Dave the Diver ditches sushi for alligators — is the paid Jungle DLC worth it?

Why this matters: Dave the Diver’s paid DLC actually changes the game

Mintrocket is taking Dave the Diver somewhere it’s never gone before: a freshwater jungle lake. That might sound like a cosmetic swap from coral to cattails, but In the Jungle promises new predators (alligators, piranhas), a shift from sushi to grilled fish, real‑time village mechanics, crafting, pollution‑purification systems and roughly 10 hours of new gameplay. For a game that grew by accident into one of the year’s surprise hits, this is the studio trying to turn expansion into experimentation rather than simple DLC padding.

• New biome: freshwater jungle lake with alligators, catfish, piranhas and insects.
• Gameplay shifts: grilled‑fish recipes, village time in real time, active NPCs, crafting and pollution mechanics.
• Structure: developer Jaeho Hwang estimates ~10 hours of content – it will be paid DLC early 2026.
• Trust factor: Mintrocket has offered many free updates, but this is a paid expansion justified by new systems and development cost.

Breaking down In the Jungle – what’s actually different

Dave the Diver made its name mixing diving‑based exploration with running a sushi joint, and part of its charm came from biting into a strange combination and finding it delicious. In the Jungle flips some of that formula. The director, Jaeho Hwang, told GameSpot the studio wanted “a completely different world” and a chance to include freshwater fauna they’d been itching to add – big, fighty fish and predators you just can’t get in an ocean biome.

That’s not just a change of enemy sprites. The DLC replaces ocean resources—no coral or starfish—with lake‑specific materials. Weapons will be less about random pickups underwater and more about upgrades you craft and tune in the village. The village itself runs in real time now: NPCs won’t materialize on a rail, you have to approach and talk to them, and some events will hinge on the village clock. There’s also a pollution arc—the lake starts contaminated and you can purify it—plus hints of ancient civilization “gimmicks” hiding in the depths.

The food angle: sushi out, grilled fish in

Here’s the weird-but-smart part: Mintrocket is intentionally swapping sushi for grilled fish in this DLC. Hwang admits it’s “surprising” to remove sushi, but frames it as a reason to ship this as DLC rather than a sequel — preserving the franchise’s identity while offering a distinct side experience. The team even did field research: trips to Indonesia for jungle vibes and aquarium visits to study discus and snakehead fish. That attention to culinary detail is why Dave’s kitchen moments have always landed, but it’s also where fans will be most judgmental—if the recipes and diner flow don’t feel as rewarding as the base game, criticism will be sharp.

Price, precedent and player trust

Mintrocket has given a lot away for free: crossovers (Godzilla, Ichiban Kasuga), collaborations like Dredge, and even a Nintendo Switch 2 upgrade were free. The studio says those gestures came from player support and worked for them. In the Jungle, however, is explicitly paid because it’s “a significant amount of development effort” and offers new systems rather than incremental content. Hwang mentions the studio heard player disappointment about the Like a Dragon DLC pricing and wants to set a “fair price” this time.

That’s reasonable on paper — 10 hours of content with new mechanics is solid value — but gamers will judge by execution. Will the village feel alive or repetitive? Is the crafting meaningful or just a chore to gate equipment? And crucially: how much of the new content truly alters the game’s loop versus reskinning old systems? Those are the questions players will use to decide whether to open their wallets.

The Gamers’ Perspective — why I’m cautiously optimistic

This DLC caught my attention because Mintrocket isn’t playing it safe. Switching biome, combat pacing, enemy types and the kitchen itself is a bold move for a small studio. Dave the Diver’s charm comes from surprising combinations, and In the Jungle looks like more of that but with higher stakes: new systems either click and expand what the game can be, or they bloat it. Given how many creative crossovers and updates the team has already pulled off, I’m leaning toward intrigued.

But skepticism is healthy. I want to know the price, see how the village’s real‑time systems handle player agency, and confirm the pollution and crafting loops aren’t just busywork. If Mintrocket nails those systems and prices it fairly, this could be one of the better DLCs of 2026. If not, it could feel like a paid detour that didn’t need to be paid for.

TL;DR

In the Jungle is Dave the Diver’s experiment: a paid, ~10‑hour DLC that swaps ocean for a polluted jungle lake, sushi for grilled fish, and passive NPCs for real‑time village systems. It’s ambitious and worth watching — but its value will hinge on execution and price. Early 2026 is the target; keep your wallet warm, but expect to judge this one on the systems, not just the cute new critters.