Dave the Diver has very high points and some that break the game's dynamics, making everything a bit dull.
The story starts off very well, it's all very fluid and at the same time interesting and funny. I was captivated by the trio, and the game introduces MANY mechanics along with MANY characters, and so far, everything pleased me. Divided into chapters, the main missions at the beginning are perfect. You understand what you need to do, everything has a clear purpose, and it didn't seem repetitive, at least not to me. Even the side missions are enjoyable.
As a Roguelite, it has a procedurally generated map, but in this case, the changes don't mean much because what you need will always be in the same place or nearby. So even though the map changes, it doesn't seem as significant as one would imagine.
As a game of this genre, it offers ways to improve and make the game easier. In this case, the improvements range from your equipment to weapons and things at the sushi bar. What bothered me a bit was the scaling of the costs of these improvements and how impactful they really are. For example, the harpoon, in the first few hours, when upgraded, allows you to catch fish in one shot that would have taken three. This comes at a reasonable cost. However, as time goes on, you need a lot of money to reduce the number of shots needed to catch fish that now require five shots.
But for me, the game really starts to decline from the middle/end of chapter 5 to the beginning of chapter 6, where you need to help some NPCs. This help consists of going to point A, picking something up, and bringing it back to them, or something similar to prove your worth. This takes time and feels more like an obligation than a game.
Another negative point, in my view, was the lack of an option to set aside diving to focus more on the restaurant mode or to efficiently automate the fishing of some fish (there's a breeding ground, but it doesn't allow you to play only the sushi bar mode for a period). This, along with each dive lasting about 10-20 minutes or more if you want to explore extensively to make money and with a high weight limit, means it takes a considerable amount of time to reach the point where you are rewarded for diving. And since everything becomes very expensive very quickly, you need to do lengthy dives, further delaying your compensation.
The presented mechanics (and there are many) are well implemented, but some are underutilized, like the rhythm game in one of the character's dreams or the fact that you can collect cards and complete missions to save the environment. Completing these tasks rewards you with a boat skin or something that isn't so impactful.
The "puzzles" are very tedious; you move a lever, and everything stops to show something moving. They're very easy, and it takes a long time to complete them because you have to watch each reaction of what is being done. The good side is that this only happens towards the end of the game.
The variety of fish and dishes is astounding. The combat mechanic is good, and even though it mostly changes during boss fights, battling against sharks, stingrays, and things that attack you is cool. The variety of weapons isn't as extensive as that of fish, but it doesn't disappoint. You can choose which one you prefer and upgrade it when possible.
The ending is satisfying; everyone has an interesting conclusion, the secondary dramas are wonderful, and if it weren't for the boring part of the village and its inhabitants interrupting the flow of the game (you end up doing two missions twice), it would be perfect for me.
Overall, the game starts off very well and continues well for a long time until you reach a part where it completely breaks the rhythm. You have to do boring things, some parts are devoid of any emotion, and the character isn't fast at swimming across the map, so it all becomes a bit tiresome together (plus, my game simply froze on a loading screen). Because of this, the ending becomes less rewarding than it should be, but still somewhat gratifying in some way.
The story starts off very well, it's all very fluid and at the same time interesting and funny. I was captivated by the trio, and the game introduces MANY mechanics along with MANY characters, and so far, everything pleased me. Divided into chapters, the main missions at the beginning are perfect. You understand what you need to do, everything has a clear purpose, and it didn't seem repetitive, at least not to me. Even the side missions are enjoyable.
As a Roguelite, it has a procedurally generated map, but in this case, the changes don't mean much because what you need will always be in the same place or nearby. So even though the map changes, it doesn't seem as significant as one would imagine.
As a game of this genre, it offers ways to improve and make the game easier. In this case, the improvements range from your equipment to weapons and things at the sushi bar. What bothered me a bit was the scaling of the costs of these improvements and how impactful they really are. For example, the harpoon, in the first few hours, when upgraded, allows you to catch fish in one shot that would have taken three. This comes at a reasonable cost. However, as time goes on, you need a lot of money to reduce the number of shots needed to catch fish that now require five shots.
But for me, the game really starts to decline from the middle/end of chapter 5 to the beginning of chapter 6, where you need to help some NPCs. This help consists of going to point A, picking something up, and bringing it back to them, or something similar to prove your worth. This takes time and feels more like an obligation than a game.
Another negative point, in my view, was the lack of an option to set aside diving to focus more on the restaurant mode or to efficiently automate the fishing of some fish (there's a breeding ground, but it doesn't allow you to play only the sushi bar mode for a period). This, along with each dive lasting about 10-20 minutes or more if you want to explore extensively to make money and with a high weight limit, means it takes a considerable amount of time to reach the point where you are rewarded for diving. And since everything becomes very expensive very quickly, you need to do lengthy dives, further delaying your compensation.
The presented mechanics (and there are many) are well implemented, but some are underutilized, like the rhythm game in one of the character's dreams or the fact that you can collect cards and complete missions to save the environment. Completing these tasks rewards you with a boat skin or something that isn't so impactful.
The "puzzles" are very tedious; you move a lever, and everything stops to show something moving. They're very easy, and it takes a long time to complete them because you have to watch each reaction of what is being done. The good side is that this only happens towards the end of the game.
The variety of fish and dishes is astounding. The combat mechanic is good, and even though it mostly changes during boss fights, battling against sharks, stingrays, and things that attack you is cool. The variety of weapons isn't as extensive as that of fish, but it doesn't disappoint. You can choose which one you prefer and upgrade it when possible.
The ending is satisfying; everyone has an interesting conclusion, the secondary dramas are wonderful, and if it weren't for the boring part of the village and its inhabitants interrupting the flow of the game (you end up doing two missions twice), it would be perfect for me.
Overall, the game starts off very well and continues well for a long time until you reach a part where it completely breaks the rhythm. You have to do boring things, some parts are devoid of any emotion, and the character isn't fast at swimming across the map, so it all becomes a bit tiresome together (plus, my game simply froze on a loading screen). Because of this, the ending becomes less rewarding than it should be, but still somewhat gratifying in some way.