When a game developer handles it right, spending time in early access can help create fantastic final experiences for players. It’s something that Dave the Diver, from developer Mintrocket, may have found to its benefit, and it's no doubt going to be mentioned alongside the best fishing games.

Dave the Diver puts the players into the flippers of the titular Dave, the co-owner of a sushi restaurant on the edge of the mysterious Blue Hole. This strange location allows all sorts of species of fish to thrive, and is the perfect place for Dave to go diving, getting fresh ingredients to make his restaurant the most exciting place to eat in the world. However, there are mysteries to uncover and fiendish fish to fry in those cold depths.

A Veritable Gameplay Buffet

If there’s one thing to know about Dave the Diver, it’s that it is an intensely moreish game. This is due to the sheer variety of different gameplay experiences that it provides. At surface level it appears to be a fairly casual fishing game, but even at that core gameplay loop there is more than meets the eye.

The main event of Dave the Diver is essentially an underwater fishing RPG. The player will catch fish for the restaurant, including more challenging fights against larger sea predators and one-off bosses alike, complete quests and missions for other characters, and slowly but surely upgrade their gear so they can dive further on their next day of fishing. It’s a satisfying central kernel for the game, with three fishing opportunities per day and plenty to explore.

However, that’s just scratching the surface. Running the sushi restaurant is a cross between a management sim and long-forgotten arcade games like Tapper, while there are also other sub-sections of the game like farming to consider. And that’s without even thinking about optional elements like its Pokemon pastiche of Marinca or getting extra cash by photographing undersea life.

A Far From Shallow Adventure

Appearances can very much be deceiving with video games, and Dave the Diver is the perfect example of that. Its cartoonish characters, pixel art aesthetic, and relatively goofy premise all point towards something that might be fun, but that won’t stick around in the memory. However, Dave the Diver has a surprising depth to it.

For starters, its plot far exceeds that initial idea of simply running a successful sushi restaurant, and Dave and the gang will come up against everything from pirates to dubiously-motivated eco terrorists along the way. And the jewel in the crown is the discovery of a race of underwater sea people as Dave explores the history and downfall of their society.

It certainly helps that the writing is on point a lot of the time. There’s a tonal similarity to the tongue-in-cheek smartness of Not Tonight, and it only makes its characters all the more endearing - even if the comments made about Dave’s weight do get a little bit tiring as the game goes on.

An Oceanographer’s Delight

From a design perspective, Dave the Diver truly sells the majesty of the ocean, even in its pixelated form. It’s a beautiful game, from the vibrant colors of the shallows through the dark, frozen depths. Meanwhile, it’s backed up by a shifting score of excellent songs that tonally match whatever moment Dave is in.

This feeling is only intensified by the quality and the variety of underwater life that Dave the Diver includes. Real care and attention has been taken to showcase the diversity of life in the ocean, and it’s almost a shame to catch the sea-life that’s on show here. In a way, it’s almost the perfect counterpart to Lovecraftian fishing sim Dredge, by showing the awe of the ocean through beauty rather than solely through dread and danger.

Finally, a quick note on performance. Dave the Diver runs fluidly. This is also true for Steam Deck owners, as Dave the Diver runs like a dream on the platform, albeit with slightly slower load times than on desktop.

Our Review Score & Final Thoughts

Dave the Diver is an absolute delight to play. Its core gameplay loop is wonderfully relaxing, but before too long players will be finding all the different options in its nooks and crannies. It’s surely one of the best games of the year so far, and players will love taking on the role of our goatee'd hero.

Source: Mintrocket / YouTube

Dave the Diver is out now for PC. Screen Rant was provided with a PC download code for the purposes of this review.