Life simulation games are popular because of the dozens of hours of fun they provide, whether it is decorating a house or completing quests for upgrade items. Any Disney title is usually a hit because of the well-loved characters. The Nintendo 3DS’ Disney Magical World 2 from 2016 was ported to Nintendo Switch, laying the foundation for interest in a new Disney themed game. Disney Dreamlight Valley sees players living their best life in a quaint village, where famous Disney personalities take walks literally in front of the protagonist’s front door, with decorating and many adventures happening too.
Before diving into the review there is an elephant in the room that needs addressing. Originally the developers said that Disney Dreamlight Valley would be free, and any microtransactions would be limited to cosmetic-only items. Unfortunately that lack of payment is no longer true. The base game costs money, as do the various expansions. They can be purchased as one bundle or added separately. It means if players don’t like certain characters they can avoid them if they are part of the expansion package. Alternatively, if only the base is affordable, the ability to add the expansions at a later date makes it possible for others to enjoy the game, even if they can’t have latest additions as soon as they are released.
The in-game shop accessed through the main menu has furniture, house skins, clothes and magical creatures to buy with the in-game currency, moonstones. It is possible to gain moonstones from daily treasure chests, and for taking themed photos and submitting them, as well as voting on other players’ photos in Dreamsnaps. Moonstones can also be bought with real world money.
The moonstone shop’s inventory rotates regularly and it is all technically cosmetic, although the fear of missing out may compel some to purchase items that they might ordinarily not have bothered to buy. It is a real shame that Disney Dreamlight Valley didn’t remain a one-time payment game like Disney Magical World 2, with a few cosmetic DLC items. However, the base game is fully enjoyable and there is enough mainline quests and events that even if the DLCs are never purchased there is regular new content.
Initially Disney Dreamlight Valley was available on Nintendo Switch as a beta game, playable with the caveat there were going to be bugs. That was very true, from vanishing items to the character getting stuck in parts of the explorable environment. There was some occasional compensation depending how frequent the bugs were, but after many months it then had the full paid release.
The whole premise of living alongside favourite Disney princesses, princes, villains and other characters is a principal appeal and doesn’t disappoint. Not all characters are available immediately; some are released slowly over time, while others require certain quests to be fulfilled before unlocking the ability to welcome them.
All homes once placed can be moved, so if it becomes annoying to have to have Goofy’s abode further from the player house than Mickey and Minnie, it can be placed right next door with a few button presses. It is a relief to house less favoured characters like Scar and Ursula far away from the village plaza, where shops are originally placed, but these too can be put elsewhere as other areas unlock through natural story progression.
There is a magnificent castle, but sadly it doesn’t have grandly decorated rooms to either live in or explore. Instead it acts as a home to many portals, with lots of these leading to worlds that contain other characters unlocked through story progression as well as downloadable content. The characters often don’t come to the main area straight away; they require certain items or quests to be completed in order for them to want to permanently move. If a quest involves a time limit on when items can be grown or collected it can be frustrating waiting in real time for a few days to pass. However, that equally provides something to look forward to, and there are many activities to stay busy.
Materials are always needed for use in crafting and cooking, as well as for quests. There are fishing and mining activities to enjoy too, with in-game encyclopaedias to complete. Fish sometimes need it to be a particular hour of the day to appear. The time can be changed so that visually it can be daytime in the middle of a real-time night, but actual time changing of the game’s clock is strongly advised against by the developers. As a result, any evening-appearing fish can only be caught when it is the evening in the real world. Thankfully regular event quests span longer than two weeks, so if there is a day or two where players can’t log in at night, they should have enough time to do so within the event’s timed parameters.
Aside from exploration, Remy’s restaurant can be visited and the customers need serving specific dishes, which is often required for quests. The restaurant and other main buildings like Scrooge’s shop have several expansions available, making the number of customers larger and magnifying the amount of furniture and clothes available to purchase with in-game currency. As new residents join the different themed areas, the length of time it takes to collect absolutely everything in each area increases. This can make daily tasks a bit daunting, but it is rare for anything to need mandatory collection 100% of the time.
By all means, if there is time to collect random items lying on the ground and mine from all the rocks on the map, it is a great gaming session. However, if there is only time to quickly say hi to Belle and Ariel and no time for fishing and questing, little is affected. Events last a few weeks, so no matter a person’s schedule, they shouldn’t miss out if reality delays extended excursions in Disney Dreamlight Valley. Plus not all events are enjoyed by individuals; for example, not everyone likes Halloween, so partaking in spooky themed quests might be skipped altogether.
The character design is highly detailed, with a lot of care given to making them accurate. Characters are not stationary, and most have set movements they do on camera. Moana does her ocean dances, and Donald Duck has temper tantrums. Initially his tantrums went on for a longer time than they do now. Current marked quests will have related characters travel alongside the protagonist until the quest is done, and sometimes characters simply randomly appear. If characters are truly hated then there is an option to remove them from the village except for mandatory quests.
The freedom to choose which main or side quests to pursue makes every individual’s adventure different. Mandatory quests involve placing certain items in specific areas, but apart from both internal and external, decorating is optional. Some will pour countless hours into gathering enough materials to create hundreds of floor tiles to create a uniform look throughout the expansive area, whereas others will stick with the bare minimum because decorating is not their passion. There is a limit to how many actual items can be placed, but this is relatively high and should be enough for the majority of players.
Additionally there is an extensive wardrobe to collect, so everyone can find a unique look from shopping, and quest and event completion. Some articles have a stronger Disney theme than others, but unlocking new hairstyles and colours is exciting. There is even the ability to create wearable clothing patterns from preset outlines, using acquired motifs to add flair and create one-of-a-kind pieces.
The continuing-to-play value due to ongoing events and updates excluding DLC is fairly high. However, breaks may be taken from the game when doing daily quests and when event quests become monotonous. Once the majority of main and side quests are finished, and an event is completed, it can feel a little pointless to keep collecting items that have over one hundred stored in numerous treasure chests in preparation for future requirements. Inevitably some may choose not to play at all outside of events, retuning only when there is new content to enjoy. Of course, there will be fans who never stop playing as there is so much that can be decorated and collected. All play styles are valid.
