Disney Dreamlight Valley Reviews
Steep costs and microtransactions taint an otherwise dreamy life sim.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is an incredibly strong early access start to a bewitching, Disney-infused life sim.
Even at this Early Access stage, Gameloft has created an awesome game here. There's enough content here already to give a good sense of what's to come, and a foundation to build something rather special.
Disney Dreamlight Valley's whimsy is offset by the frustrations of time management and a monotonous daily grind.
An Animal Crossing inspired life-sim populated by the world's most fiercely defended intellectual property
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a frictionless, relaxing spin on life sims that manages to remain heartwarming and charming, despite a few Switch-related rough patches. Dreamlight Valley's unique identity relies heavily on fresh interactions with your in-game friends, and Gameloft will need to continue supporting it with regular updates to keep the Night Thorns from creeping back in. However, what's here at launch is surprisingly touching and thoughtful, and cleverly plays on the nostalgia of anyone who's ever been a Disney fan.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is brimming with Disney magic, but it's also a well-constructed game with plenty to keep you playing.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is already proving itself to be a feature-rich and engaging game, with a really addictive "one more quest" feel to it. Once the issues are fixed, and with some more characters added to the game, this could become the best Disney game in years. Now, if you excuse me, I'm off to continue plugging hours into the game until I get Stitch in my valley as they're teased in the loading screens and I want to befriend them.
If you like quiet, collecting and exploration-oriented experiences, this will be like a theme park for you. Of course, do not expect strong emotions, just the pleasure of discovering more and more.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
As for me, I can’t say I was hooked. Dreamlight Valley is a world of cardboard, its inhabitants little more than set decoration and animated sources of material gain. It’s a game about menial labor for menial labor’s sake, the most monotonous elements of a life sim emphasized and weakly justified by the shallow inclusion of marketable Disney characters. It masquerades as a game about friendship while portraying personal relationships as little more than means to an end. Worse than all of that, though, it’s simply boring. Dreadfully, interminably, boring.
Disney Dreamlight Valley lets players dive into a magical world full of Disney characters. It is a colorful, fun, and highly addictive adventure that is let down by a rather curious decision. It was strange to see so little love paid attention to the realms outside of the Valley that I was kind of left wondering why they even existed in the first place. However, inside the Valley is a world that sucks you in and keeps you invested in discovering all the recipes, fish, gems, and more. After 40 hours, while Disney Dreamlight Valley isn't without its flaws and odd bugs, it is well worth diving into for Disney and life simulation fans alike.
Dreamlight Valley is 'Disney meets Animal Crossing', but there's more to it than that. With a healthy supply of quests on top of the usual foraging, crafting and house-building, there's a proper story here too for any players who want a goal to aim towards.
If you’re looking for a cozy game bursting at the seams with things to do that will have you whiling away the hours, Disney Dreamlight Valley is definitely worth it: it’s shaping up to be one of my favorite games of 2022, and it’s not even out of early access yet. The ability to live alongside some of Disney’s most memorable characters, raise their Friendship level and design the world that they inhabit is truly something that I never knew I needed until it arrived.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is delightful. The title is a brilliant life sim sandbox that already has a staggering amount of content, and has already begun outlining what comes next. If Gameloft plays its cards right, this game could be a mainstay on many people's consoles for years. Thousands of Disney-themed items and a robust construction mode pair with all the traditional life sim trappings executed at a high level to create a surprisingly excellent experience. Whether you want to completely redesign your town or just go fishing with Mickey, the game has everything in place to ensure you get the most out of your experience. A slew of camera bugs and the odd crash stand out as early access hiccups, and the framework for an extensive microtransaction economy is a red flag, but this isn't enough to stand in the way of having a lovely time.
Disney’s Dreamlight Village is not going to be for everyone, in fact a lot of people who may not realize that the game is a F2P experience may be upset upon paying for the founder’s pack. Yes, the game will constantly give the players tasks, and almost any action just as simple as talking to a character will provide progress. But there is nothing in the way of an endgame, the experience is not going to change, the whole of this game is living your best life in the Valley, making friends and cooking with Mickey. Sure, there is a narrative, but it is very light and not necessary as the chill nature of the game is a pleasure in and of itself to play. The classic Disney music ranging from movie themes to the ole “M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E, MICKY MOUSE…” song that I know we all heard as a kid everything about the game just puts you in a good place. Being on Xbox gamepass is great but for anyone else unless you are a Disney/Animal Crossing superfan; I’d maybe hold off until the official Free to play release in 2023. As it stands, even with the cosmetic items; the Founders packs just all feel overpriced for what ultimately amounts to a gameplay experience of a constant list of fetch items with Disney polish.
The overall experience of Disney Dreamlight Valley is one that is great and unforgettable for those who love both Disney and gaming. The possibilities of the game almost seem endless because there are many stories to expand upon and a variety of activities to do. Since there will undoubtedly be more updates in the future, I can’t wait to see what characters will show up next and what other mysteries will unfold in this magical game.
I enjoyed my time with Dreamlight Valley. There is plenty to do, and I never felt rushed to complete any quests. The fact that I can complete the quests in any order I'd like also played a big part in the leisure gameplay that Dreamlight Valley is going for it. The cast of characters and the amount you can do is impressive, and I can't wait to see what else is planned for the future. If you're a massive fan of Disney and looking for a game similar to Animal Crossing, but with a bit more direction in story, Dreamlight Valley is certainly for you.
This game is more than just trying to cater to nostalgia. It is one of my favorite games of the year, and if you do have $30 to spend, I assuredly recommend Disney Dreamlight Valley.
As of today, Disney Dreamlight Valley is a fun and compelling life simulation experience, calm and entertaining. It is still to be seen what the game will become in the future, but for now fishing with Goofy has never been this fun.
Review in Italian | Read full review
All in all, this game is off to a great start and hopefully Gameloft add voices to the dialogue as the game is quite text heavy and it would be great to hear Mickey, Buzz or Moana talk and sound like their related filmcounterparts. Even so, the text is clever and quite witty at times with a healthy dose of humour thrown into the mix.