I was really excited to dive into this one. The high praise from the general public gave me an eagerness to play that I haven’t felt in a long time. The game itself has a lot of heart and charm, but the gameplay becomes a bit monotonous as it goes along. New systems are constantly being thrown at you and it feels a bit like a mess because of this. Let’s dive into it.

You’re Dave, a diver who gets roped into helping your friend with his business venture. You are in charge of catching the fish for the sushi restaurant as well as helping run it. A game that tackles both of these aspects is hard to find, and this game struggles to give weight to both aspects. Diving feels really well fleshed out, and there are many different elements introduced to it that allow for more depth. The restaurant management part however, feels relatively bare bones by comparison. You can make changes to the aesthetics of the establishment and choose the menu items and employees, but it's not as deep as the diving system.

Diving feels great. The harpoon and other weaponry all have a weight to them that is satisfying to utilize. Diving as a whole has many systems that you must manage to make the most of your dives. Oxygen is the main thing you have to keep track of. There are many ways to replenish it so it never feels too punishing. In the 10 hours I have played, I have only run out once.

Exploration is tied to events however, rather than being truly open. This decision goes against the idea of the sea. It is a vast ecosystem of many mysteries, and being unable to uncover them organically doesn’t seem particularly advantageous. Tying it to the suit upgrades would have made more sense thematically, but overall it’s not too egregious a misstep. Opening up new areas with story-based progression does allow for some entertaining interactions. 

Characters are stylized, some to the point of satire. Their depictions are charming enough to get me to chuckle, but their lack of depth becomes evident as the game continues. This game is not focused on character development, which is not inherently a bad thing, however this aspect is something that I pretty much always want in my games, so its absence really hampers the experience for me. There are some pretty funny moments and the developer really put some care into the cutscenes, but it doesn’t add up to enough for me.

Dave The Diver is an entertaining experience. Its charming characters and systems are a menagerie of possibility. The diving is satisfying, while also being challenging enough that the desperate scramble for air provides tension. Some aspects such as exploration and expression were missed, but there was a clear vision for this game and I think it does well to deliver a light-hearted experience. There are many systems baked into this experience, and some are not as well developed as others, but this menagerie allows for varying gameplay options. Unfortunately this plethora of systems is a bit messy and can be overwhelming. I must applaud the amount of heart that was put into this game and I may play it now and then, but it doesn’t hit enough of the criteria that I look for in games. If you are looking for a charming, lighthearted game with various elements and systems give this one a shot.