Disney Dreamlight Valley Review

Do you like Animal Crossing? Then check out Disney Dreamlight Valley by Gameloft. Before I get into the
gameplay, let me give you a little history on it. Early access of the game was released in September 2022
on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, and Xbox. The game is now available on PC, Mac, Steam and Epic Games Store. In August 2023 a physical edition of the game became available for
purchase.

I play the game on the Xbox Series X because it’s available on the GamePass. It’s available on the other platforms for a fee. Founder’s Packs are available which contain moonstones and other content for the game as a bonus for the digital download or digital purchase. The new physical copy comes with a Cozy Pack with different items. Playing the game on GamePass or purchasing it on another platform is just to be a part of the early access. It’s rumored that once the game is fully released it will be entirely free. The full release date is anticipated for 2023 but seems to keep getting pushed back.

Initial gameplay for me on Xbox Series X via GamePass was fine. There were a few bugs here and there. The game would freeze, take too long to load, or not load at all. There were also some very minor game play issues where I might have to redo something. But from what I have read on social media many others have had a lot of bugs especially those playing the game on Nintendo Switch. Now that there’s a physical game available maybe that will alleviate some of the problems; only time will tell. Gameloft has been good about trying to fix the bugs each time there’s a software update but it’s still not 100% bug free. Your internet speed and what system you are playing on probably also plays into how many problems you have. Like I said, compared to what others have said, I’ve had very minor issues.

Since the game was originally released Gameloft has had several free updates along the way. The newest update is set to be released sometime before the end of September. Currently if you complete all of the quests from the very beginning through the summer update there will be 27 characters available. I won’t ruin the surprise and tell you who they are, but the general description of the gameplay later on will give you insight on a few of the characters you start off with. It’s already been announced that the next few updates will release 8 more characters.

So now let me tell you about the game itself….
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a life simulation and adventure game with many of your favorite Disney and
Pixar characters living together until the Forgetting causes the characters to lose their memories, move back to their realms and much more. The goal of the game is to restore Dreamlight Valley and find those
missing characters and bring them home.

The game starts off with Merlin telling you the story behind Dreamlight Valley and the story of the Forgetting. The Forgetting caused many characters to flee to their home realms, while some stayed but lost their memories. The valley has become in disrepair covered with Night Thorns and only your magic can restore the valley and rid it of the Night Thorns. Throughout your journey you will do quests to level up your human character and your friendships with the Disney and Pixar characters. Through the quests you will unlock new biomes in the valley that will provide new landscaping, crops, flowers, fish, characters, gems etc. You will also visit realms to complete quests that will bring characters back to the valley. Initially you only start off with a few characters and as you complete quests and level up your friendship with those characters you can unlock new realms that will bring new characters and quests as well as new biomes throughout the valley. Don’t worry, Merlin and Mickey Mouse will guide you along the way.

I don’t want to give too much away of the actual gameplay and content because it’s fun to be surprised
when you unlock something new, but there is much more to the game that you will unravel as you play.
Here are a few ways the game is similar to Animal Crossing:
1. Customize your human character’s appearance.
2. Use tools to dig, fish, plant crops, mine for gems, gold and stones, and water flowers.
3. Build a workbench to craft materials, fencing, paths, furniture, potions and more.
4. Instead of selling items to the Nooks you are now selling to Goofy.
5. Instead of getting bells for your items, you get star coins. These are used to purchase clothing,
furniture, materials, crops, etc. from Scrooge McDuck.
6. You can decorate the varying biomes of the valley with furniture, paths, fencing, etc.
7. You can take selfies and photos throughout the valley.
8. Instead of earning Nook miles by doing daily activities you earn Dreamlight. Dreamlight is used
to unlock realms and other rewards.

Something different is the Star Path. The Star Path is different missions that are themed to a specific Disney or Pixar movie or character. By completing those missions you earn Moonstones, which is another type of currency that you can use to purchase items specific to the Star Path or in the online shop. You can also earn Moonstones throughout the valley if you find a blue chest laying around. In the last update they also added DreamSnaps. Each week there’s a new DreamSnap theme and the goal is to take a picture that meets the criteria for the theme and submit it for voting. Your fellow game players will vote each week on the prior week’s submissions. By voting 50 times you earn moonstones but you can vote more than that if you choose. Then the following week you receive an email in your in game mailbox that tells you how your picture scored and what your prizes are. The better your picture scores the more prizes you get. The prizes consist of moonstones, clothing and furniture.

You can also assign roles to the characters and take them on your mining, fishing, digging, planting, and
foraging activities with you. By doing this you will earn more items and level up your friendship faster. One thing that Animal Crossing has that Dreamlight Valley doesn’t have but should consider, is the ability to visit other people’s valleys. I would love to visit other valleys to see how they designed their biomes, spend some time fishing or mining with my friend’s character or do other activities together.

 

Dreamlight Valley has new content still being added and will continue to be added so you are never bored. That is unless you are like me and beat the quests too quickly and have to wait for the next update to get more quests. But there’s plenty to do in the meantime. One of the great things about this game is you can do as little or as much as you want, when you want.

As someone that is a huge fan of Animal Crossing and Disney I was intrigued to play this game and have
thoroughly enjoyed it. Disney Dreamlight Valley does a fantastic job of capturing the fun and imagination that we have come to expect from Disney. If you are a fan of Disney or Animal crossing this game is a must play. This reviewer gives Dreamlight valley four out of five mouse ears.