Our friendly Dave is back with a completely new look, featuring a new setting and new friends. Instead of the beautiful blue of the Blue Hole, this humorous adventure unfolds in the lush, vibrant green of the jungle, complete with the beautifully decorated Utara Village, freshwater lakes, and dangerous forests.
While it is a story DLC rather than a sequel, DAVE THE DIVER: In the Jungle is ‘new’ enough that almost everything—aside from the core diving and restaurant management—feels different. As a result, the game offers a fresh way to enjoy the experience while retaining the essential charm of DAVE THE DIVER.
MINTROCKET Head Hwang Jae-ho stated that this novelty is ‘the result of MINTROCKET’s philosophy to deliver a gameplay experience distinct from the original.’ This new story for Dave, which MINTROCKET and Hwang want to showcase, is exactly what ‘In the Jungle’ is all about.
A Completely New DLC: In the Jungle
This DLC feels like it has the content and volume of a sequel. Is there a reason you released it as a DLC rather than DAVE THE DIVER 2.
“Most people who enjoyed DAVE THE DIVER love the sea and sushi. That is our main focus, and I believe it is our unique strength. We received a lot of praise because we did that well. However, this time, we made it with the idea of offering something different. You could say our ‘geeky’ nature is reflected here; we have a tendency not to repeat what people like or are already familiar with.
This time, the setting is the jungle, and we aren’t making sushi. Many of the popular characters from the main game don’t appear either. There is almost nothing carried over. So, while it uses the DAVE THE DIVER universe, it is essentially a different game. It is inevitable that people would ask if this should have been a sequel or a follow-up.
If we had released it as DAVE THE DIVER 2, user expectations would have been different. DAVE THE DIVER isn’t a game where we keep changing the setting. It is already recognized as a game about the fun of exploring the ocean; doing something completely different there would have clashed with user expectations and wouldn’t have been a good business choice. So, since we were going to do something different anyway, we thought it was more appropriate to view it as a side story. Approaching it that way actually gave us more freedom.
The development period was similar, and the core members are almost the same. Most of them came along even after the spin-off. It might look very different on the surface, but it is essentially being made by the same people.
It seems you have a clear standard for distinguishing between a sequel and a DLC.
“I was a bit worried that people might question why we were making something that wasn’t a sea game. We conducted external tests, and the feedback was very positive, with many saying it felt like a DAVE THE DIVER DLC, and the scores were very high. There was praise for the fact that it was a completely different experience that didn’t feel repetitive after the main game. That positive reaction to our ‘transformation’ was encouraging.
It has been three years since the main game launched. I played it in earnest for the first time in a while, and I was able to adapt to this DLC easily. It seems to be thanks to the new elements; was that intentional.
“That was intentional to some extent. Usually, expansion packs come with the premise that you must know the main game inside out or remember the entire story. It seems that’s because they are often filled with fan service. We wanted to approach it differently. As I mentioned, we wanted to release something like a side story. We made it so that even if you don’t have much accumulated assets or expertise from the main game, you can still progress sufficiently.
Most users will be playing DAVE THE DIVER again after a long time, and I didn’t think we should premise it on their existing knowledge or adeptness. So, we approached it with the idea of making it completely new and teaching them again. We wanted it to look like a different game from the start.
User expectations have risen since the success of the main game. Did you pay attention to anything in the development process to meet those expectations.
“The original internal target for the main game was about 500k copies.
The initial goal was to break even and improve on the next project if given the opportunity. The team, including myself, was relatively inexperienced at the time, as most of us were accustomed to developing mobile or PC games rather than console games. The project did not receive substantial support from Nexon, resulting in limited resources and a team comprised of individuals working together for the first time.
Initially, I believed that selling 500k copies required a certain level of effort. However, our standards turned out to be higher than anticipated, leading to the perception of our game as a high-quality title. These elevated standards have now become the team’s norm, placing a certain level of pressure on our output.
While working on the main game, my ambition was high, but the entire team now shares a sense of pride in their work. This positive mindset has led to increased standards across all projects, aiming to produce results that stand on their own merit rather than relying on name recognition.
Although the game already surpassed my initial standards, the team continues to push for further improvements. We meticulously scrutinize optimization, NPC dialogue, graphical glitches, typos, and loading times in the pursuit of enhancing user trust and satisfaction.
In response to negative feedback on the latter half of the main game, we aimed to address these concerns in the DLC. We had initially intended to reduce repetition by introducing more story elements, but some users found this shift in focus to be detrimental to the overall experience. We learned that maintaining the core gameplay of cooking and fishing was paramount and incorporated this lesson into the DLC by balancing new elements without deviating significantly from the original concept.
With the increased choices in the DLC, the risk of overwhelming the player with content was a concern. To mitigate this, we carefully structured the progression of the game to provide moments of clarity and direction amidst the freedom of choice. Through internal testing, we fine-tuned the gameplay to ensure that regardless of the player’s path, the experience ultimately leads to a cohesive and fulfilling journey. Rewriting: The most challenging yet enjoyable aspect was making the transition from the Blue Hole to the jungle in DAVE THE DIVER.
“Yes, I think there’s a strong influence from JRPGs. The jungle exploration and combat were designed to be fun like those in masterpieces like Dragon Quest. For example, when you enter a village in a JRPG, you can explore different places like the item shop or weapon shop. We wanted to give a similar feel.
For combat, we referred to games like Dragon Quest and EarthBound. We thought about how to make it fun to rotate weapons like in EarthBound. I wanted to create a situation where you could enjoy the fun of changing weapons according to the enemy’s situation, like in Dragon Quest. We also tried to create a feel similar to the tension of fighting a boss in Dragon Quest.
When you defeat a boss in Dave, a village opens up and you can explore even further. I think we added elements to make the exploration and combat feel like a masterpiece JRPG.
Was this intentional? Certainly, we have drawn inspiration from the legacies left by our predecessors, but I believe they recognize the unique domain we have created for DAVE THE DIVER. This has led to instances where we are highly respected in the West and China, with requests for collaboration. Personally, the pride I feel from this recognition outweighs mere sales figures. It signifies being acknowledged as a true creator, rather than just a successful one.
I find the rise of ‘Dave-likes’ to be positive in this regard. It is not simply copying our work, but rather a reflection of our game’s influence and structural recognition. Encouraging the emergence of Dave-inspired creations is one of my goals as a creator.
When it comes to maintaining the B-grade sensibility that defines DAVE THE DIVER, it is indeed a challenging task. Balancing freshness and excess in humor is crucial. A-grade sensibility focuses on well-structured answers, while B-grade humor is more akin to a joke that can easily become repetitive. Finding the right balance between repetition in gameplay and humor is key to keeping the game engaging and funny.
Collaborating on a short film with The Asylum was a refreshing change from our usual promotional efforts. The live-action approach added a new dimension to our marketing strategy. Despite initial difficulties in reaching out to The Asylum, the final result was satisfying. The attention to detail in the production process, from casting to costumes, was meticulous. Some challenges, such as correcting the physique of a character through CG and re-recording certain scenes, added depth to the overall experience.
In conclusion, the collaboration with The Asylum for the short film was a rewarding experience that brought a fresh perspective to our promotional efforts. The challenges faced during the production process only added to the sense of achievement upon completion.
It was an incredibly enjoyable yet novel experience.
Are there any plans for another story DLC or sequel for DAVE THE DIVER.
“I have no immediate plans for DAVE THE DIVER 2, but I may consider it in the future. I am interested in creating DLC content, although I am unsure if users would find it engaging to have continuous DLC releases. If there is demand for it, I am open to the idea. However, I do not foresee a story DLC in the near future.
Personally, I have not been able to focus on collaboration DLC for a significant period due to my dedication to the jungle setting. I believe collaboration content can be enjoyable as it adds a mini-episode without disrupting the main game’s flow. While the Yakuza DLC received feedback about its volume in relation to the price, I hope to explore more collaboration opportunities after completing the current DLC.
Lastly, is there anything you want to say to the users waiting for DAVE THE DIVER: In the Jungle.
“There is a sense of pressure due to high expectations, but I believe I have met those expectations. If there are any dissatisfied users, I am willing to listen to their feedback with humility.
Initially, DAVE THE DIVER had some unclear aspects as we were inexperienced, but through adjustments made during the Early Access phase, it has evolved into a quality game. I hope you enjoy this new installment, and if there are any areas for improvement, please do not hesitate to share your thoughts. I am committed to enhancing the game’s quality further.
The goal of this DLC was to offer a unique and enjoyable experience comparable to DAVE THE DIVER. I hope you have a great time playing it and that it exceeds your expectations. Overall, I consider DAVE THE DIVER to be a representative example of Korea’s top-tier single A-grade games, and I developed it with a strong sense of responsibility.
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