Dave the Diver Review (Chanandler Bong)
"Just one more dive..."
I bought this game completely on a whim because I kept seeing it advertised everywhere and saw all the glowing reviews. I went in blind, not knowing much besides "catch fish during day, sell them at night." I was expecting something with a very simple concept like Moonlighter but I was pleased to see it's much more than that and there's a lot to unpack here and so much to enjoy. There's a lot I personally love about the game.
- The addictive gameplay of filling out essentially a fish pokedex (like animal crossing)
- The satisfying loop of catching a bunch of fish, selling them at the restaurant you manage, and using the money to upgrade Dave's diving equipment so you can progress further, deal more damage, upgrade oxygen tank, etc.
- Wonderful soundtrack. It's got tense scores during boss fights to just more relaxing chill music while on a peaceful dive, and I'm someone who almost never pays attention to the soundtrack in games.
- Even many hours in I was pleased to still be unlocking new content (for example, a farm to grow more crops for your dishes)
- Some of the random minigames are so much fun. I wasn't expecting to suddenly have to play a rhythm minigame sequence as Duff, the anime loving neckbeard who provides Dave with weapon upgrades, but it gave me a good laugh and just shook up the gameplay a bit.
- All the characters are so charming, even smaller characters are so fleshed out, such as a rapper named MC Sammy who has a popular song called "Hot Pepper Tuna"
This is one of those games where it's very clear where all the hype comes from once you play it. I can't recommend it enough.