Dave the Diver: PS5 Review

Developed by MintRocket
Published by MintRocket
Platform: PS5, part of the PS Plus collection

One of the most addictive and calming games of 2024 on the console, Dave The Diver is an utterly charming addition to the pantheon of management games.

A pixelated tale that was nominated for Best Indie at the Golden Joystick Awards in 2023 on Steam, the game's simple mechanics and calming atmosphere make it easy to pick up, play and suddenly lose two hours to without realising.

You get to play Dave, a diver (honestly, it's all there in title), who is approached by his friend Cobra into starting up a sushi restaurant venture with the skilled chef Bancho.

Pitching anchor at a place known as the Blue Hole, it's up to you to fish for ingredients during the day, and then help Bancho run a sushi restaurant at night. But an added mystery concerning a mysterious race of sea people leads Dave to think there is more going on that meets the eye.

Dave The Diver is an immensely soothing game that's unfussed with flashy graphics or mechanics and is more interested in providing a vibe. If you want, you can follow the sea people mystery - but if you're less interested in that side of things, the game also allows you to simply dive and run a restaurant, complete with characters, options to hire and train staff and with additional quests that come in the shape of sushi-themed events or searches within the Blue Hole.

It's an enormously addictive game that offers upgrades, unlocks and extras - all while never deviating from its core mantra.

It helps that cut scenes are packed full of pixel humour and while there's a level of fat-shaming in parts that is inexcusable, largely Dave The Diver is a generally amiable experience. 

With roguelike elements, the game ensures no few days are the same, and while the mechanics are the same, it works incredibly hard to be playable fun that's for all the family.