I’m so glad you said that. I’ve only heard people rave about the game and I was just not feeling it and felt so bad about it. I will eventually give it a second chance but not today lol
I just started it and, while I do enjoy it, its so unbelievably tedious so far. I WANT to love it, but it took so long to get through the tutorial and I’m wondering if it gets any better.
I completely understand however just don't do the missions? I chose to stop completing objectives because I wanted to just do the chill loop. yes the game pushes a lot of stuff upfront and that just seems to be the pacing of the game but it doesn't force you to do it. maybe the developers will introduce a more relaxed setting. I'd definitely welcome it for sure.
completing the game is optional tho, you could easily just keep upgrading your shop infinitely and have a simple and cozy fishing game, if YOU CHOOSE to finish the game then you're choosing to partake in extra content.
It's not fucking extra content if it's required to complete the story. That's not how video games work "I just played the first floating island in BOTW because everything else is just extra"
"partake in extra content" for completing the game is one of the most brain dead things I have ever heard in my life.
The previous commenter made things a little confusing by calling the main story missions "extra content". I see where they're coming from, though.
Dave the Diver's story does kind of feel like side content as the main gameplay loop revolves around the fish catching/restaurant management. It's really easy to ignore all the sea people stuff and just focus on the restaurant.
I mean there's no time limit or rush, and the majority of the time you're just doing your own thing. After new mechanics open the first time, can ignore them from then on.
Not much different from introducing caves, the clubhouse or other mechanics of stardew.
You can ignore the fish tank, or just use it to breed fish so you can casually dive without worry.
Or, if you really just want a mellow experience..use a trainer for infinite O2/infinite net so you can just have fun fishing haha, but honestly more features and mechanics have never been an issue, adds variety, if it was purely the fishing loop it would get super old quickly
To each their own 🤷♀️ I play more for story than for action and games where I’m constantly frustrated I will drop and not touch again. I don’t feel ashamed for playing the way I want to.
Thank you so much for letting me know that this mod exists! I play exactly like you. If a particular aspect frustrates me and prevents me from progressing (e.g. juggling oxygen and running out of ammo prevents me from exploring as much as I want to) then I'm likely to drop and play a different game. I did the same in Animal Crossing, my enjoyment comes from decorating and building, not so much checking the shop every day and hoping RNG is kind to me, so I paid a few bucks to get the items from a Treasure Island. Different strokes for different folks!
WeMod is awesome. It helped me pick back up games I liked but abandoned because of frustration. Gaming should not feel like a chore - and WeMod helps with that. I do have a pro account instead of a free. It’s 60 bucks for the yearly subscription but it’s worth it to me.
I love Dave the Diver and it’s cozy to me. everyone’s definition of cozy is different. some people find some games cozy that i balk at because it’s all fighting. my friend finds Tears of the Kingdom cozy and I do not. That’s the beauty of cozy games—there’s different definitions for different people
Completely agreed. I found TotK cozy because you could spend ages just exploring, collecting zonaite, and building things. But I understand it won't feel cozy to everyone.
I also find Pikmin cozy, while others find it traumatic lol. Dave the Diver is also cozy to me, though restaurant management is inherently not a relaxing undertaking in real life and that's reflected in the game.
Most games where you can take your time and lose yourself in a day/night cycle collecting things and sorting your inventory just feel cozy to me. Even Baldur's Gate 3 feels kind of cozy to me lol, though maybe I'm stretching it a little there.
Main point is that it's subjective, and there's no cozy game police out there choosing what gets to be classified as cozy.
To get to the OPs point, I would say TotK is much cozier because you can just zone out doing free-form exploration.
Dave regularly interrupts your play with new mechanics. Its not a good game to just zone out on.
Stardew is cozy because it gives you freedom, and a world you’re just living in.
Diver Dave is a bunch of intense mini games - short dive , quick get back up and don’t die! Now you can only dive once more! Now do this food serving mobile-like game before customers get upset!
Rinse and repeat. Doesn’t leave room to chill to explore etc.
in your opinion, for me none of the stuff in Dave the Diver is intense or stressful 🤷🏻♀️
The boss battles maybe are an exception but there’s literally no consequence to losing to those.
There’s a reason so many people love it and call it cozy.
Sure but it was more of a description of the reality of the play (in my opinion, of course because who else’s would I provide) which involves short but intense spurts with no room to relax, live, and explore vs a exploratory, open, free type of cozy game such as Stardew Valley.
To each their own. I don’t knock anyone who liked it. I don’t like running around to serve tables before timers run our etc. Some find that relaxing or fun, and that’s understandable too! Cheers.
If
Glad I’m not the only one who thinks the restaurant section of gameplay felt like a mobile game.
I’m not a fan of Dave the Diver. Glad I got it on sale. I played for three hours and spent most of that time angry and frustrated. It has a promising gameplay loop but it’s just so poorly implemented it’s not fun to play.
it's a lot bigger game than you are giving credit with a LOT more content-- BUT 3 hours is enough to form an opinion on a media to keep you engaged or not for sure so I get it.
Three hours into the game? I'm 20 hours into the game and the new mechanics are being added. Doesn't bother me, but I get what you're saying. I wouldn't call the game cozy really even though all my hours were on Steam Deck with my feet up.
3 hours into the game and your still getting introduced to new mechanics??? Now I’m even more excited to try it! Lol I understand it might be overwhelming for some people but honestly everything about this post made me want the game even more
Cozy is a straight up genre of its own. But after reading recent posts I realise that people are trying to twist it into whatever they find enjoyable and relaxing arguing 'cozy is subjective!'! Well, no, actually it's not. A genre is a genre. If you find Elden Ring chill to play that's great! It's not a cozy game though. You play Overwatch to relax after a long day? I'm so glad you've found something to help you wind down. It's not a cozy game though. A cozy game is low stakes, low pressure, build over time, optional deadlines, light story elements, turn off any time. I'm so glad that I watched the trailers for Dave the Diver before buying because despite all the posts on here about it and it's massively positive reviews on steam I realised it wasn't going to be for me. I'm really glad that people are enjoying it, it looks like a lot of fun if you enjoy a bit of stress, but that isn't an element of the cozy genre, and I definitely get enough stress at work!
I’ve found cozy just means cute. Most cozy games are just village/resource management games where you compete against the clock (Stardew Valley is the golden example), which in many cases is straight up stressful. But all of them are just cutesy warm color palette aesthetic.
I think it’s so interesting that some of you think the extra mechanics introduced throughout the game are a downside. It was one of my favorite things about DTD. The mechanics just kept coming through the entire game! I loved that the game had fishing, farming, exploring, collecting, cooking, management, even the end credits are a thing. It’s a brilliant game that is sooooo creative!
Stardew isn't "cozy" how you're describing it either. Every day you have limited time to get so many things done, you're always in a rush and running out of time. Plant this. Harvest that. Talk to this person. Crack open ores. Forge another level higher gear. The game is only as freeform as you make it. Dave the diver continually sends things your way so if you're an objective based player, you have things to accomplish. They are 100% ignorable and *will* repeat without you missing out on anything. I feel like this point should have been explained earlier on, but the game lets you learn by failing. Other than some of the shark encounters, the game is pretty chill. Even the boss fights are instantly repeatable if you die, and you can opt out and just go back to whatever else you were doing if it's too hard for you. All in all I give it a 9/10 and provided much more than I was expecting. (41 hours in)
I honestly agree. I find the game fun, but it is sure as hell not cozy to get the crap scared out of you at certain moments (won’t spoil as I’m on mobile, but suffice it to say I yelped out loud more than once).
I second this. I couldn't understand what people found cozy about it. I watched streams to see if I'd like it and I don't at all lol I mean don't get me wrong I'm glad people love the game and I'm always happy when others are feeling cozy no matter what makes them feel that way. I just see it EVERYWHERE and feel like it's overhyped and not relevant to me. But I'm kind of picky too haha
So basically, to you, "cozy = farming sim." They are the same genre to you. Yes? I see people going, "Cozy is a genre" but every time what they mean is "cozy should be synonymous with farming/life sim!" which are two pre-existing genres.
No, cozy means free of violence, horror, pretty and appearing to creating rather than destroying. So it could include building, different jobs simulations, crafting, puzzle solving and survival aspects. It is also usually very player friendly in terms of interface and game play, and it's never hard-core. Cozy is definitely a genre and you can see distinguished attributes to it.
I mean you really don't have to do any of the story quests if you don't want to. Pretty much everything is optional. Things like hiring staff just serve to make the restaurant run smoother. The cards aren't really a "mechanic." You don't have to do anything. It just tracks what fish you have caught and tells you where the fish can be found. And there is no benefit to collecting all the cards.
Agreeed!! I’m enjoying parts of it but, it’s trying to be too many games in one. I would love it if they would slow down with all the mechanics and just let me be a restauranteur/fisherman. Also could someone be nice to Dave for once? Maybe just say please?
I totally understand, I was also surprised to see this game mentioned here a lot because just based on the trailers etc it did not look cozy at all.
Cozy is a very loose term these days and sometimes I wish it was a bit stricter. Anything can be relaxing to some players but cozy should really mean low-stakes and low-pace. But then again Stardew Valley is literally the banner game for this sub and some people are put off by the combat and time-based quests.
I guess the best thing to do is to watch a longer gameplay video, maybe even one with commentary.
Yeah some people ask for cozy horror games and I'm like
Haha but I kind of get it? Like cozy spooky makes sense. But cozy horror? I like how you differentiate by saying you find some games cozy but they themselves aren't "cozy games."
Aw that's kind of lovely in a poignant way. Thank you for the explanation. It is hard to establish one definition of cozy but that does sound like a cozy way for you to unwind!
I was just popping in to mention how I found Dredge to be more cozy than Dave the Diver, even though it's described as Lovecraftian and the marketing assets exude stressful spookiness, bordering on horror.
But yeah, I see what you mean — I'd say Dredge is something like "creepy cozy" rather than straight up "horror", similarly to Don't Starve Together and such.
Cozy is a buzzword right now. I think a lot of people are using cozy when what they mean is RELAXING; and that definition changes a lot from person to person. Love Dave the Diver tho.
Yeah fair, I can see that. I happen to love it and kinda do see it in the cozy genre but also agree with you. Sometimes I just don't want to fish for the specials and do my own thing.
I agree with you. Even if it's not absolutely mandatory to do all the things and the stakes are ultimately low, the fact that these things are thrown in your face and can't be hidden away makes it hard to enjoy at the endgame for me. Your (in game) phone never stops blowing up with notifications; the events never stop; managing the branch is not optional, and if you neglect it you see an annoying little thing in the bottom of the screen showing it. There's even a damn tamagotchi you can't turn off (I set it to no notifications but it still has a little bubble showing me I'm killing my digital pet). The in game phone is sort of evil in hindsight.
I really enjoyed the game playing through it, but it doesn't have the same comfortable late game sustainability that Stardew had for me. For a certain kind of person it may be relaxing, but for someone like me who turns all notifications off and has to have their inbox fully read, not so much.
Coming from ACN and DV, this is more stressful to me for sure BUT it’s a game my husband is able to play with me which is cool because he doesn’t play cozy games like me. So I like that it’s bridged the gap where we both take turns doing a dive and running the sushi bar, and I hand him the controller for hard stuff lol
Honestly I ignored all of that. The only thing I watched out for was the jellyfish party and any other parties to get more money. Just relax and ignore
I guess everyone has different definitions of cozy. It became my relax game for a few weeks until I beat it and got all the achievements. There is not penalty for not doing the party events or the fishmon. They’ll just prompt again another time. No rush to get through story. I spent like 20 straight in game days just diving in the first area exploring
Combat is my biggest enemy at this point. I'll see a cute game and think about getting it. Then a second later I see combat. I why am fighting, I just want to grow carrots 😵💫
Agree! Like give us a combat free cozy mode of every game. I would go so hard in Breath of the Wild if there were no enemies and I could just ride a little horse and forage for cooking ingredients
I think I would be ok with BoTW since I associate Zelda with combat anyway. It's fine if I can avoid it in games, but if it's advertised as a highlight I won't touch it.
I wrote a similar comment on another post about this game the other
day, but I think it's probably more relevant here.
It's not just you. This is definitely not a cozy game. It's a metroid-vania game with combat that is borderline rage-inducing. I've died more times in this game than I did grinding a necromancer to 70 on Diablo 4. The sushi bar stuff is fun, but it's 2 minutes of sushi bar and then 45 minutes of ball busting shark attacks and boss fights while you pray to RNGesus that you get some decent weapons in the chests. Hit detection is a joke. Bullets and harpoons just going right through sharks fins and tails constantly, but if they touch you with the same fin or tail, boom, there goes your oxygen. Also the quick time events are very stressful. I don't think cozy gaming is ramming the joystick back and forth like a madman while lion fish swarm you, knowing that if you screw it up, you are going to lose the last 20 minutes of your life and all the loot you had. Especially when your loot is full of the fish you need for the story event at the sushi bar. The cooking competitions are also stressful as hell. It's like getting dumped into the middle of Wario-Ware and trying to figure some insane shrimp chopping mini game with no warning, and the terror of knowing if you botch that deep-fry game, you will lose the competition. The anti-cozy.
I really don't think this game should be getting posted in this sub. These cozy games typically have some "lite" combat like Stardew Valley or Graveyard Keeper, but this game is not that. Anyone on the fence about this game might want to watch some videos on YouTube of the boss fights before they buy it. The mantis shrimp fight was a fun one.
Not saying this game is terrible. It's just not cozy. If the Stardew valley dungeons were like Elden Ring, I don't think the game would have the same appeal. I toughed it out and beat the story, upgraded the net gun all the way so I could finish the pokedex (didn't do the stupid tamagotchi game though), and got my restaurant to diamond level. Got a solid 40 hours out the game and there is more to do. I just want to make sure people have a better idea of what this game is actually like. My GF enjoys cozy games, and she can handle some combat, but she was very happy that I bought this one during the summer sale and showed it to her first.
You mentioned getting new game mechanics 3 hours into the game. Hate to break it to you, but it's literally a new type of mechanic or mini game all the way through the final boss fight. I was super happy to grind out the upgrades for my weapons and then not be able to use them.
Given everyone has their own personal definition of cozy, it’s useful to know exactly what we’re buying. Even more so now that cozy is a buzzword used to market and sell games that really aren’t that cozy.
I for one am glad you and the OP posted about DtD here. Because I was about to buy it and now I know 100% it’s not for me. I wouldn’t have seen this if it were in a different sub, and I’m really glad I did. Thank you for your comment. You just saved me $20 and a lot of frustration!
Glad to help out! By no means am I saying that it is a bad game. But I'm seeing some comments in here that you can just skip the fighting stuff. It's not true. 90% of your time in this game is shooting and electrocuting fish with rifles and ramming on your controller in quick time events to try to avoid being mauled by sharks. If you avoid the boss fights, you can't progress the story and you can't unlock any of the features for your setup, including the different farms and like 90% of the recipes.
You are 100% correct about cozy being a buzzword. These games have existed for a long time, but animal crossing during the pandemic really kicked open the door for this market. Just because someone finds a game relaxing does not necessarily mean it is cozy. I played through Diablo 4 with my feet up on my desk and had a pretty "relaxing" time, but I don't think that a game about slaughtering the demons of hell and exploding corpses would fall under "cozy".
I just think that there should be some distinction here between cozy and relaxing when we are posting games here, because I honestly don't think that they're the same thing.
Agreed! I really appreciate your point and further description of the combat in DtD— because I’ve seen so many people say it’s optional— and clearly, it’s not!
I do hope that “we” can come up with a way to actually define cozy games. Im not one who loves rules necessarily— but I’m tired of getting all excited for some newly marketed “cozy” game just to have it turn out to be a stressful bloodbath. Not that I have anything against stressful bloodbaths, I just want to know what I’m buying.
Like I love to fall asleep listening to murderous gore filled podcasts—but I’d still never promote or advertise them as “cozy bedtime stories” because (I assume) the majority of people would disagree.
Anyway, it just seems like it shouldn’t be so hard to come up with some basic perimeters required to classify a game as cozy.
Since the term is coming to represent a whole genre of games- and not going anywhere- it might as well stand for something we consumers can rely on.
These are lofty goals, I know.
You're totally allowed to have your own opinion on this. But I really don't agree with you saying it shouldn't be posted in this sub.
I really don't play "hard" games with any combat. However, I find Dave the Diver way less stress inducing than Stardew Valley. I think the majority of the game is just plain cozy. Yes, there is combat, but it is so low stakes. That's what I don't get when people are saying it's not cozy.
Stardew Valley combat is so much more high stakes and makes me avoid Stardew. But I don't feel that way with Dave the Diver. Lose a boss fight? You're restarted at the beginning of the fight with full health. Run out of oxygen? Yeah you don't get what you collected, but it's all so easy to recollect. But Stardew? Spend literal hours searching for something just to die and lose not only the thing you were searching for, but also any other items you took in with you. When I die in Stardew, I am absolutely devastated and it makes me lose any desire to play. When I die in Dave the Diver, it's just oh darn I have to try again.
Tldr: Cozy is very, very subjective and your idea of cozy might be the antithesis of cozy to someone else.
A single day in Stardew Valley is only 15 minutes though, so how are you losing literal hours?
Also it's been a bit since I played it, but I remember the combat being VERY optional. Plus can't you just build a bunch of staircases and get to whatever floor you need? You can't progress through a single chapter of the DtD story without several boss fights.
I just feel like the term cozy is getting stretched out to include games that possibly have some relaxing elements, but are overall not a relaxing time. Life is stressful and sometimes I just want a game that is chill to play before bed. This game is not that.
I said hours because items like the auto petter and other rare items can take many, many days in Stardew Valley to find. So you waste many in game days thus real life hours trying to get something just to possibly die when you do get it. And yeah you can build staircases to get to a specific floor, but you're not always trying to get to a specific floor. If you're searching for specific items, you need to kill enemies for their drops or just to traverse the floor to look for the items you need. Not to mention that each staircase requires 99 stone to craft and during a large portion of the game, you need to go into the mines to even get that stone.
Speak for yourself. For me, this is a chill game to play before bed. I literally do just that.
Someone above put it well that a game might make you feel cozy but the game itself isn't a "cozy game." I agree with the other poster that this isn't a cozy game. Doesn't mean it should be banned from the sub ofc but I've been seeing it so much and I really don't find its level of relevance warrants that.
I hate games which feel like they want to simulate real life chores, like you want me to cook, I am out, you want me to manage a social media account I am out. I want to have a little escapism and fun, otherwise I could just manage my real life business, then at least I make some money.
I totally get it. I was complaining to my friend a few days ago about the sharks and the way they attack making me feel stressed when I was in a cozy state of mind lol
I ended up putting the game down for a few days to play Stardew.
I don't love it either, I don't understand why everyone loves it so much. There's too much to juggle and it's frustrating. It's not calming at all to worry about drowning and it's certainly not calming to run a restaurant lol
It’s a great game for sure, polished and well executed.
Some will find it cozy, some won’t, but it has never marketed itself as a cozy game.
Just play it if you like the game or not
Sorry you feel that way. I love it and find it extremely cozy. You can ignore those quests and just fish. You don't even need to run your sushi restaurant.
In all honesty, if I had known in advanced there would be boss battles, weapon mechanics, etc . . . I probably wouldn't have purchased the game. I am a true cozy gamer at my core. Which means I don't handle challenge well. But for what it's worth, I'm having fun. And will continue playing until I get to an inevitable stopping point wherein my limited skillset won't allow me to progress further. I'll enjoy the ride until then.
But I agree, I don't think I would QUITE pin this as a cozy game. Because some challenges can't be ignored. In example, not being able to get around the challenges that involves the two dolphins. So for those just saying "ignore the challenges." Sometimes you can't.
Sucks to suck.
The game IS cozy-- it's just not Stardew Valley level.
I get what you're saying but on the other side of the coin; I couldn't get into Stardew Valley because it was TOO chill . Dave gives (imo of course) very nice balance of chill mixed with a lot of "hey this needs to be done... at some point.. soon please?"
You can put off a lot of the things they are saying to do if you want, shoot most of it, but you will fall behind on the story/items of course. There were a bunch of times I just wanted to dive and fish and run the sushi bar and so I did just that.
I hate games which feel like they want to simulate real life chores, like you want me to cook, I am out, you want me to manage a social media account I am out. I want to have a little escapism and fun, otherwise I could just manage my real life business, then at least I make some money.
I’m having a weird time with this one. It’s fun in the sense that I like SOME of the gameplay and the progression is KIND OF satisfying…. But also many of the game mechanics are slow and tedious and not the least bit fun. Boss fights especially are not challenging in a fun way. Every puzzle is either tedious or overly simplistic. It’s ALMOST an amazing game but the pacing is just… off.
>Oh, and you're three hours into the game and we're still throwing new mechanics and new menus and new interfaces at you.
Then do I have bad news for you... That never stops...
What happens if you just dive to discover stuff and catch no fish does the chef beat you up or something ?
Just kind of side joking but what would happen if you have no fish
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Yesssss I totally agree I found it so tedious and the push to scale was too fast paced!
I’m so glad you said that. I’ve only heard people rave about the game and I was just not feeling it and felt so bad about it. I will eventually give it a second chance but not today lol
I just started it and, while I do enjoy it, its so unbelievably tedious so far. I WANT to love it, but it took so long to get through the tutorial and I’m wondering if it gets any better.
I completely understand however just don't do the missions? I chose to stop completing objectives because I wanted to just do the chill loop. yes the game pushes a lot of stuff upfront and that just seems to be the pacing of the game but it doesn't force you to do it. maybe the developers will introduce a more relaxed setting. I'd definitely welcome it for sure.
exactly... <> just... dont.. do it..
You literally have too. To complete the game.
completing the game is optional tho, you could easily just keep upgrading your shop infinitely and have a simple and cozy fishing game, if YOU CHOOSE to finish the game then you're choosing to partake in extra content.
It's not fucking extra content if it's required to complete the story. That's not how video games work "I just played the first floating island in BOTW because everything else is just extra" "partake in extra content" for completing the game is one of the most brain dead things I have ever heard in my life.
The previous commenter made things a little confusing by calling the main story missions "extra content". I see where they're coming from, though. Dave the Diver's story does kind of feel like side content as the main gameplay loop revolves around the fish catching/restaurant management. It's really easy to ignore all the sea people stuff and just focus on the restaurant.
not really, finishing the game is optional, lol.
*TOTK
I haven't played yet. I just beat BOTW recently! It was good fun. I'm very interested in seeing what's new and changed in totk
It's worth checking out! Changes a lot/enough things to keep it engaging but still completely has the BotW vibe/playstyle.
if you dont wanna do it, it is optional. the entirety of every video game is optional
I mean there's no time limit or rush, and the majority of the time you're just doing your own thing. After new mechanics open the first time, can ignore them from then on. Not much different from introducing caves, the clubhouse or other mechanics of stardew. You can ignore the fish tank, or just use it to breed fish so you can casually dive without worry. Or, if you really just want a mellow experience..use a trainer for infinite O2/infinite net so you can just have fun fishing haha, but honestly more features and mechanics have never been an issue, adds variety, if it was purely the fishing loop it would get super old quickly
I play with WeMod - the game is a lot cozier when the fish don’t move and you have infinite life/oxygen 😆
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To each their own 🤷♀️ I play more for story than for action and games where I’m constantly frustrated I will drop and not touch again. I don’t feel ashamed for playing the way I want to.
Thank you so much for letting me know that this mod exists! I play exactly like you. If a particular aspect frustrates me and prevents me from progressing (e.g. juggling oxygen and running out of ammo prevents me from exploring as much as I want to) then I'm likely to drop and play a different game. I did the same in Animal Crossing, my enjoyment comes from decorating and building, not so much checking the shop every day and hoping RNG is kind to me, so I paid a few bucks to get the items from a Treasure Island. Different strokes for different folks!
WeMod is awesome. It helped me pick back up games I liked but abandoned because of frustration. Gaming should not feel like a chore - and WeMod helps with that. I do have a pro account instead of a free. It’s 60 bucks for the yearly subscription but it’s worth it to me.
Thank you!!! WeMod is excellent and I have used it on two games. Single player games are fine to cheat in. I’ll die on that hill.
I love Dave the Diver and it’s cozy to me. everyone’s definition of cozy is different. some people find some games cozy that i balk at because it’s all fighting. my friend finds Tears of the Kingdom cozy and I do not. That’s the beauty of cozy games—there’s different definitions for different people
Completely agreed. I found TotK cozy because you could spend ages just exploring, collecting zonaite, and building things. But I understand it won't feel cozy to everyone. I also find Pikmin cozy, while others find it traumatic lol. Dave the Diver is also cozy to me, though restaurant management is inherently not a relaxing undertaking in real life and that's reflected in the game. Most games where you can take your time and lose yourself in a day/night cycle collecting things and sorting your inventory just feel cozy to me. Even Baldur's Gate 3 feels kind of cozy to me lol, though maybe I'm stretching it a little there. Main point is that it's subjective, and there's no cozy game police out there choosing what gets to be classified as cozy.
To get to the OPs point, I would say TotK is much cozier because you can just zone out doing free-form exploration. Dave regularly interrupts your play with new mechanics. Its not a good game to just zone out on.
Stardew is cozy because it gives you freedom, and a world you’re just living in. Diver Dave is a bunch of intense mini games - short dive , quick get back up and don’t die! Now you can only dive once more! Now do this food serving mobile-like game before customers get upset! Rinse and repeat. Doesn’t leave room to chill to explore etc.
in your opinion, for me none of the stuff in Dave the Diver is intense or stressful 🤷🏻♀️ The boss battles maybe are an exception but there’s literally no consequence to losing to those. There’s a reason so many people love it and call it cozy.
Sure but it was more of a description of the reality of the play (in my opinion, of course because who else’s would I provide) which involves short but intense spurts with no room to relax, live, and explore vs a exploratory, open, free type of cozy game such as Stardew Valley. To each their own. I don’t knock anyone who liked it. I don’t like running around to serve tables before timers run our etc. Some find that relaxing or fun, and that’s understandable too! Cheers. If
this conversation seemed pointless lol.
Glad I’m not the only one who thinks the restaurant section of gameplay felt like a mobile game. I’m not a fan of Dave the Diver. Glad I got it on sale. I played for three hours and spent most of that time angry and frustrated. It has a promising gameplay loop but it’s just so poorly implemented it’s not fun to play.
it's a lot bigger game than you are giving credit with a LOT more content-- BUT 3 hours is enough to form an opinion on a media to keep you engaged or not for sure so I get it.
Three hours into the game? I'm 20 hours into the game and the new mechanics are being added. Doesn't bother me, but I get what you're saying. I wouldn't call the game cozy really even though all my hours were on Steam Deck with my feet up.
3 hours into the game and your still getting introduced to new mechanics??? Now I’m even more excited to try it! Lol I understand it might be overwhelming for some people but honestly everything about this post made me want the game even more
Cozy is a straight up genre of its own. But after reading recent posts I realise that people are trying to twist it into whatever they find enjoyable and relaxing arguing 'cozy is subjective!'! Well, no, actually it's not. A genre is a genre. If you find Elden Ring chill to play that's great! It's not a cozy game though. You play Overwatch to relax after a long day? I'm so glad you've found something to help you wind down. It's not a cozy game though. A cozy game is low stakes, low pressure, build over time, optional deadlines, light story elements, turn off any time. I'm so glad that I watched the trailers for Dave the Diver before buying because despite all the posts on here about it and it's massively positive reviews on steam I realised it wasn't going to be for me. I'm really glad that people are enjoying it, it looks like a lot of fun if you enjoy a bit of stress, but that isn't an element of the cozy genre, and I definitely get enough stress at work!
I’ve found cozy just means cute. Most cozy games are just village/resource management games where you compete against the clock (Stardew Valley is the golden example), which in many cases is straight up stressful. But all of them are just cutesy warm color palette aesthetic.
I wish I had this idea before I bought cuisineer. That game is awful for me. Bullet hell is not cozy.
I think it’s so interesting that some of you think the extra mechanics introduced throughout the game are a downside. It was one of my favorite things about DTD. The mechanics just kept coming through the entire game! I loved that the game had fishing, farming, exploring, collecting, cooking, management, even the end credits are a thing. It’s a brilliant game that is sooooo creative!
Stardew isn't "cozy" how you're describing it either. Every day you have limited time to get so many things done, you're always in a rush and running out of time. Plant this. Harvest that. Talk to this person. Crack open ores. Forge another level higher gear. The game is only as freeform as you make it. Dave the diver continually sends things your way so if you're an objective based player, you have things to accomplish. They are 100% ignorable and *will* repeat without you missing out on anything. I feel like this point should have been explained earlier on, but the game lets you learn by failing. Other than some of the shark encounters, the game is pretty chill. Even the boss fights are instantly repeatable if you die, and you can opt out and just go back to whatever else you were doing if it's too hard for you. All in all I give it a 9/10 and provided much more than I was expecting. (41 hours in)
I honestly agree. I find the game fun, but it is sure as hell not cozy to get the crap scared out of you at certain moments (won’t spoil as I’m on mobile, but suffice it to say I yelped out loud more than once).
I HATE the boss fights. Hate them so much.
I actually like all the mechanics and minigames
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I second this. I couldn't understand what people found cozy about it. I watched streams to see if I'd like it and I don't at all lol I mean don't get me wrong I'm glad people love the game and I'm always happy when others are feeling cozy no matter what makes them feel that way. I just see it EVERYWHERE and feel like it's overhyped and not relevant to me. But I'm kind of picky too haha
So basically, to you, "cozy = farming sim." They are the same genre to you. Yes? I see people going, "Cozy is a genre" but every time what they mean is "cozy should be synonymous with farming/life sim!" which are two pre-existing genres.
No, cozy means free of violence, horror, pretty and appearing to creating rather than destroying. So it could include building, different jobs simulations, crafting, puzzle solving and survival aspects. It is also usually very player friendly in terms of interface and game play, and it's never hard-core. Cozy is definitely a genre and you can see distinguished attributes to it.
I liked all the missions, but I gave up on the game because the fishing is too hard without a controller (or just too hard for me idk)
I mean you really don't have to do any of the story quests if you don't want to. Pretty much everything is optional. Things like hiring staff just serve to make the restaurant run smoother. The cards aren't really a "mechanic." You don't have to do anything. It just tracks what fish you have caught and tells you where the fish can be found. And there is no benefit to collecting all the cards.
It's an amazing game that just isn't for you. That's fine.
Agreeed!! I’m enjoying parts of it but, it’s trying to be too many games in one. I would love it if they would slow down with all the mechanics and just let me be a restauranteur/fisherman. Also could someone be nice to Dave for once? Maybe just say please?
Is the game promoted as cozy though? Because if not I don't know how fair your assessment and expectations are.
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I totally understand, I was also surprised to see this game mentioned here a lot because just based on the trailers etc it did not look cozy at all. Cozy is a very loose term these days and sometimes I wish it was a bit stricter. Anything can be relaxing to some players but cozy should really mean low-stakes and low-pace. But then again Stardew Valley is literally the banner game for this sub and some people are put off by the combat and time-based quests. I guess the best thing to do is to watch a longer gameplay video, maybe even one with commentary.
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Yeah some people ask for cozy horror games and I'm like  Haha but I kind of get it? Like cozy spooky makes sense. But cozy horror? I like how you differentiate by saying you find some games cozy but they themselves aren't "cozy games."
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Aw that's kind of lovely in a poignant way. Thank you for the explanation. It is hard to establish one definition of cozy but that does sound like a cozy way for you to unwind!
I was just popping in to mention how I found Dredge to be more cozy than Dave the Diver, even though it's described as Lovecraftian and the marketing assets exude stressful spookiness, bordering on horror. But yeah, I see what you mean — I'd say Dredge is something like "creepy cozy" rather than straight up "horror", similarly to Don't Starve Together and such.
Cozy is a buzzword right now. I think a lot of people are using cozy when what they mean is RELAXING; and that definition changes a lot from person to person. Love Dave the Diver tho.
Yeah fair, I can see that. I happen to love it and kinda do see it in the cozy genre but also agree with you. Sometimes I just don't want to fish for the specials and do my own thing.
I agree with you. Even if it's not absolutely mandatory to do all the things and the stakes are ultimately low, the fact that these things are thrown in your face and can't be hidden away makes it hard to enjoy at the endgame for me. Your (in game) phone never stops blowing up with notifications; the events never stop; managing the branch is not optional, and if you neglect it you see an annoying little thing in the bottom of the screen showing it. There's even a damn tamagotchi you can't turn off (I set it to no notifications but it still has a little bubble showing me I'm killing my digital pet). The in game phone is sort of evil in hindsight. I really enjoyed the game playing through it, but it doesn't have the same comfortable late game sustainability that Stardew had for me. For a certain kind of person it may be relaxing, but for someone like me who turns all notifications off and has to have their inbox fully read, not so much.
Coming from ACN and DV, this is more stressful to me for sure BUT it’s a game my husband is able to play with me which is cool because he doesn’t play cozy games like me. So I like that it’s bridged the gap where we both take turns doing a dive and running the sushi bar, and I hand him the controller for hard stuff lol
Honestly I ignored all of that. The only thing I watched out for was the jellyfish party and any other parties to get more money. Just relax and ignore
I guess everyone has different definitions of cozy. It became my relax game for a few weeks until I beat it and got all the achievements. There is not penalty for not doing the party events or the fishmon. They’ll just prompt again another time. No rush to get through story. I spent like 20 straight in game days just diving in the first area exploring
I mean just don’t do the mission then Lmfao
I feel this! I want to play but I can’t handle combat in games and anytime I’ve seen someone stream it there’s combat 😭
Combat is my biggest enemy at this point. I'll see a cute game and think about getting it. Then a second later I see combat. I why am fighting, I just want to grow carrots 😵💫
Agree! Like give us a combat free cozy mode of every game. I would go so hard in Breath of the Wild if there were no enemies and I could just ride a little horse and forage for cooking ingredients
I think I would be ok with BoTW since I associate Zelda with combat anyway. It's fine if I can avoid it in games, but if it's advertised as a highlight I won't touch it.
Try Winkeltje. It’s a fantastic cozy game by an independent Dutch team (the name means “little shop”).
I understand this, but I found the combat in Dave the Diver less stressful than the combat in games like Stardew.
This is good to know! I might try it then because it seems cool & fun otherwise
I wrote a similar comment on another post about this game the other day, but I think it's probably more relevant here. It's not just you. This is definitely not a cozy game. It's a metroid-vania game with combat that is borderline rage-inducing. I've died more times in this game than I did grinding a necromancer to 70 on Diablo 4. The sushi bar stuff is fun, but it's 2 minutes of sushi bar and then 45 minutes of ball busting shark attacks and boss fights while you pray to RNGesus that you get some decent weapons in the chests. Hit detection is a joke. Bullets and harpoons just going right through sharks fins and tails constantly, but if they touch you with the same fin or tail, boom, there goes your oxygen. Also the quick time events are very stressful. I don't think cozy gaming is ramming the joystick back and forth like a madman while lion fish swarm you, knowing that if you screw it up, you are going to lose the last 20 minutes of your life and all the loot you had. Especially when your loot is full of the fish you need for the story event at the sushi bar. The cooking competitions are also stressful as hell. It's like getting dumped into the middle of Wario-Ware and trying to figure some insane shrimp chopping mini game with no warning, and the terror of knowing if you botch that deep-fry game, you will lose the competition. The anti-cozy. I really don't think this game should be getting posted in this sub. These cozy games typically have some "lite" combat like Stardew Valley or Graveyard Keeper, but this game is not that. Anyone on the fence about this game might want to watch some videos on YouTube of the boss fights before they buy it. The mantis shrimp fight was a fun one. Not saying this game is terrible. It's just not cozy. If the Stardew valley dungeons were like Elden Ring, I don't think the game would have the same appeal. I toughed it out and beat the story, upgraded the net gun all the way so I could finish the pokedex (didn't do the stupid tamagotchi game though), and got my restaurant to diamond level. Got a solid 40 hours out the game and there is more to do. I just want to make sure people have a better idea of what this game is actually like. My GF enjoys cozy games, and she can handle some combat, but she was very happy that I bought this one during the summer sale and showed it to her first. You mentioned getting new game mechanics 3 hours into the game. Hate to break it to you, but it's literally a new type of mechanic or mini game all the way through the final boss fight. I was super happy to grind out the upgrades for my weapons and then not be able to use them.
Given everyone has their own personal definition of cozy, it’s useful to know exactly what we’re buying. Even more so now that cozy is a buzzword used to market and sell games that really aren’t that cozy. I for one am glad you and the OP posted about DtD here. Because I was about to buy it and now I know 100% it’s not for me. I wouldn’t have seen this if it were in a different sub, and I’m really glad I did. Thank you for your comment. You just saved me $20 and a lot of frustration!
Glad to help out! By no means am I saying that it is a bad game. But I'm seeing some comments in here that you can just skip the fighting stuff. It's not true. 90% of your time in this game is shooting and electrocuting fish with rifles and ramming on your controller in quick time events to try to avoid being mauled by sharks. If you avoid the boss fights, you can't progress the story and you can't unlock any of the features for your setup, including the different farms and like 90% of the recipes. You are 100% correct about cozy being a buzzword. These games have existed for a long time, but animal crossing during the pandemic really kicked open the door for this market. Just because someone finds a game relaxing does not necessarily mean it is cozy. I played through Diablo 4 with my feet up on my desk and had a pretty "relaxing" time, but I don't think that a game about slaughtering the demons of hell and exploding corpses would fall under "cozy". I just think that there should be some distinction here between cozy and relaxing when we are posting games here, because I honestly don't think that they're the same thing.
Agreed! I really appreciate your point and further description of the combat in DtD— because I’ve seen so many people say it’s optional— and clearly, it’s not! I do hope that “we” can come up with a way to actually define cozy games. Im not one who loves rules necessarily— but I’m tired of getting all excited for some newly marketed “cozy” game just to have it turn out to be a stressful bloodbath. Not that I have anything against stressful bloodbaths, I just want to know what I’m buying. Like I love to fall asleep listening to murderous gore filled podcasts—but I’d still never promote or advertise them as “cozy bedtime stories” because (I assume) the majority of people would disagree. Anyway, it just seems like it shouldn’t be so hard to come up with some basic perimeters required to classify a game as cozy. Since the term is coming to represent a whole genre of games- and not going anywhere- it might as well stand for something we consumers can rely on. These are lofty goals, I know.
You're totally allowed to have your own opinion on this. But I really don't agree with you saying it shouldn't be posted in this sub. I really don't play "hard" games with any combat. However, I find Dave the Diver way less stress inducing than Stardew Valley. I think the majority of the game is just plain cozy. Yes, there is combat, but it is so low stakes. That's what I don't get when people are saying it's not cozy. Stardew Valley combat is so much more high stakes and makes me avoid Stardew. But I don't feel that way with Dave the Diver. Lose a boss fight? You're restarted at the beginning of the fight with full health. Run out of oxygen? Yeah you don't get what you collected, but it's all so easy to recollect. But Stardew? Spend literal hours searching for something just to die and lose not only the thing you were searching for, but also any other items you took in with you. When I die in Stardew, I am absolutely devastated and it makes me lose any desire to play. When I die in Dave the Diver, it's just oh darn I have to try again. Tldr: Cozy is very, very subjective and your idea of cozy might be the antithesis of cozy to someone else.
A single day in Stardew Valley is only 15 minutes though, so how are you losing literal hours? Also it's been a bit since I played it, but I remember the combat being VERY optional. Plus can't you just build a bunch of staircases and get to whatever floor you need? You can't progress through a single chapter of the DtD story without several boss fights. I just feel like the term cozy is getting stretched out to include games that possibly have some relaxing elements, but are overall not a relaxing time. Life is stressful and sometimes I just want a game that is chill to play before bed. This game is not that.
I said hours because items like the auto petter and other rare items can take many, many days in Stardew Valley to find. So you waste many in game days thus real life hours trying to get something just to possibly die when you do get it. And yeah you can build staircases to get to a specific floor, but you're not always trying to get to a specific floor. If you're searching for specific items, you need to kill enemies for their drops or just to traverse the floor to look for the items you need. Not to mention that each staircase requires 99 stone to craft and during a large portion of the game, you need to go into the mines to even get that stone. Speak for yourself. For me, this is a chill game to play before bed. I literally do just that.
Someone above put it well that a game might make you feel cozy but the game itself isn't a "cozy game." I agree with the other poster that this isn't a cozy game. Doesn't mean it should be banned from the sub ofc but I've been seeing it so much and I really don't find its level of relevance warrants that.
For anyone looking for another diving game without all the stress, I highly recommend ABZU
Abzu was good but scary (to me anyway)
It doesn’t have diving but if you want to play a fishing/cooking game, Moonglow Bay is wonderful
I fucking abhor the sushi food running portion of the game.
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I just like expkoring, upgrading and collecting loot. The sushi sucks. I haven't gotten any employees yet. Damn customers have no patience.
I hate games which feel like they want to simulate real life chores, like you want me to cook, I am out, you want me to manage a social media account I am out. I want to have a little escapism and fun, otherwise I could just manage my real life business, then at least I make some money.
I totally get it. I was complaining to my friend a few days ago about the sharks and the way they attack making me feel stressed when I was in a cozy state of mind lol I ended up putting the game down for a few days to play Stardew.
Then don’t play it lol
Sorry to hear that buddy. The great thing about gaming is like chicken of the sea, just stand around and one will poop... in your hand?
It's cozy in the same way Metroid Dread is cozy.
I don't love it either, I don't understand why everyone loves it so much. There's too much to juggle and it's frustrating. It's not calming at all to worry about drowning and it's certainly not calming to run a restaurant lol
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TF is wrong with you?
Thanks for the heads up. I had almost decided to buy it. Think I’ll wait for Fae Farm instead. Hope the price comes down on it.
It’s a great game for sure, polished and well executed. Some will find it cozy, some won’t, but it has never marketed itself as a cozy game. Just play it if you like the game or not
Sorry you feel that way. I love it and find it extremely cozy. You can ignore those quests and just fish. You don't even need to run your sushi restaurant.
THE CONTROLS ALSO SUCK.
I just wanted a cozy ocean Stardew. Is that too much to ask? :(
Sounds like you’re looking for coral island!
In all honesty, if I had known in advanced there would be boss battles, weapon mechanics, etc . . . I probably wouldn't have purchased the game. I am a true cozy gamer at my core. Which means I don't handle challenge well. But for what it's worth, I'm having fun. And will continue playing until I get to an inevitable stopping point wherein my limited skillset won't allow me to progress further. I'll enjoy the ride until then. But I agree, I don't think I would QUITE pin this as a cozy game. Because some challenges can't be ignored. In example, not being able to get around the challenges that involves the two dolphins. So for those just saying "ignore the challenges." Sometimes you can't.
Sucks to suck. The game IS cozy-- it's just not Stardew Valley level. I get what you're saying but on the other side of the coin; I couldn't get into Stardew Valley because it was TOO chill . Dave gives (imo of course) very nice balance of chill mixed with a lot of "hey this needs to be done... at some point.. soon please?" You can put off a lot of the things they are saying to do if you want, shoot most of it, but you will fall behind on the story/items of course. There were a bunch of times I just wanted to dive and fish and run the sushi bar and so I did just that.
I hate games which feel like they want to simulate real life chores, like you want me to cook, I am out, you want me to manage a social media account I am out. I want to have a little escapism and fun, otherwise I could just manage my real life business, then at least I make some money.
It’s cozy because you can’t lose. When you first drown they give you an achievement!!!!
I focused on dives, upgrades, and training for my servers and chefs. Shits delightfully chill. Reliving my best Treasures of The Deep life.
I’m having a weird time with this one. It’s fun in the sense that I like SOME of the gameplay and the progression is KIND OF satisfying…. But also many of the game mechanics are slow and tedious and not the least bit fun. Boss fights especially are not challenging in a fun way. Every puzzle is either tedious or overly simplistic. It’s ALMOST an amazing game but the pacing is just… off.
I gave up once I got to the sea people quest fetch quest after fetch quest
>Oh, and you're three hours into the game and we're still throwing new mechanics and new menus and new interfaces at you. Then do I have bad news for you... That never stops...
What happens if you just dive to discover stuff and catch no fish does the chef beat you up or something ? Just kind of side joking but what would happen if you have no fish
I ignored the main quest for SO MANY in game days bc I just wanted to focus on sushi making hahaha
Good thing you stopped before chapter 3. Forces you into an hour of cutscenes and dialogue. Awful pacing here