Review: Dave the Diver

destructoid.com:

I first sat down to play Dave the Diver expecting a few hours of casual fishing fun. 30 hours of game time later, I’m realizing that Dave the Diver goes much deeper than you’d expect from a $20 title. Its writing is hilarious, its art is simple but gorgeous, and its gameplay scratches my exploring/collecting itch in a way that’s supremely satisfying.

Dave the Diver was developed and published by Mintrocket, a brand-new subdivision of Nexon. Though Dave the Diver is the first game from Mintrocket, Nexon has a long history of mostly free-to-play online games like Maplestory and Blue Archive. Dave the Diver is neither free-to-play nor online though, and it offers a complete experience for the price of the box.

Dave the Diver (PC [Reviewed], Nintendo Switch)
Developer: Mintrocket
Publisher: Mintrocket
Released: June 28, 2023 (PC), October 26, 2023 (Switch)
MSRP: $19.99

Dave the Diver’s premise is simple. You are Dave, a professional SCUBA diver currently enjoying a tropical vacation. Suddenly, your best buddy Cobra calls, inviting you over for the best darn sushi of your life. Unable to resist, you hurry over to find that there is no sushi…yet. Cobra wants to open up a sushi restaurant, and he needs your help to manage it and catch fish.

From there, the gameplay is an addicting loop of exploring the Blue Hole, a mysterious undersea region full of fish from around the world. You’ll work with the sushi chef Bancho to add new fish to the menu, manage your restaurant to improve its rating, and even do some farming. While all this is going on, there is an overarching story involving an enigmatic lost civilization of Sea People.

The story is silly, yet endearing. The game as a whole doesn’t take itself too seriously, and it’s not