Dave the Diver In the Jungle review: a lush expansion with one thorny story problem

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

A $10 expansion that reaches for sequel-sized change

Dave the Diver: In the Jungle launched on June 18, 2026, according to The Wand Report and Game8, and PC Gamer’s review listing identifies it as a $10/£8.49 DLC from developer and publisher Mintrocket. That price is the first surprise. The larger one is that In the Jungle does not treat the jungle as a simple reskin of the Blue Hole. Across the available review record, critics describe a paid expansion that adds an explorable village, relationship systems, freshwater diving, a new grill restaurant, turn-based battles, environmental puzzles, extra bosses, and a multi-function weapon built for the new ecosystem.

That scope creates the central tension of this Dave the Diver In the Jungle review. Mechanically, Mintrocket appears to have understood that previous Dave the Diver DLC could feel slight beside the base game’s brilliant rhythm of daytime gathering and nighttime service. The Wand Report says In the Jungle changes the gameplay “completely” above ground, while PC Gamer says it had spent more than 25 hours with the DLC and was still not finished. TheGamer goes further, saying the expansion is hefty enough that it was surprising it was not packaged as Dave the Diver 2.

The tension is that the expansion’s boldest systems arrive wrapped around a story setup some reviewers found clumsy or worse. The Wand Report criticizes the village introduction for leaning on stereotypes, including a feathered chief, bamboo houses, and a scene in which Bancho teaches villagers to cook fish to avoid parasites. Game8 is kinder on the story, scoring it 8/10, but still says the structure can feel like a repeat of the Blue Hole arc with a different skin. The result is an expansion with real mechanical ambition and a narrative that does not always show the same care.

The jungle finally gives Dave an overworld worth wandering

The clearest expansion of the Dave formula happens before Dave gets wet. In the Jungle sends Dave and his crew to the village of Utara, where a mysterious phenomenon has been reported and a prehistoric beast washes ashore, according to TheGamer and Little Bits of Gaming & Movies. From there, the DLC builds an isometric village layer around a relationship loop. The Wand Report compares it to a lighter Stardew Valley-style structure, with villagers who can be befriended through tasks, gifts, and a heart meter.

That change matters because Dave the Diver’s original daily rhythm was elegant but narrow. You dove, gathered, returned, upgraded, and served. In the Jungle adds social friction between those beats. The Wand Report describes a real-time clock ticking while players complete tasks and harvest resources such as wood, stone, and lizards. Little Bits of Gaming & Movies says Utara feels like a compact 16-bit JRPG town, full of NPCs to talk to, learn about, and potentially recruit.

The relationship system is deliberately simple. The Wand Report notes that villagers tell you what they like, a tool tracks who wants which item, and some gifts can be earned from quests, gathered underwater, or bought from a shop. That is not a deep life sim, but it is a useful fit for Dave the Diver. The base game worked because each system was readable at a glance, then combined with several other readable systems until a day felt busy in the best way. In the Jungle seems to follow that philosophy: approachable friendship mechanics, light resource gathering, social rewards, and restaurant consequences all feed the same clock.

Freshwater diving keeps the hook, then sharpens the tools

Once Dave enters Utara Lake, In the Jungle becomes more recognizably Dave the Diver. The core act of diving, catching creatures, managing danger, and turning ingredients into restaurant value remains intact. The difference is the ecosystem. The Wand Report names crocodiles, electric eels, and giant sturgeon among the new threats and catches. TheGamer highlights the freshwater setting and says the lake eventually leads beneath the lake bed into deeper areas with prehistoric marine life.

The best new tool appears to be the Jungle Gun. TheGamer describes it as a combination weapon with a net, armor-piercing sniper rifle, shotgun, and basic rifle that can be swapped between while diving. Little Bits of Gaming & Movies calls out the same change as a major quality-of-life upgrade over the base game’s one-weapon limitation, with each mode carrying its own upgrade tree. That is exactly the kind of addition a strong DLC should make: it respects the old loop, then removes one of its small recurring irritations.

There is also evidence that the new region pushes Dave into a broader range of activities. PC Gamer reports battling a half-dozen new bosses, hunting birds, line-fishing, and bug-catching. TheGamer also cites new mini-games and a larger number of easter eggs and cameos, including references that it says range from Guitar Hero to Journey to the Savage Planet and Two Point Museum. For players who come to Dave the Diver for discovery, this matters. The pleasure of the original was often the sense that one small task would unlock a stranger, funnier, or more useful system fifteen minutes later. In the Jungle appears to preserve that trick.

Bancho Grill makes the restaurant loop more social

The restaurant half of the expansion also changes shape, though it does not abandon the fundamentals. Little Bits of Gaming & Movies says Bancho Sushi is replaced by Bancho Grill, with the new restaurant taking advantage of jungle ingredients and fresh recipes. TheGamer similarly notes that the sushi bar is swapped for a grill, while the restaurant gameplay remains familiar.

The important difference is how the grill connects to Utara. The Wand Report says villagers can start visiting Bancho’s restaurant once relationships reach two hearts out of four. Little Bits of Gaming & Movies adds that hiring staff no longer works by simply placing an advertisement and waiting for applicants. Instead, Dave has to get to know villagers and visitors, build friendships, and earn their interest before some may consider working for the restaurant.

That is a smart expansion of the loop. In the base game, restaurant service was the place where your dive paid off. In the Jungle, the grill also becomes a social destination, a recruitment tool, and a reason to care about the village between dives. Little Bits of Gaming & Movies also reports a more spatial service layout, describing Bancho Grill as a “3D” space that gives Dave and staff more freedom than the original left-to-right service format. Add crafting, décor, equipment improvements, and relationship-based staffing, and the restaurant side gains enough texture to feel meaningfully refreshed without turning into a different management sim.

The story charm is uneven, and the criticism is hard to ignore

In the Jungle’s weakest area is not scope. It is framing. The Wand Report’s review is sharply critical of the opening village portrayal, saying the DLC uses visible stereotypes in its depiction of Utara and its people. It also objects to the story beat where Bancho teaches villagers to cook fish safely, reading the scene as patronizing. That critique sits awkwardly beside a DLC otherwise praised for mechanical generosity.

Game8 reaches a less severe conclusion, saying the story parallels the original Blue Hole saga and can feel too much like the same structure in a new setting, while also finding the village relationships make the world feel more connected. That difference between outlets is worth preserving rather than smoothing over. One reviewer sees a flawed narrative foundation. Another sees familiar storytelling lifted by stronger immersion. Both can be true for different players, especially in a series where comedy, caricature, and sincerity often sit close together.

The expansion’s lighter writing still seems to land in places. PC Gamer’s verdict praises the DLC’s characters, and TheGamer emphasizes a high density of easter eggs and jokes. Still, charm cannot fully cancel out a premise that some players may find uncomfortable. For a game that has always been at its best when it treats oddball craft with precision, In the Jungle’s story sounds less precise than its systems.

Performance, platforms, and practical value

The most concrete technical notes come from PC Gamer, which reviewed the DLC on PC using an Intel i7-9700K, RTX 4070 Ti, and 16GB RAM, and lists Steam Deck as Verified. The Wand Report and Game8 also reviewed on PC. TheXboxHub published an Xbox Series X review on July 4, 2026, indicating coverage on Microsoft’s console side as well, though the provided source text does not include a separate store listing or full platform availability statement.

For buyers, the value case is strong if you already like Dave the Diver. PC Gamer’s reported 25-plus hours without finishing suggests the $10/£8.49 price is generous by DLC standards. The Wand Report refers to it as a roughly ten-hour piece of DLC while also saying it can feel like Dave the Diver 2 because of the overworld and new systems. That difference likely reflects playstyle: players who beeline objectives may see a shorter expansion, while completion-minded divers can spend far longer chasing bosses, relationships, recipes, upgrades, and creature lists.

The DLC is less easy to recommend as an entry point. The sources describe In the Jungle as an expansion that builds on Dave’s established loop, characters, restaurant flow, and upgrade appetite. If you bounced off the base game’s busy schedule, the jungle adds more plates to spin. If you loved how Dave the Diver made every errand feel like a possible discovery, this is the rare DLC that appears to understand exactly where to widen the circle.

Verdict: a real expansion with a visible blemish

As a Dave the Diver DLC review, In the Jungle is easy to admire and slightly harder to fully embrace. The new setting meaningfully expands exploration through Utara Lake, an isometric village, relationship systems, new gathering layers, and a stronger toolset for underwater play. Bancho Grill also gives the restaurant loop a better reason to connect with the people around it, turning social progress into service, staffing, and recipe momentum.

The caveat is story. Based on The Wand Report’s criticism and Game8’s milder concern that the plot structure repeats old beats, In the Jungle’s narrative does not match the elegance of its mechanical design. That will bother some players more than others, but it should be part of the buying decision rather than a footnote.

For existing fans, this is far closer to an essential Dave the Diver expansion than a charming detour. For newcomers, start with the base game. For players sensitive to stereotyped cultural framing, wait for more community discussion or a sale. For everyone else who wants Dave’s loop stretched into a broader, busier, warmer adventure, In the Jungle looks like Mintrocket’s most substantial add-on yet.