, in that it was tied mostly to bringing down various types of aquatic wildlife during daily trips down below. Keeping your distance while using everything in your arsenal to topple a shark or giant squid before it drains you of your health (or oxygen). The game didn't particularly need more combat than that at the time, so it's something you wouldn't necessarily call lacking.

However, this DLC throws that notion pretty much out the window. After all, when you're traversing a dense jungle full of mystery and danger, you need means to defend yourself from the lions, tigers, and bears, not necessarily in that order or those specific animals (ever heard of macaques?). Not only do you get full-fledged combat scenarios here, but it's executed in the best way imaginable — turn-based combat.

As an RPG fanatic of sorts, this is probably my top favorite new feature in the DLC. As you encounter various creatures in the jungle and beyond, you'll enter a turn-based battle with many of the classic elements you'd expect. Basic attacks, skills, use of items, and the option to flee if the odds aren't in your favor. Each person in the group gets different sets of unique skills, which keeps things interesting and allows you to legitimately strategize from one encounter to the next. New levels get you new skill unlocks and you can even get new weapons.

While it's a feature that's still self-contained to this region of the DLC, it ironically feels right at home with everything else, and just feels so impressively polished.

The story of 'Into the Jungle' is a thrilling, fascinating, and heartwarming one all wrapped up in what feels like a pinnacle expansion DLC. It kicks off with a mysterious creature beached on the shore outside Utara village, supposedly as a consequence of the continuous earthquakes that rattled the Blue Hole in the base game's story. The creature itself is definitely not something you'd find roaming a lake even in the most remote of regions, and it unravels a much deeper mystery that lies in the surrounding jungle, as well as the furthest depths of the lake itself.

On the surface, it's a plot that doesn't feel entirely unfamiliar to Dave the Diver. There are certain elements and characters that make their return, though for reasons that make sense rather than just for the sake of appearance. With the introduction of Utara and its inhabitants, however, the story practically morphs into something new and refreshing, on a level the game hasn't seen before. All the aforementioned new content and features blend together with just enough familiar ones to make something new and exciting. While the narrative flow can feel a bit predictable at times, the twist that comes in the second half of the story is well worth the effort, and made for an almost otherworldly finale sequence that definitely left its mark on me.

When a DLC can blend itself almost seamlessly into the game's existing foundation while still doing its part to expand its universe and simultaneously provide a new, refreshing experience, that's when it's done the job right.

To sum up, Dave the Diver's Into the Jungle DLC is an absolute feast for the senses in just about every possible way. Seldom is there an ounce of creativity wasted anywhere, from the moment you first enter Utaru village to the thrilling encounters in the furthest depths of the surrounding lake, the dangerous creatures of the jungle, and the mystery of what lies beyond all of it. Dave and the gang embark on their most epic adventure ever, complete with a savory buffet of fresh content that sticks just enough to its roots, actual turn-based combat, a delightful new soundtrack, and by far one of the most satisfying experiences I've had from a DLC in years.