DAVE THE DIVER

 PC
User Score
7.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 226 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 143 out of 226
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 226
  3. Negative: 49 out of 226

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  1. tibzoid
    Jul 7, 2023
    6
    It's fine, it just gets dull after a while. This is not an astonishing, amazing, addictive game. They just spliced the '80s coin-op game Tapper onto a simple underwater foraging game. It feels polished but it just bored me after a while. I'm wondering why people gave it such glowing reviews.
  2. Acberger
    Jul 9, 2023
    6
    The game is really fun for a few hours or so, but beyond that, it gets dull very quickly.

    No care was given to balancing the cost/reward benefit of farming and producing certain dishes, so an early and easily farmed recipe ends up being the most profitable. All unique fish always spawn in the same exact locations, so there is no reason to explore any area more than once. The farming    The game is really fun for a few hours or so, but beyond that, it gets dull very quickly.

    No care was given to balancing the cost/reward benefit of farming and producing certain dishes, so an early and easily farmed recipe ends up being the most profitable. All unique fish always spawn in the same exact locations, so there is no reason to explore any area more than once. The farming aspect of the game is half-baked and tedious.

    The game is really fun as you explore deeper into the depths, but there is no reason to continue playing once you reach the end.    … Expand
  3. fr0me
    Jul 12, 2023
    6
    Game starts off very fun, but theres not much progression after getting staff.

    Wish there was more mechanics in the game, and more things to do while working in the restaurant. I feel like just a little bit more complexity would add a lot to this game, because how it is now it becomes very repetitive.
  4. Spyan
    Jul 4, 2023
    5
    Reminds me a lot of Dredge : a grindy, merely semi-ok phone game with repetive game loops that will keep you enternained for 3 days before you give up and uninstal. Not much incentive to finish the game. A mish mash of popular mechanics from ten other games that gets old pretty fast. Just like dredge : nothing to write home about and will be forgotten in about a monthg after its release.Reminds me a lot of Dredge : a grindy, merely semi-ok phone game with repetive game loops that will keep you enternained for 3 days before you give up and uninstal. Not much incentive to finish the game. A mish mash of popular mechanics from ten other games that gets old pretty fast. Just like dredge : nothing to write home about and will be forgotten in about a monthg after its release. Thank god it's cheap, but it still might be a little too expensive for what you get. This isn't worth twenty bucks.… Expand
  5. Cartoofel
    Jul 2, 2023
    7
    ---{ Graphics }---
    ☐ You forget what reality is
    ☐ Beautiful ✅ Nice ☐ Will do ☐ Bad ☐ Don‘t look too long at it ☐ MS-DOS ---{ Gameplay }--- ☐ Very good ✅ Good ☐ It's just gameplay ☐ Mehh ☐ Watch paint dry instead ☐ Just don't ---{ Audio }--- ☐ Eargasm ☐ Very good ✅ Good ☐ Not too bad ☐ Bad ☐ I'm now deaf ---{ Audience }--- ✅ Kids ✅ Teens ✅ Adults ☐ Grandma    ---{ Graphics }---
    ☐ You forget what reality is
    ☐ Beautiful
    ✅ Nice
    ☐ Will do
    ☐ Bad
    ☐ Don‘t look too long at it
    ☐ MS-DOS

    ---{ Gameplay }---
    ☐ Very good
    ✅ Good
    ☐ It's just gameplay
    ☐ Mehh
    ☐ Watch paint dry instead
    ☐ Just don't

    ---{ Audio }---
    ☐ Eargasm
    ☐ Very good
    ✅ Good
    ☐ Not too bad
    ☐ Bad
    ☐ I'm now deaf

    ---{ Audience }---
    ✅ Kids
    ✅ Teens
    ✅ Adults
    ☐ Grandma

    ---{ PC Requirements }---
    ☐ Check if you can run paint
    ☐ Potato
    ✅ Decent
    ☐ Fast
    ☐ Rich boi
    ☐ Ask NASA if they have a spare computer

    ---{ Difficulty }---
    ☐ Just press 'W'
    ✅ Easy
    ☐ Easy to learn / Hard to master
    ☐ Significant brain usage
    ☐ Difficult
    ☐ Dark Souls

    ---{ Grind }---
    ☐ Nothing to grind
    ☐ Only if u care about leaderboards/ranks
    ✅ Isn't necessary to progress ☐ Average grind level ☐ Much grind ☐ You'll need a second live for grinding ---{ Story }--- ☐ No Story ☐ Some lore ✅ Average ☐ Good ☐ Lovely ☐ It'll replace your life ---{ Game Time }--- ☐ Long enough for a cup of coffee ☐ Short ✅ Average ☐ Long ☐ To infinity and beyond ---{ Price }--- ☐ It's free! ☐ I would pay double ✅ Worth the price ☐ If it's on sale ☐ If u have some spare money left ☐ Not recommended ☐ You could also just burn your money ---{ Bugs }--- ✅ Never heard of ☐ Minor bugs ☐ Can get annoying ☐ Embraced the Bugs ☐ The game itself is a big terrarium for bugs ---{ ? / 10 }--- ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐ 6 ✅ 7 ☐ 8 ☐ 9 ☐ 10    … Expand
  6. DinboNomad2z2
    Jul 1, 2023
    7
    The game is ascetically beautiful and fun. Would like this trend more from Nexon as they are widely known for being P2W monetization. Would like it to have more clarity as to what information are being collected through this game.
  7. Innumerableman
    Aug 2, 2023
    7
    The game revolves around two main gameplay parts: 1. exploring, collecting, and fighting in the sea, and 2. managing and working in a sushi restaurant. The total gameplay loop is 3 parts: morning sea session, afternoon sea session, and sushi restaurant session at night. You collect as many things in your pack (weight limited, but can be upgraded as you progress) as you can in each seaThe game revolves around two main gameplay parts: 1. exploring, collecting, and fighting in the sea, and 2. managing and working in a sushi restaurant. The total gameplay loop is 3 parts: morning sea session, afternoon sea session, and sushi restaurant session at night. You collect as many things in your pack (weight limited, but can be upgraded as you progress) as you can in each sea session, then head back up to the boat to supply your sushi restaurant, or to sell if its non-fish. You can also end the session whenever you want, or if you start to run out of air without a way to replenish it, but for the sake of making money it makes more sense to fill your pack each session.

    hunting regular fish is pretty basic as you aim your harpoon gun manually, and reel them in automatically. some tougher fish require quicktime events that are randomized so you can't memorize if its the QTE based on the right joystick, or series of buttons on the controller. The tougher/bigger fish are more interesting encounters. They will attack you and it requires careful ammo management with a gun, as the harpoon isn't enough, as well as dodgin their lunges at you. There are bosses in the game that vary in difficulty, but overall are pretty good/fun.

    Then there is the sushi restaurant. You try to upgrade your sushi meals based on the fish you catch each day, rarer or bigger fish bring better sale prices, as well as enhancing dishes with salt, oil, etc. that you can find in the sea. You can research new sushi meals as you collect a type of currency based on good performance at the restaurant. Then, you set your menu for the evening and open the restaurant. you run around the sushi bar filling glasses and running plates to customers. As you progress and your restaurant gets more popular, you need to hire waiters and cooks to meet the demand.

    Overall, the sea portions of the game are more relaxing than exciting. I think the most fun part of the game personally is trying to fill the compendium of fish and unlocking all the sushi dishes for your restaurant, as the fighting portion under the sea gets kinda boring after the first few hours. The sushi restaurant is pretty interesting at first, especially as you hire staff and start to make aesthetic changes to your restaurant. However, once you have a full staff they do most of the work for you and the things that you are left to do get very repetitive. The sushi restaurant gameplay loop overall is like a 5 out of 10. The sea portion is probably 7 out of 10

    That would leave the game with an average of 6 out of 10, but the extra point I gave in my score goes to the charm and humor of the characters and story of the game. The game has the same sort of charm going for it that reminded me of Stardew Valley with its characters, and it definitely makes the game more enjoyable to play. I also commend indie games that make charming experiences and tight gameplay type games, even if the gameplay is rather basic or repetitive.

    In summary, its worth your time to play for like an hour a day/night to wind down after playing your ranked try-hard multiplayer games that are more stressful than fun.    … Expand
  8. PhoneTheo
    Aug 8, 2023
    6
    Game starts off very fun, but theres not much progression after getting staff.

    Wish there was more mechanics in the game, and more things to do while working in the restaurant. I feel like just a little bit more complexity would add a lot to this game, because how it is now it becomes very repetitive.
  9. Maradum
    Jul 31, 2023
    7
    In Dave the Diver you play as Dave – the Diver – who flies out to a deserted Island, meets a restaurant owner and a business man and become the diver for said restaurant. You get a diving suit, a harpoon and its your job to provide fish for the restaurant so the chef can make sushi. You also serve at that restaurant.

    The gamepaly loop itself is super fun: You have 3 segments in the day,    In Dave the Diver you play as Dave – the Diver – who flies out to a deserted Island, meets a restaurant owner and a business man and become the diver for said restaurant. You get a diving suit, a harpoon and its your job to provide fish for the restaurant so the chef can make sushi. You also serve at that restaurant.

    The gamepaly loop itself is super fun: You have 3 segments in the day, 2 for diving, 1 for working at the restaurant. While diving you have your harpoon and different weapons, to catch fish and also fight dangerous fish, like multiple kinds of sharks. In the evening, you assist in the restaurant, you set up the menu, hire co-workers and serve the sushi to the customers. Both these aspects are by far the best in the game, the ocean is fun to explore, the restaurant section is also a fun mini game.

    You can upgrade several things, like the diving suit to dive deeper, or the harpoon to make more damage. You have a weapon shop to upgrade weapons, a pokemon like fish card collection game, a achievement log where you get several smaller tasks you can exchange for points and items. The game also has one main story, which offers a nice and interesting plot. Furthermore, there are many pixel art cutscenes, that are rather short, but super fun to watch.

    Unfortunately, all those small systems are what ultimately diminish the fun for me. Every time you get out of the water, there are more side quests, more side stuff, that just feel like filler that bloats the game, with very little relevance. You also get a fish farm and a farm for rice/vegetables which offers more options – but overall those systems are extremely half baked and not fun at all.Most of the side stuff just ends to be annoying chores.

    Overall, the game would have been much better with a higher focus on diving/restaurant/main story. Instead you get burned out by the side content and side systems here.    … Expand
  10. fantasmacanino
    Jul 21, 2023
    6
    When the game is good, it's really good. But at some point, past the 30 hour mark you slowly lose interest. The loop of going catching fish and serving it in the restaurant starts to stretch, way too much starting in chapter 4. Going through a full day can often take you over one hour.
  11. Typiak
    Sep 8, 2023
    5
    First hours feel great but the gameplay is too simple to made the experience intersteting in the long run.
    Most of the characters have little to no evolution during the story, it feels kinda empty.
    However a great mix between 3d et pixel art, really fiiting the "dive" atmosphere and some cool fish design.
  12. royalguy07
    Aug 28, 2023
    7
    Dave the Diver ultimately landed as a game I wish I had loved. The setting, style, and tone were all spot on for me. I loved the characters and vibe they had set up. the restaurant sim was light and fun, the upgrade system clear and rewarding.
    I just did not enjoy the actual main gameplay diving sequences enough, which became stale for me rather quick.
  13. shynorah
    Jul 30, 2023
    5
    NEVER LOOK STEAM REVIEWS.
    I made the mistake of buying this game after seeing 95% positive steam reviews.
    And I didn't watch a video before buying to be surprised and discover the game by myself... Big mistake on my part. The game is fully scripted, it never leave you alone EVER. I wanted to manage my restaurant freely, explore on my own. But no, the game constantly interrupts    NEVER LOOK STEAM REVIEWS.
    I made the mistake of buying this game after seeing 95% positive steam reviews.
    And I didn't watch a video before buying to be surprised and discover the game by myself...

    Big mistake on my part.

    The game is fully scripted, it never leave you alone EVER.
    I wanted to manage my restaurant freely, explore on my own.

    But no, the game constantly interrupts you (every day)
    to tell you what to do. It's just annoying.

    Good points :
    - Quality Pixel Art
    - Character cutscenes are classy
    - Good game idea, (diving + sushi restaurant)
    - Good AD

    Negative points :
    - Interrupt every day
    - No freedom
    - Limited map
    - Bad scenario
    - Gameplay not great    … Expand
  14. MarioandLuigi
    Jul 14, 2023
    6
    É um bom joguinho paga passar o tempo, porém tenha em mente que são apenas um compilado de minigames com um história engraçada.
  15. BowSpear
    Jul 15, 2023
    6
    Um jogo divertido e engraçado, que compila diversos minigames com um história engraçada. Porém está bem longe de ser perfeito.
  16. Micetrap
    Aug 9, 2023
    7
    El juego durante las primeras horas es una maravilla, tiene un arte precioso y la mecánica de pesca submarina y el restaurante de sushi en muy entretenido.
    La única pega que le pongo es que se me hizo un poco tedioso todo el apartado de la historia y los combates contra jefes.

Awards & Rankings

8
#8 Best PC Game of 2023
21
#21 Most Discussed PC Game of 2023

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
90

Universal acclaim - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 44 out of 44
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 44
  3. Negative: 0 out of 44
  1. XboxEra
    Nov 20, 2025
    95
    Dave the Diver is an excellent, enormous title that is best left as vague as possible. Go in without looking too deeply into it and be ready for dozens of hours of some of the best that video gaming has to offer.
    Read full review
  2. GameMAG
    Nov 26, 2023
    90
    Dave the Diver is an eventful experience where every new dive is an adventure of its own that always come hand in hand with an unexpected plot developments.
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  3. Destructoid
    Sep 26, 2023
    90
    In a world full of fear and uncertainty, Dave the Diver is here to offer a lighthearted story and engaging gameplay. It doesn’t try to follow trends or emulate big AAA titles. It doesn’t have an in-game shop to try to get you to spend more money. It’s simply a silly, fun game about a diver named Dave, and I can’t put it down.
    Read full review
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