I used to imagine that it was my life’s objective to turn into a scuba diver, and I accomplished my open-water scuba certification years in the past. However my expectations had been rapidly obliterated when actuality hit—I’m far too claustrophobic to scuba-dive, and I discovered most of my dives terrifying. Thankfully, I can now stay vicariously by means of Dave the Diver, a peaceable but fascinating recreation for PC and the Nintendo Change that fulfills just a few of my aquatic goals.
Who’s Dave?
In Dave the Diver, you play because the titular Dave, an unusual man whose stress-free trip is lower brief when he will get invited out to sushi with a pal—solely to study that he should go and catch the seafood himself from the native deep-sea dive spot, the Blue Gap. Dave is nervous concerning the Blue Gap’s enigmatic and ever-changing nature, however being a (generally begrudging) people-pleaser, he accepts the errand. His pals take this as an indication that our boy is down for something, and naturally, they proceed to throw him into restaurant administration.
Dave is now tasked with diving for fish throughout the day to fetch substances for the sushi restaurant that he should function at evening. These two actions differ tremendously in gameplay, however they work fantastically collectively. Moreover, you might have many different quests to tackle, depths to discover, and enhancements to unlock for Dave’s diving gear and sushi bar.
Find out how to play Dave the Diver
The Blue Gap is teeming with attractive aquatic surroundings, delivered to life by means of colourful, pixelated art work. Aiming and capturing at fish is instantly satisfying, and the controls are straightforward to study—all actions require solely easy button presses and exact intention, which you obtain by rotating your mouse or joystick within the appropriate course. The management scheme is fastened to the underside nook of the display screen for fast reference, which I discovered useful after I put the sport down for too lengthy after which returned to it as a novice. Button prompts additionally pop up if you strategy objects of curiosity, and you may pull up gameplay ideas and controls on Dave’s in-game smartphone at any time.
You begin the sport with the essential knife and harpoon, however earlier than lengthy you meet a weaponsmith named Duff, who helps you craft new underwater instruments and enhancements. You may as well discover enjoyable melee weapons in underwater chests, corresponding to rubber chickens and Japanese swords. Whereas some fish are docile and simple to catch, others are aggressive and injury your well being—represented by Dave’s oxygen tank—if you stumble upon or agitate them. If you happen to run out of oxygen, whether or not through murderous fish or diving too deep or for too lengthy, you lose all however one merchandise out of your stock and are instantly dragged again to the floor.
Once you’re not catching the day by day specials in your sushi joint, you get roped into random actions corresponding to racing seahorses, brawling with pirates, and fulfilling requests for pleasant merfolk and different island locals. After you full your duties throughout the day, you put together to open your restaurant. Every evening, you set the menu primarily based on the substances you’ve caught and the recipes you’ve unlocked, which you acquire by discovering new kinds of fish, defeating bosses, and finishing profitable dinner providers. Planning a worthwhile sushi menu includes a stunning quantity of technique, however the choice relies on what you catch—which, in flip, is expounded to how well-equipped you might be to catch totally different creatures.
None of your prospects are particularly affected person, so you need to bolt between serving seafood, restocking substances, and pouring drinks, the final of which includes a fast mini-game the place you could land the right quantity of liquid within the buyer’s glass. If you happen to’ve ever performed a Diner Sprint recreation, you’ll really feel at residence—working the sushi bar in Dave the Diver is much less anxious in tempo however comparable in idea.
Who ought to play Dave the Diver
Dave the Diver is a superb recreation for individuals who like journey video games with a comfortable really feel. It has non-bloody fight, rewarding exploration, and an improve system that feels extra akin to what yow will discover in a conventional action-adventure title, and working the restaurant appears like its personal separate simulation. These two gameplay components are fully totally different, however they create a cohesive expertise that’s each participating and soothing. And it’s a superb possibility for many who don’t have entry to a elaborate gaming rig or console, due to its mild system necessities.
We additionally advocate Dave the Diver for gamers who don’t have an abundance of free time. The controls are straightforward to get reacquainted with after a while away, and you may full the sport in roughly 20 hours for those who don’t dawdle. However you could end up desirous to stray from the first endeavors of diving into the depths and working the restaurant—that are addicting on their very own—in favor of the various mini-games to get pleasure from, characters to satisfy, and intelligent tales to find. Presently, Dave the Diver is accessible on the Nintendo Change and on Steam for PC and macOS.
This text was edited by Arthur Gies and Signe Brewster.
