A game is wowing thousands of players on Steam right now – I played it for 20 hours and didn’t come back

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If you’re currently looking around on Steam, it’s hard to get past Dave the Diver. That’s what happened to MeinMMO author Nicole Wakulczyk. At the weekend she immersed herself in the game for 20 hours, although she actually had completely different plans.

To be honest, when I first saw Dave the Diver I was a little put off by the pixelated graphics. But since it was a simulation game, I was curious and gave Dave and his crew a chance.

I ended up abandoning my weekend plans, diving into the mysterious Blue Hole, collecting fish like rare Pokémon, and becoming a sushi bar manager.

Trailer: Steam summer hit 2023 – Dave the Diver

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Switch between dives and sushi sales

What kind of game is this? Dave the Diver is a single-player adventure RPG in which, as the name suggests, you explore the mysterious and sometimes very dangerous deep sea as a diver during the day. In the evening you have your catches prepared for the sushi restaurant and take care of the management of the restaurant.

The individual activities are loosened up by mini-games. Among other things, you have to press different buttons to catch fish with your harpoon. If you fail the mini-game, they will escape you. The pouring of drinks in the bar is also done using a mini-game.

A detailed test report on Dave the Diver is available from our colleagues at GameStar.

During the day you go on dives in the mysterious Blue Hole, which can be quite dangerous at times. The deeper you dive, the more dangerous marine life you will encounter there. According to Steam, there are over 200 species of sea creatures. Some fish can be killed with a few stabs, others can take more.

And sometimes the fights against the fish are pretty tough.

The annoying thing about it: Like other games with roguelike elements, if you die, you lose all of your loot. But you can at least choose an item that you can take with you on the boat during the rescue.

During the day you explore the Blue Hole as a diver…
…in the evening the sushi restaurant is waiting for you

In the evenings you run a sushi restaurant where you have your catches prepared into delicious meals and serve them to your guests. As the game progressed, I quickly noticed that it wasn’t just about diving and selling sushi. Over time, more and more mechanics and tasks came my way, guiding me through the coming hours. I actually wanted to “just take a quick look” at Dave the Diver and get an impression.

So “just for a moment” became 20 hours spread over two days. My original plan to play Diablo 4 and finally get my slayer to level 100 fell into oblivion. Luckily I still have a few days until Season 1 starts.

Dave the Diver evolves over time and has an incredible amount to offer that I honestly didn’t expect at first.

Many hours of entertainment and varied gameplay

What does Dave the Diver offer? In addition to the adventures you have on your dives and the evenings in the sushi restaurant, there is a lot to discover and a lot to do.

  • Fight and collect: In principle, there are two main tasks under water. You collect resources that you find there, including food from boxes, plants, smaller fish. The second task is to fight bigger fish, because they are the ones that are in high demand in the restaurant.
  • Boss fights: As you progress, you will encounter larger enemies within the story. Combat can be pretty intense and not just about attacks – sometimes you need to look around and take into account your surroundings.
  • Survive: Under water you are dependent on the supply of your oxygen bottles. So you should always keep an eye on them and fill them up with oxygen tanks or shells under water from time to time. If you run out of oxygen, it’s game over. You lose your collected items and are only allowed to choose one item that can go on the boat when you are rescued.
    • you can visually enhance your restaurant
    the characters enrich the playing time
    the cutscenes lighten up activities
  • Lovable Characters: All characters bring their own story and contribute to the gaming experience with little things. Your staff gradually develops their own skills, the characters from the side quests take on important roles and the main characters enrich the game with bizarre and funny dialogues.
  • Management & Simulation: In your sushi restaurant, you do most of the work yourself at the beginning. Although you have a chef, you have to bring the plates to the guests yourself, pour them drinks in a mini-game and fill up wasabi for the chef. Later, management also includes hiring and directing staff. In between there are events for which you have to serve very specific fish.
  • Upgrade & Craft: What you will surely recognize from other games is upgrading elements and crafting equipment and weapons. You can also gradually upgrade your restaurant with optical items. You use a smartphone to keep track of your equipment, your restaurant and your fish.
    • the smartphone provides an overview
    you can craft weapons
    and Poké.. collect fish!
  • Collect fish cards: Not only do you catch the fish, you also collect a card whenever you spot a new fish. One or the other will look familiar from another game. Gotta ca. fish ’em all!
  • Main Story & Side Quests: There is a main story that accompanies you through the game and, in my opinion, is not too short, but not too long either. I’m not completely finished in my 20 hours, but I also spent a lot of time doing side quests and gathering.
  • Fitting music: Each area has its own song. It’s especially cool that you unlock different songs by going through the scenes. These will then be saved in your playlist.

    • 97% positive ratings on Steam

    How popular is Dave the Diver? Dave the Diver was released on June 28th and was both published and developed by Mintrocket. So far, it has had a whopping 97% positive ratings on Steam. In total, Dave the Diver has over 98,000 players.

    The gameplay, which can captivate for hours, is particularly praised by the players, as well as the relaxed music and the mix of nostalgic pixel graphics and modern mechanics. The individual activities are fun, sometimes a bit challenging and bring a plus point for me that is sometimes lost in some games: they make sense.

    Dave the Diver does a lot of things right and has a lot to offer – and at a more than reasonable price of just under €20. Without exaggerating, I can say that Dave the Diver is one of my game of the year. I can really only recommend it to you. But don’t complain afterwards that it’s addictive.

    If you are interested in other titles on Steam that are even cheaper, we have a list for you:

    5 games for less than 5 euros on Steam that you should definitely not miss

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