Bancho's Culinary Adventure
Mintrocket Announces 'Bancho the Chef,' a Culinary Prequel to Fan-Favorite 'Dave the Diver' for PS5
Mintrocket has announced Bancho the Chef, a standalone prequel to Dave the Diver set before the events of the original game, with the story centered on Bancho, the sushi chef who became a fan-favorite supporting character. The prequel follows Bancho as he travels across Asia to learn from master chefs and build his path to becoming a master, with gameplay focused on cooking-themed mini-games and culinary education rather than deep-sea exploration. The game is currently planned for PlayStation 5, and the studio says it may expand to other platforms later. Promotional materials also point to a noticeable visual shift away from Dave the Diver’s pixel-art look while keeping the original color palette, alongside a hip-hop soundtrack aimed at a lighter, more playful tone. In related updates, Dave the Diver’s “In the Jungle” DLC is set to launch on June 18, with physical Complete and Collector’s Edition releases planned for Q3 2026 for Nintendo Switch 2 and PS5.
Key Points
Mintrocket’s promotional game description explicitly frames Bancho as “long before he became the acclaimed sushi master of Blue Hole,” describing Bancho the Chef as “an all-new standalone prequel” that follows “a young Bancho as he travels across Asia to learn from master chefs on his journey to greatness.”
For Dave the Diver’s upcoming “In the Jungle” DLC, physical editions are being distributed by Silver Lining Interactive: the Complete Edition includes “In the Jungle, all previously released DLC, and the full game on one disc/game card,” while the Collector’s Edition bundles the Complete Edition plus items including an acrylic standee, four metal pin badges, an acrylic keyring, a pendant necklace, two Marinca cards, a poster, and four postcards.
While Bancho the Chef is slated for PS5, at least one report notes the announcement lacks a release date: “there is no release date yet,” with “no further launch details… confirmed,” making the project “a promise rather than a schedule.”
The original Dave the Diver is currently available across multiple platforms—Nintendo Switch (listed twice in the source), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store—suggesting a wide existing audience ahead of the Bancho prequel.
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