Dave the Diver

Another pixel art game, though this one is deceiving, because the pixel art is mainly used for cut scenes and mini games, while the main game is quite detailed and fluid. It’s been on my radar for a while, mostly because there are few top rated games for the Mac on Steam. My brother gifted it to me for my early birthday/late Christmas present. He’s been using it to unwind after playing Balder’s Gate 3.

You play as Dave, who as you may have guessed is a diver. The part of the game that really resonates with me is that Dave has been snookered into running a sushi bar. Dave is a diver, and knows nothing about running a restaurant. I am a computer scientist and I knew nothing about running a wine bar, so I feel for Dave.

Dave uses his skills as a diver to stock the sushi bar, and the diving is really nice. You have to keep an eye on your oxygen and the depth as well as angry sea creatures, but mostly you swim around, collecting junk and harpooning fish. Along the way there are weird happenings and goofy characters, all of which are fun and interesting.

The credits for the game rolled during the intro, which I thought was a nice touch, since the game was loading and I didn’t have anything else to do. Usually the credits roll at the end, when I’m all pumped up and want to keep on playing. What I noticed about the credits is that the production company seems to be Korean, and so I went into the game looking for that, and I feel that you can tell the Korean influence on the characters and the art style.

Dave the Diver is a fun, relaxing game. It’s also on sale on the Switch shop right now. Definitely worth checking out.