Dave the Diver is preparing to step outside its familiar sushi-and-scuba comfort zone, and that shift could be exactly what long-lapsed players need to dive back in. Mintrocket’s next DLC, In the Jungle, is being positioned as a major change of scenery—one that swaps portions of the ocean routine for jungle exploration and a new kind of danger.
Originally celebrated for blending chill underwater exploration with surprisingly busy restaurant management, Dave the Diver became one of 2023’s standout word-of-mouth hits. Players weren’t just hunting fish for the menu; they were uncovering secrets in the Blue Hole, battling oversized sea life, and stumbling into strange civilizations before resurfacing to keep Bancho Sushi running at full speed. The game’s appeal has always been its rhythm—dive, collect, upgrade, serve—and the DLC’s biggest promise is to remix that cadence rather than simply add more fish to catch.
What In the Jungle appears to add
The latest look at In the Jungle suggests a more varied adventure structure, including jungle traversal and underwater crocodile encounters—a striking change from the game’s usual marine bestiary. While specifics remain limited, the concept alone implies new tools, new traversal mechanics, and new threats that could push Dave the Diver closer to action-adventure territory than its breezy core game typically does.
For Mintrocket, the challenge will be keeping the DLC’s new setting from feeling like a disconnected side activity. The base game works because its systems feed into each other: dives supply the restaurant, the restaurant funds upgrades, upgrades deepen the dives. If jungle exploration and croc fights plug cleanly into that loop—through new ingredients, crafting, progression paths, or story beats—In the Jungle could feel like a true evolution rather than a detour.
It’s also a notable moment for a studio that has, so far, managed to keep Dave the Diver culturally sticky through updates and collaborations while maintaining its cozy, comedic identity. A bigger thematic pivot can be risky, but it’s also how a successful hybrid game avoids stagnation: players who’ve “seen the ocean” need a reason to return beyond incremental content.
Editorial takeaway: In the Jungle looks like a smart bet—less about expanding the same ocean checklist and more about broadening what “a Dave the Diver adventure” can be. If Mintrocket nails integration with the restaurant-management backbone, this DLC could mark the start of a more ambitious future for the series rather than just another content drop.