Dave the Diver In the Jungle Review: A Big DLC With a Familiar Hook

Image: IGDB

Store links: Dave the Diver: In the Jungle on Steam

A paid expansion with sequel-sized ambitions

Dave the Diver: In the Jungle launched on June 18, 2026 as a paid content pack for Mintrocket’s genre-blending hit, and the most important fact for returning players is also the central tension of this Dave the Diver In the Jungle review: several outlets describe it as the game’s biggest expansion yet, while the core rhythm still leans heavily on the familiar dive, gather, cook, serve cycle.

AltChar lists In the Jungle as a $9.99, €9.99, £8.99 expansion across PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. PC Gamer lists the price as $10 and £8.49, so there is a small conflict in reported UK pricing, likely tied to storefront listing or regional presentation. Both agree on the broad point: this is priced like a compact expansion, not a full sequel.

The content pitch is much larger than prior crossover-style add-ons. AltChar identifies In the Jungle as Mintrocket’s first major paid expansion built around an original story, rather than a licensed crossover event, and says it introduces mechanics that did not exist in the base game. PC Gamer’s reviewer reported spending more than 25 hours in the content pack and still not being finished. AltChar, by contrast, puts the main time to beat at approximately 10 hours. That spread matters because this DLC appears built for players who linger in systems, chase side activities and enjoy Dave the Diver’s habit of adding one strange new task after another.

The answer to the headline question is layered. The jungle setting meaningfully expands Dave when it shifts the game above water, especially through village exploration, relationships and RPG-light systems. Underwater and in service, it often behaves like a smart remix of a loop fans already like. That makes In the Jungle easy to recommend to returning players, but less persuasive as a clean break from the original game’s habits.

The jungle changes Dave most when he is on land

The biggest mechanical swing in In the Jungle happens away from the lake. Multiple reviews describe Utara Village as a new kind of space for the series: an explorable isometric village instead of the base game’s more constrained surface areas. AltChar notes that Dave can move freely in every direction there, while The Wand Report says this is the first time the series has had anything like an overworld.

That matters because the old Dave the Diver structure was built on contrast. You risked oxygen, ammo and inventory space underwater, then came back to a tightly staged restaurant shift. In the Jungle adds a third texture between those poles. Game8 describes an RPG-like overworld, a friendship system, environmental puzzles and occasional turn-based combat. The Wand Report compares the above-water play to a lighter Stardew Valley, with villagers who can be befriended through simple tasks, gifts and requests.

The systems are intentionally approachable. According to The Wand Report, relationship progress is tracked with a four-heart style meter, and villagers can begin visiting Bancho’s grill once they reach two hearts. The same review says tasks and favored items are easy to follow with an in-game tool, which makes the social layer low-friction rather than demanding the memory and scheduling discipline of a deeper life sim.

That simplicity cuts both ways. As an expansion to Dave the Diver, the village gives Dave a real sense of place and breaks up the old cadence in a welcome way. As a life sim or RPG, it is light. The craft is in how neatly it folds into Dave’s existing appetite for bite-sized activities. It does not ask players to master a new genre; it gives them a new reason to walk around, talk to people, gather materials and prepare for the next run.

The lake is a remix, but a confident one

The underwater half of In the Jungle is less radical, although the setting gives Mintrocket plenty of room to change the texture of each dive. TheGamer identifies Utara Lake as a freshwater ecosystem with recognisable river creatures, while The Wand Report names crocodiles, electric eels and giant sturgeon among the new threats. TheGamer also reports that the mystery eventually reaches a deep sea hidden beneath the lake bed, where Dave encounters prehistoric marine life.

That structure sounds very Dave the Diver: a new natural space that soon reveals an absurd, layered secret beneath it. The premise, as reported by AltChar and TheGamer, begins with Dave and the Bancho Sushi crew investigating strange events near Utara after an ancient creature washes ashore. The Wand Report identifies the creature as a plesiosaur and describes a gross comic setup involving methane build-up. In other words, the expansion is still comfortable mixing nature documentary curiosity, slapstick and creature-feature escalation.

The most practical upgrade is the Jungle Gun. TheGamer describes it as a combination weapon with a net, armor-piercing sniper rifle, shotgun and basic rifle, with each mode carrying its own upgrade tree. That is an elegant response to one of Dave the Diver’s recurring friction points: tool commitment. Letting players swap between capture and combat roles during a dive has obvious value in a game where the best route can change as soon as an aggressive fish enters the frame.

This is where In the Jungle feels like an expansion rather than a sequel. The risk-reward math of dives, the satisfaction of spotting new wildlife and the loop of surfacing with ingredients remain intact. The freshwater setting gives those beats a new palette and some better tools, but it does not rewrite why diving works. For many returning players, that restraint will be a strength.

The grill keeps the service loop familiar

The restaurant side survives the move to the jungle with a thematic swap rather than a full redesign. TheGamer reports that the sushi bar is replaced by a grill, with new ingredients feeding fresh recipes. The Wand Report says villagers who warm up to Dave’s cooking can become evening customers, tying the relationship layer back into the service economy.

That connection is smart because it gives social tasks a practical payoff. Making friends is not only a checklist of favors; it directly helps build the new restaurant audience. Game8 argues that the foundation of the restaurant management gameplay mainly stays the same, but feels more engaging because it is surrounded by new systems. That tracks with how Dave the Diver tends to work best: a simple core task becomes satisfying because five other small systems are tugging at it from different angles.

The tradeoff is that players hoping for a restaurant management overhaul may come away wanting more. The sources do not describe a dramatic change to the actual dinner rush structure. Instead, they point to new ingredients, new recipes, a new venue and new social context. The expansion appears to refresh the restaurant loop by widening its supply chain and customer logic, rather than by making service itself more complex.

For a returning player, that is probably the right call. Dave the Diver’s service shifts work because they are snappy, readable and a little chaotic without becoming busywork. The grill is a new wrapper around a proven rhythm. If you bounced off the base game’s restaurant management, In the Jungle’s reported changes do not sound like they will convert you. If you loved matching dives to menu prep, this gives that habit a new village-sized reason to continue.

Charm and craft collide with a story that deserves scrutiny

The broad critical response in the supplied reviews is positive, but the story is the clear point of disagreement. PC Gamer’s verdict calls In the Jungle charming and surprising, and highlights its activities and characters. Game8 scores it 88 and calls it a must-have DLC, while also noting that the story plays out somewhat similarly to the original game as Dave’s crew helps a village and solves its problems. AltChar frames the premise as a major new original chapter for Mintrocket.

The Wand Report is more critical, arguing that the narrative leans on stereotypes in its portrayal of the jungle village. Its review specifically calls out the chief’s feathered design, bamboo housing and a plot beat where Bancho teaches villagers to cook fish to avoid illness. That outlet’s concern is not about the amount of content, but about the framing of the people Dave is helping.

This distinction matters for a buyer’s guide. Mechanically, the village is one of the expansion’s strongest ideas. Narratively, according to The Wand Report, it risks making the village feel like a backdrop for outsider problem-solving rather than a community with its own dignity and expertise. Game8 lands in a more forgiving place, saying the relationships make the setting feel more alive and connected, even while the story can feel rehashed with a different skin.

The tonal pleasures remain very Dave. TheGamer praises the density of easter eggs and cameos, citing references that range from Guitar Hero to Journey to the Savage Planet and Two Point Museum. That playful reference-stacking will delight some players and exhaust others. The best reading of In the Jungle is that Mintrocket’s mechanical imagination is still generous, but its story choices are not equally clean.

Price, platforms and performance guidance

In the Jungle is widely available, according to AltChar’s platform listing: PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Switch 2. PC Gamer also lists Steam Deck as Verified, with no multiplayer and no VR support. PC Gamer reviewed the DLC on an Intel i7 9700K, RTX 4070 Ti and 16GB RAM, while AltChar reviewed on a Ryzen 9 5900X, RTX 3080 Ti and 32GB RAM, and Game8 reviewed on PC. The supplied source material does not report major technical problems, although it also does not provide a detailed console performance breakdown.

The price is the cleanest practical selling point, even with the UK discrepancy between PC Gamer’s £8.49 listing and AltChar’s £8.99 listing. At roughly $10, the expansion is priced aggressively for the amount of content described. PC Gamer’s 25-plus-hour account suggests completionists and system-tinkerers can stretch it well beyond AltChar’s approximate 10-hour main path.

That makes the value proposition strong for players who finished Dave the Diver and still want a reason to return. It is less urgent for players who have not completed the base game, since the sources frame this as a continuation starring Dave, Bancho and the established crew. There is no evidence in the supplied material that In the Jungle is designed as a standalone entry.

If you are choosing a platform, PC and Steam Deck have the most direct technical reassurance from the available sources because of the PC review builds and Steam Deck Verified listing cited by PC Gamer. Console buyers should expect broad availability, but should look for platform-specific performance coverage if frame pacing, load times or handheld battery life are deciding factors.

Verdict

Dave the Diver: In the Jungle is a meaningful expansion, but its most meaningful growth is additive rather than transformative. The jungle setting gives Mintrocket space to bolt a village RPG, relationship tracking, light gathering and turn-based encounters onto the side of Dave’s established structure. The freshwater lake, grill restaurant and Jungle Gun refresh the old loop without replacing it.

That balance is exactly why the DLC works for returning players. The sources consistently describe a sizable content pack, with Game8 calling it outstanding, PC Gamer praising its charm and activity density, TheGamer arguing it feels unusually hefty for an expansion, and AltChar presenting it as the largest paid original addition the game has received. The counterweight is real: The Wand Report’s criticism of the narrative framing is serious, and players sensitive to stereotyped depictions should factor that into the decision.

As an In the Jungle review, the recommendation is clear but specific. Buy it if you want another generous, system-stuffed run through Dave the Diver with enough new surface-level structure to feel fresh. Wait if you need a full sequel-level reinvention, a deeper life sim, or a story treatment that avoids the issues flagged by The Wand Report.

GameLoop score: 8.5 out of 10. Gameplay carries the expansion through smart layering and a useful new weapon suite. Story is the weakest category because the premise is engaging, but the village framing is contested across the reviewed sources. Visuals remain a strength thanks to the reported jungle flora, freshwater fauna and pixel-art color. Performance appears solid based on PC coverage and Steam Deck Verified status, though console-specific data is limited in the supplied material.