Dave the Diver

Genre: Action-RPG / Arcade / Management Simulation

Players: 1

The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

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Review:

Dave the Diver, released on PC and Nintendo Switch in 2023, is a game that combines Action-RPG diving sections in the game’s daytime, while nighttime has you assisting with table service in a sushi restaurant with gameplay that combines Arcade-style gameplay with some Management Simulation elements.

Both of these different types of gameplay are satisfying in their own right, but work symbiotically to assist each other – the fish you catch in the diving portion of the game determines your menu options in the restaurant portion, and the better your restaurant performs, the more funds you’ll have to upgrade your diving equipment.

There are a few complaints I can make about both sections, though. In the diving sections, players will swap between projectile weapons and a fish-catching harpoon, in addition to a close-range melee weapon. This is all well and good, but for some reason players can only aim at certain angles, and specifically cannot aim up or down. What’s more, a lot of the more violent marine life seems faster and more maneuverable than you are, and if you don’t have the right tools to fend off these attackers, wandering into their range can sometimes seem like an instant end to your run.

In the restaurant, you assist in front of house by shuffling between customers demanding service and various other tasks needing to be addressed like cleaning up messes and refilling the wasabi. You also assist behind the scenes by deciding the menu, hiring help, choosing the decor, and researching new menu options. However, the decor is only cosmetic and you can’t set prices, leaving the Management Simulation elements feeling a bit shallow.

However, I think my biggest complaint here is the loading screens, which happen every time you dive, every time you surface, and every time you go to and from the restaurant. As you’ll be doing these multiple times in each in-game day, and the game also stops all the action while characters are talking, it really starts to slow down the flow of the game.

It is at least somewhat understandable why this loading time happens, I suppose. The game works hard to give off the illusion that it’s a 2D pixel art game, but virtually every element in the game is fully-3D with a stylized look that makes it appear like 2D pixel art. These 3D visuals are most apparent when diving, as the oceanic realm stretches out well behind you in a way that gives a lot of depth to the visuals. These visuals are backed by a soundtrack that bounces between instrumental ukelele music on the surface and synthesized music underwater, which works well enough for both.

In the end, I liked Dave the Diver, but I feel like it’s being held back by some minor frustrations in each of its gameplay elements, as well as the constant presence of loading screens throughout the game. However, this is a good and fairly unique blend of gameplay elements that work well together and make for a really unique game, and players seeking something original will likely find Dave the Diver to be a good catch.

tl;dr – Dave the Diver combines Action-RPG sections where players dive into the sea to catch various fish, and Arcade-style Restaurant sections with some Management Simulation elements when you’re serving up those fish to clamoring customers. The gameplay in both sections is good, and both work well together, but each has some flaws that hamper the enjoyment, and the game overall has problems with frequent loading screens and pacing-stopping character conversations. This is still a fun and original game, but these small annoyances do gradually add up.

Grade: B

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The Nintendo Switch 2 Difference

Dave the Diver – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

Genre: Action-RPG / Arcade / Management Simulation

Players: 1

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Review:

When I think of games that could really use a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition, Dave the Diver isn’t one that comes to mind. It’s graphically unambitious, doesn’t really suffer from major performance issues, it’s just fine the way it is. But need it or not, it has gotten a free upgrade on Nintendo Switch 2, so let’s have a look and see what’s changed.

The profile page for this game claims that there are zero gameplay changes, but that the resolution and framerate have been improved. I honestly don’t see a very strong improvement in the framerates, though the game’s pseudo-retro graphical style may make that harder to discern. However, the framerates are definitely improved here, jumping from 30FPS to 60FPS, making the fame flow much more smoothly.

However, there’s another big improvement here that hasn’t been advertised as much: improvements to loading times. On Nintendo Switch, it took 48 seconds to load the game to the title screen, another 16 seconds to load a save file, and 17 seconds every time you have Dave dive into the water. On Nintendo Switch 2, those times are reduced to 19, 8, and 6, a significant improvement!

While this may not be as drastic a change as some games get, Dave the Diver has definitely seen an improvement on Nintendo Switch 2, and players who own the Nintendo Switch version of the game should be pleased by this free upgrade. And those who never bought the game on Nintendo Switch should find this game looking in fine shape on Nintendo’s latest hybrid console.

tl;dr – Dave the Diver combines Action-RPG sections where players dive into the sea to catch various fish, and Arcade-style Restaurant sections with some Management Simulation elements when you’re serving up those fish to clamoring customers. The gameplay in both sections is good, and both work well together, but each has some flaws that hamper the enjoyment, and the game overall has problems with frequent loading screens and pacing-stopping character conversations. This is still a fun and original game, but these small annoyances do gradually add up.

Grade: B

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