Dave the Diver: In the Jungle Review - They Could Have Almost Made a Whole Other Game Out of It, IGN's Analysis

If you loved the diving/sushi loop of Dave the Diver, In the Jungle is well worth its roughly €10 price tag - provided you accept that the jungle often takes precedence over the sea. Those coming purely for the diving might find themselves disappointed fairly quickly...

What is Dave the Diver?

Dave the Diver is a game (from studio Mintrocket) released in 2023 that blends diving (exploration, hunting, and resource management) with restaurant sim gameplay. During the day, you fish in the Blue Hole. At night, Bancho serves customers at the sushi bar. A surprising combination that won people over thanks to its fluidity and pixel art charm.

What the DLC actually brings, according to IGN

In the Jungle moves the action to a lush jungle around Utara Village. Diving, meanwhile, shifts to a contaminated freshwater lake, with the novel double constraint of having to manage both the usual oxygen gauge and a new toxicity gauge that poisons your O2 if it fills up. Gear progression remains mandatory before accessing the deeper areas, so the franchise's core identity clearly hasn't been betrayed.

The generosity of the content is genuinely remarkable, the journalist tells us. No less than ten hours of new story, a two-tier RPG system in the jungle (XP, special attacks, action points), a village reputation mechanic (gifts, mini-quests, daytime chats to stock up the Bancho Grill in the evening), and a whole bunch of mini-games: bug fights, fishing, figurine placement, a Taiko no Tatsujin-style rhythm game, and nods to Cut the Rope and Duck Hunt. For under 10 euros, then, it's hard to complain about the value for money.

Visually, the contrast with the base game is striking: the deep blues have been replaced with vivid greens, the light is filtered through the canopy, and the pixel art is packed with detail. It's clear that more care went into the cutscenes this time around. As it stands, the art direction holds up well and the jungle feels genuinely alive.

Limitations to keep in mind

While this DLC seems to drift away from the original premise by becoming almost a spin-off, the day/night cycle shifts time forward with every village interaction, whether it's various conversations, a purchase, or customizing your home, which ultimately leaves you very little time to dive. For a diving game, that's certainly a deliberate choice, but it can be potentially frustrating.

Who is it for, and compared to what?

If you were as won over by the life sim side of Dave the Diver as you were by the diving, In the Jungle is a no-brainer, and if Stardew Valley or Spiritfarer are your points of reference, the world you'll find here will feel familiar. On the other hand, if you came purely for the underwater dimension, this DLC stands a good chance of losing you along the way. Given the 8/10 score awarded by IGN, the expansion is generous and well-designed, but its biggest weakness ultimately lies in a potential excess of ambition.