It’s arguably never been a better time to step away from mainstream, mega budget, microtransaction-riddled titles and check out the healthy indie scene, with games that respect their player’s time and investment, often adding free content months, and sometimes years, after release. Indie hit Dave the Diver is one such title, which has received frequent updates and now features a host of crossovers with other independently produced games. If you’ve managed to drag yourself away from Balatro for any significant amount of time since its launch, you may well have found yourself succumbing to the charms of fishing underneath the surface of Dave the Diver’s beautifully blue ocean, before preparing (and helping to serve) the day’s catch in Bancho’s Sushi restaurant.
A new update to Dave the Diver brings numerous crossovers into the popular Steam, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation game. Real world singer and songwriter mxmtoon can now visit Bancho Sushi, characters from indie game Potion Craft can stop by the restaurant, and you can even play a version of Balatro under the sea. Let’s find out how!
Where to Find Balatro in Dave the Diver
If you’re already playing Dave the Diver, you may well have unlocked the Sea People Village already. If not, it’s likely to take you around ten to fourteen hours to unlock, depending on how much you’re sticking to the main story quests, or if you’re taking your time and enjoying the unique mix of diving, fishing, and sushi serving action (not to mention the almost overwhelming number of further mini-games and activities you’ll be unlocking as you progress).
The Game Parlor
In the Sea People Village, you’ll find the Game Parlor to the far right of the map (which you can see in the image above). There, you can speak to Yami near the entrance to the Parlor, and take part in Seahorse Racing. There are other patrons who will give you general missions, but don’t provide you with the opportunity to take part in further games; however, on the far right of the Parlor you’ll find Junak, who you can play several games with.
Initially, Junak’s games are as follows: Shark Teeth, Find the Pearl, and Card Matching (though shown in the above screenshot, Jimbo’s Game won’t be an option just yet; we’ll get to that!). These will be all of the games on offer until you’ve regained the trust of the Sea People, and their King, by completing numerous missions for them across their village and back in the expanse of the ocean itself.
How and When Does Balatro Unlock in Dave the Diver?
I’d regained the trust of the Sea People and completed many more missions for them over the course of several in-game days before Balatro became available to me. Roughly speaking, I was at around the 30th in-game day, with 19 hours of play on Dave the Diver overall.
A cutscene will trigger when it’s the right time; you’ll see Junak exploring a dark scene, investigating a strange book that’s washed up near the Sea People Village. The next time you visit the Sea People Village, everyone there will be playing a new card game that Junak learned from reading the book he found; if you then visit the Game Parlor once more, Junak will teach you how to play.
In Dave the Diver, the game isn’t actually called Balatro; it’s referred to as “Jimbo’s Game.” This name refers to Balatro’s slightly sinister, grinning mascot, Jimbo, who taunts you after every failed run in the Poker-based roguelike. After Junak has taught you how to play and win a round of Jimbo’s Game, he’ll tell you that you need to find and defeat five of the Sea People, collecting a special Joker from each of them.
They’re handily marked with a little Jimbo speech bubble; if they’re inside their usual dwelling, the speech bubble will show up outside, as shown in the image above, as well as indoors, next to the character you can play against (shown below on the left). Simply engage them in conversation and select “Jimbo’s Game” to initiate the round (in the screenshot below on the right).
Once you’ve done this, you can return to Junak at the Game Parlor for a final, more difficult and extended Jimbo’s Game battle. Though it is tougher (and longer!) than the rounds you’ll play against the Sea People, you’re armed with the ability to use all of the special Joker cards you’ve collected from them, which does give you more opportunities to build up those satisfyingly huge Balatro multipliers!
If you can beat Junak that final time, you’ll get yourself a special gift, and you’ll also be able to play Jimbo’s Game against him any time you return to the Game Parlor.
Is Jimbo’s Game the Exact Same Game as Balatro?
Though it is near enough the full Balatro experience, Jimbo’s Game is simplified somewhat, and does have differences from the full game. You have space for six Jokers, for one thing, the selection of them is vastly reduced, and the Poker terminology of calling each round a “blind” is gone; instead, they’re simply referred to as rounds. Rather than playing for points and cash, instead you’ll earn Jimbo Coins, which you’ll spend each round on new Jokers – it’s worth noting that these don’t accumulate or remain available outside of each round of Jimbo’s Game that you play. Jimbo’s Game can’t really be classed as a roguelike either; instead, you’ll take on a small round, a big round, and then a boss round (occasionally then going on to a further small round up to a boss again) before the game ends.
What is remarkable is that, despite the fact that it’s cut down from the full Balatro experience, Jimbo’s Game actually replicates the original game to an amazing extent, with Jokers, bosses, visual flourishes, and even the soundtrack that’ll be very familiar to you, certainly if you’ve spent as much time on Balatro as I have (and, let’s face it, hasn’t it been everyone’s just-one-more-go game this year?). At times, you could be forgiven for forgetting that you’re not playing Balatro at all!
Is It Worth Playing Jimbo’s Game in Dave the Diver?
Whether or not you’ve already discovered what all the critical acclaim was about when it comes to Balatro, it’s definitely the case that Jimbo’s Game is well worth seeking out and playing. If you’re already familiar with Balatro, collecting the five Jokers from the Sea People, before beating Junak, won’t take long. If you haven’t, it might take you a little longer to get to grips with Jimbo’s Game, but you may well find yourself purchasing Balatro itself once you’ve experienced just how addictive it can be!
Though Dave the Diver is arguably stuffed with too many mini-games, Jimbo’s Game is a very welcome addition to the collection.
If you’re just picking Balatro up for the first time, or want some tips and tricks you can carry over to Jimbo’s Game, check out our handy tips and tricks guide!
