Dave the Diver is a game as stuffed as a plate of Truffle Blue Lobster Tail Sushi. Packed full of exploration, cooking, and battles with extremely fishy foes, you’d think that there couldn’t be much more to do.

As it happens, developer Mintrocket has a lot more bait on their hook, and the upcoming In the Jungle dangles about 10 more hours’ worth of Dave and his crew in the new location of Utara Village. Watch the trailer as they arrive at the new location, specially filmed by B-movie experts, The Asylum.

Welcome to Utara Village: a new real-time hub

The new area was inspired by a trip Jaeho Hwang, Director of Dave the Diver, took.
 

“A freshwater-based expansion was something we always had planned, largely because the community were very vocal about it from the get-go,” Hwang explained. “We knew we had a great premise for a DLC, but we still hadn't decided on the location. However, it was actually a personal vacation to Southeast Asia that gave me the inspiration for Dave's next adventure. The scenery, the local food, and the awe-inspiring jungles felt like the perfect setting. My experience of visiting the local village while on that trip informed the DLC’s gameplay loop, which features Dave earning the trust of the villagers over the course of the experience.”

So welcome to Utara, a jungle village by a lake. It’s here that Dave must build relationships with the new NPCs, gaining their trust through quests. As the trailer suggests, nature has become unstable, and Dave and the crew must tame it. Rather than the specified blocks of time that the base game used, Utara runs on a real-time schedule, and you’re free to choose when to dive and when to explore before heading to the restaurant to turn the new creatures into tasty dishes.

The freshwater lake and jungle have allowed Bancho to open Bancho Grill, which has new recipes for food and drink, and is more spread out in the jungle, meaning you’ll be serving in every direction, not just left and right. The new restaurant will become something of a hub for the neighborhood, creating a key link between the people and Dave.
 

Upgrading the arsenal: The Jungle Gun 

Diving deeper into the game, the new lake is teeming with life (and, therefore, recipe items), and to tackle the abundance, there’s a new way to catch and kill: The Jungle Gun. It’s an adaptable piece of equipment, according to Hwang: “In the base game's combat, you could carry only one gun at a time, so there were limits. If you were holding a sniper rifle, for instance, you could not catch fish with a net. In this DLC, you can switch freely between different modes and hunt however you want.

“The aim behind all of this is to keep the fun of the base game while removing some of the restrictions, so players can have a fresh experience.”

The In the Jungle DLC has a lot more above-ground activity to explore, Hwang said. “This time, there is a great deal happening on land. You connect with the villagers and grant their requests, and as you explore the forest near the jungle, you encounter all kinds of new wildlife.

“The jungle is a mysterious and dangerous place, home to massive underwater creatures and ferocious wild animals. Being able to weave a setting this appealing into the game was fascinating and rewarding work.”
 

A wild live-action trailer by The Asylum 

A keen eye will spot some of that in the trailer, with a Duck Hunt-style minigame and some platform sections. Hwang mentioned collecting dung beetles being a particular favorite of the game’s testers. You will also have spotted that the trailer is part live-action, filmed with gusto by The Asylum.

It took some work, Hwang said: “We are massive fans of the films The Asylum makes, like Sharknado and Meth Gator, so we really wanted to build our launch trailer in that kind of live-action style.

“I reached out to them several times, but I didn’t hear back from them for over a month. Just as I was about to give up, they got in touch, and we had the chance to speak with them. When we agreed to make it together, I was very thrilled.”

Fortnite gift-with-purchase 

Any purchase of DAVE THE DIVER or DAVE THE DIVER – In the Jungle Content Pack on the Epic Games Store will grant you the Dave the Diver Outfit and Dave's Oxygen Tank Backbling in Fortnite. Read the FAQ for details.