Dave the Diver In the Jungle Review: A Big DLC With a Story Snag

Image: IGDB

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

A paid expansion that behaves like a second act

Dave the Diver: In the Jungle launched on June 18, 2026 as Mintrocket’s largest paid addition to Dave the Diver, and the tension around this Dave the Diver DLC review starts there: this is sold as a content pack, but multiple review outlets describe a scope closer to a follow-up than a short postgame errand. PC Gamer lists the expansion at $10/£8.49, while AltChar lists it at $9.99/€9.99/£8.99, so there is a small regional price discrepancy in the provided source material. Both agree on the important point for buyers, which is that In the Jungle is a budget-priced paid expansion from developer and publisher Mintrocket.

The practical details are unusually clear. AltChar’s public key-details box lists PC via Steam, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch/Switch 2 availability. PC Gamer’s review states that the DLC is single-player, has no VR support, and is Steam Deck Verified. TheXboxHub covered it under Xbox Series X reviews and scored it 4/5. Game8 reviewed it on PC and gave it an 88, calling it an outstanding DLC. The Wand Report, also reviewing on PC, was more critical of the narrative but still described major changes to how Dave the Diver plays above water.

That consensus gives In the Jungle its shape: the expansion is aimed squarely at players who have already finished or deeply enjoyed the base game, but it does not rely only on the same Blue Hole routine with new fish pasted over the top. It moves Dave, Bancho, and company to Utara, a jungle village built around a freshwater lake, then asks the old loop to survive in a new ecosystem. The result is the rare expansion where the strongest selling point is structural rather than cosmetic. It adds enough to feel like a meaningful continuation, even when its story choices stumble.

Utara Lake changes the hunt without abandoning Dave’s rhythm

The core underwater half of Dave the Diver still matters in In the Jungle. Sources consistently frame the new area around Utara Lake, a freshwater ecosystem that replaces the familiar saltwater expectations of the Blue Hole with crocodiles, electric eels, giant sturgeon, and other lake-dwelling threats. TheGamer specifically highlights the thrill of recognizing freshwater fish and then discovering that the mystery runs deeper, with a hidden deep-sea space beneath the lake bed and prehistoric marine life waiting below. That is exactly where the expansion earns its “Dave the Diver expansion” label rather than feeling like a postcard detour.

Mechanically, the underwater sections appear to preserve the readable, incremental rhythm that made the base game work: go down, identify opportunities, take risks, return with ingredients, and convert those ingredients into restaurant progress. The shift to freshwater gives Mintrocket room to alter creature behavior and ingredient identity without making veterans relearn everything from scratch. PC Gamer reports battling a half-dozen new bosses during more than 25 hours with the DLC. TheGamer also notes new missions, new mini-games, and a prehistoric beast washing ashore as the story catalyst.

The standout tool is the Jungle Gun, described by TheGamer as a combo weapon that can function as a net, armor-piercing sniper rifle, shotgun, or basic rifle, with individual upgrade trees for each setting. That one addition sounds small on paper, but it changes the decision load in the field. In the base game, preparation often meant deciding which specific tool matched the dive you expected. In the Jungle, the Jungle Gun compresses several roles into a single flexible kit while still letting players specialize through upgrades. For a game about charming friction, that is smart design. It reduces inventory annoyance while preserving the pleasure of choosing how you want to hunt.

The village is the real expansion, not the scenery

The biggest design swing happens above the water. The Wand Report describes In the Jungle’s village layer as a “Stardew Valley-lite” structure with an isometric perspective, free movement, a real timer, resource gathering, and villagers who can be befriended through tasks and gifts. AltChar likewise says Utara Village is presented from a full isometric perspective, unlike the base game’s more limited surface movement around Bancho Sushi. Game8 points to the RPG-like overworld, friendship system, environmental puzzles, and turn-based combat as additions that can make the DLC feel close to a standalone game.

This is where the expansion most clearly answers the buyer’s-guide question. If you wanted Dave the Diver to deepen its restaurant and exploration loop, In the Jungle does that by giving the restaurant a social supply chain. The Wand Report explains that villagers become potential customers once relationships reach two hearts out of four, and that gifts can be earned through tasks, gathered underwater, or bought from a shop. This makes the evening service feel less like a disconnected cash-out phase and more like part of a local ecosystem. You are not only catching ingredients for anonymous diners. You are earning trust, learning preferences, and drawing specific people into Bancho’s new operation.

The new restaurant itself shifts from sushi bar to grill, according to TheGamer and The Wand Report. That sounds thematically simple, but it is a useful reset. Freshwater catches, jungle ingredients, and grill recipes let In the Jungle keep the restaurant loop familiar while changing its texture. Game8 says the foundation of restaurant management remains mostly the same, but feels more engaging due to the new systems layered around it. That is the expansion’s best trick: it does not throw out the nightly rush, but it gives the daytime preparation phase a broader map and more social hooks.

The new systems are broad, but deliberately light

In the Jungle’s village systems are ambitious for Dave the Diver, but the sources do not describe them as deep life-sim competition. The Wand Report says the relationship mechanics are simplistic compared with existing cozy games. Villagers state what they like, the game provides a tool to track requests, and many desired items come from quests, shops, or underwater gathering. That simplicity can be read two ways. Players hoping for a full Stardew-style social calendar may find it thin. Players who loved Dave the Diver because every system was approachable, readable, and generous will probably see the restraint as a feature.

The same applies to the expansion’s genre-hopping. The Wand Report mentions Pokemon-like turn-based battles. Game8 points to environmental puzzles and RPG-like overworld exploration. PC Gamer reports activities beyond diving and bartending, including hunting birds and continuing to play beyond 25 hours. TheGamer calls out rapid-fire easter eggs and cameos, citing references ranging from Guitar Hero to Journey to the Savage Planet and Two Point Museum. This is very Dave the Diver: a pile of toy-like diversions, each polished enough to produce a smile, rarely so complex that it hijacks the loop.

For difficulty, the available source material suggests variety rather than brutality. Bosses, crocodiles, electric eels, and prehistoric marine life add danger, but the Jungle Gun’s flexibility and individual upgrades point toward empowerment rather than punishment. As an indie design object, In the Jungle seems to understand that Dave the Diver’s best challenges are logistical and improvisational. The tension is less about perfect execution and more about whether you can squeeze one extra objective into the day without exhausting Dave, missing a restaurant opportunity, or arriving unprepared for a creature you were too curious to avoid.

The story is the catch that does not land cleanly

The major caveat is narrative framing. The Wand Report is sharply critical of how In the Jungle introduces Utara Village, describing stereotyped visual presentation around the village and taking issue with a scene in which Bancho teaches villagers to cook fish to avoid parasites and illness. That outlet argues the gameplay changes are substantial but the narrative leaves something to be desired. Game8 is gentler but also notes that the story plays somewhat similarly to the original game, with the crew helping a village, completing quests, and getting to the bottom of local problems. In Game8’s view, the relationship system makes the setting feel more connected, but the narrative shape can feel familiar.

That split matters because Dave the Diver’s charm has always depended on tone. Its oddball requests, sudden mini-games, and enthusiastic food fantasy work best when the game treats its cast with warmth. In the Jungle’s social systems ask players to invest in Utara’s people, but the reported story framing risks making the village feel like an exoticized problem space for outsiders to fix. That is a different flaw from a weak boss or a thin side activity. It sits close to the expansion’s central premise.

Even among positive reviews, the story does not appear to be the main reason to buy. PC Gamer’s verdict praises the DLC as packed with activities and strong characters. Game8 scores the story 8/10 while saying it echoes the base game’s structure. AltChar frames the premise around a strange phenomenon, a dead ancient creature, and Dave helping investigate. The story gives the expansion momentum, but the design carries it. If you are sensitive to clumsy cultural framing, The Wand Report’s criticism should be part of your buying decision.

Performance, value, and how long it actually lasts

The supplied reviews do not flag major technical problems. PC Gamer reviewed the DLC on an Intel i7 9700K, RTX 4070 Ti, and 16GB RAM, and also lists Steam Deck Verified status. AltChar reviewed on a Ryzen 9 5900X, RTX 3080 Ti, and 32GB RAM. Since the provided sources do not include detailed frame-rate testing or console performance comparisons, the safest conclusion is limited: In the Jungle has PC coverage across different hardware, public Steam Deck Verified status according to PC Gamer, and Xbox Series X coverage from TheXboxHub, but there is no source-backed basis here for claiming perfect performance across every platform.

Length is the more interesting value question because the sources conflict in a useful way. AltChar lists the time to beat at approximately 10 hours. The Wand Report calls it a ten-hour piece of DLC while arguing it feels like a bigger structural shift. PC Gamer says the reviewer spent more than 25 hours with In the Jungle and was still not finished. Those statements are not necessarily contradictory. They suggest a main path that can be cleared in the 10-hour range, with side activities, relationship completion, upgrades, bosses, recipes, and collection goals stretching playtime much further.

At roughly $10, that is strong value for returning players. The expansion is less compelling as a first contact with Dave the Diver because it is explicitly DLC and because its pleasures rely on knowing how the original loop feels before Utara bends it. For players who bounced off the base game’s daily cycle, a village and grill will not magically change the fundamental pattern of gathering, serving, upgrading, and repeating. For players who reached the credits and wished the surface half had more body, In the Jungle is the upgrade path they were waiting for.

Verdict: a real expansion with one serious reservation

As a Dave the Diver In the Jungle review, the decision is fairly clear. This is not a disposable side trip for completionists. The sources point to a substantial expansion that reshapes the surface game through Utara Village, adds a freshwater diving ecosystem, introduces a grill restaurant, expands progression through relationships, and layers in bosses, puzzles, mini-games, and turn-based encounters. The most persuasive improvement is how the village feeds the restaurant loop. Customers, gifts, ingredients, and exploration all sit closer together than they did in the base game.

The reservation is story. The Wand Report’s criticism of stereotypes and outsider-savior framing is specific enough that it cannot be waved away, and even positive coverage from Game8 acknowledges a familiar story structure. That does not erase the craft in the systems, the lush pixel-art shift to jungle and lake environments, or the satisfying utility of the Jungle Gun. It does lower the ceiling for an expansion built around community and relationship-building.

For most returning fans, In the Jungle is an easy recommendation at the listed budget price, especially on PC or Steam Deck where the provided sources give the clearest technical context. Newcomers should start with the base game. Lapsed players who liked diving but found the restaurant half too thin should pay attention: this is the expansion that gives Dave’s workday a richer above-water shape. It meaningfully expands the loop, even if its story needed a sharper eye before leaving shore.