Games like DAVE THE DIVER

The Squirrel's verdictStardew Valley gives you a farm you build at your own pace, with fishing and mining alongside crop management and character relationships — and full co-op if you want company. At 74.5 median hours for $14.99, it runs far longer than most games in this space. There are no forced cutscenes interrupting your day and no mandatory job-switch at nightfall.

Not for you if you want restaurant-service pressure, a story-driven structure, or an underwater setting.

The Squirrel's verdictShelldiver is a single-session incremental built around collecting sea resources, selling them, and spending on an upgrade tree that never soft-resets. Reviewers consistently note that progress feels smooth and meaningful from start to finish. Median playtime is 4.7 hours — enough to reach full completion in one sitting.

Not for you if you want a restaurant management layer, story cutscenes, or a game designed to last many dozens of hours.

The Squirrel's verdictEach day in Kingdom Two Crowns ends with an enemy wave that tears down what you built, and the next day begins rebuilding. That defense-and-expansion rhythm replaces Dave's dive-and-restaurant split entirely, with no story, no minigames, and no cutscenes — just resource timing and base placement, with co-op support. Median playtime is 34.4 hours.

Not for you if you want narrative, varied environments, or control over building placement, since spots are pre-defined and the loop repeats island to island.

The Squirrel's verdictThe Last Caretaker gives you a ship you captain across open water, setting your own pace between scavenging platforms, crafting, and exploration. There is no restaurant shift, no daily job-switch pressure, and no structured story beats driving you forward — just an open-ended survival sandbox with around 20–30 hours of content and a median playtime of 61.2 hours.

Not for you if you want a restaurant management loop, structured story pacing, or co-op — this is single-player and open-ended.

The Squirrel's verdictOutpath centers on gathering resources to unlock buildings and new islands, with a smooth progression loop reviewers compare to Forager. There is no day/night split, no customers to serve, and no combat — just resource gathering and building at a relaxed pace across roughly 19.9 median hours. One developer made it.

Not for you if you want combat, restaurant-service chaos, or co-op, since Outpath has none of those.

The Squirrel's verdictLost Nova is a short solo exploration game — roughly 5.9 median hours at $14.99 — where a stranded pilot collects cores and ship parts from a single planet's creatures and quests. There is no management layer, no day/night job-switch, and no time pressure. Suits players who want a contained, low-stakes adventure without juggling two interlocking systems.

Not for you if you want to juggle two systems under time pressure, prefer longer games, or are sensitive to camera movement tied to aiming.

The Squirrel's verdictScale the Depths is a stripped-down incremental: catch fish, sell them, upgrade gear, move to the next area. Each new area resets local currency and core gear, which reviewers flag as either a satisfying restart or a repetitive grind. No restaurant, no story, no cutscenes. Median playtime is 9 hours across three to four areas.

Not for you if you valued Dave's restaurant sim and story beats, dislike gear resets between areas, or want more than a few hours of content.

The Squirrel's verdictStranded Sails puts you on a shipwrecked island, farming and crafting to feed a crew while exploring surrounding landmasses. An energy meter caps how much you can do each in-game day, and reviewers frequently flag that meter as restrictive. Building placement is fixed rather than freeform. Median playtime is 16.4 hours at $24.99.

Not for you if slow movement and a tight energy cap frustrate you, or you want dense content and meaningful building placement choices.