The new Disney Dreamlight Valley puts a fantasy twist on the tropes of the life simulation genre, making players the magical hero who's destined to save a roster of famous Disney characters. Since it was announced, the game has often been Stardew Valley and other hallmark games of the genre, and rightfully so, as they share many of the same elements. However, Disney Dreamlight Valley offers a unique, Disney-centric take on life simulation with a somewhat greater focus on magic and mainline story.
Players arrive in Dreamlight Valley after falling asleep in a dreamy locale they loved as a child, and are welcomed to town by the wizard Merlin. Upon arrival, Dreamlight Valley is in a state of great disrepair, shrouded in darkness and covered in thorns due to an event called the Forgetting. A result of dark magic, the Forgetting has, as its name implies, made the residents of Dreamlight Valley forget much of their past, and is somehow linked with the mysterious disappearance of the town's leader. Many of Disney Dreamlight Valley's characters have even retreated back to their home worlds, leaving the town nearly deserted.
Luckily, Merlin quickly identifies a magic in the player that can be used to bring Dreamlight Valley back to life, having them exercise their powers to remove the thorns covering their new home and to pull a stuck pickaxe out of a stone. The following opening sequence of tasks in Disney Dreamlight Valley helps introduce many of the player's main labors they'll be completing around town: magically removing clusters of thorns, mining rocks and gems, digging holes, and gathering various materials. Over time, fishing, farming, and cooking are also introduced, giving players a myriad of choices of how to spend their time and energy.
As players do different tasks around town in Disney Dreamlight Valley, they'll earn Dreamlight through a system similar to Animal Crossing: New Horizons' Nook Miles, wherein players will earn set amounts of Dreamlight for doing things like catching a certain number of fish, selling fruit, or cooking meals. The resource is used for progressing mainline story goals - for example, players will need to earn 1,000 Dreamlight to clear the thorns surrounding the castle at the beginning of the game. There are a huge amount of different Dreamlight activities available to players at all times, with nine different categories of tasks to be found in the Dreamlight menu.
Dreamlight is one of three in-game currencies in Disney Dreamlight Valley, alongside Coins and Moonstone. Coins are used for purchases like seeds, furniture, and home construction, and are earned through selling goods as well as foraging and some quests. Moonstone is a special currency used for limited-time events, and is also earned through specific tasks much like Dreamlight. Moonstone will also be able to be purchased with real currency and is used for event-themed items, with the current Pixar event offering things like an Incredibles motif and a model of the ship from Lightyear. Players will also earn a myriad of collectibles, including character memories and diary page snippets from the missing town leader.
After players unlock access to the Dreamlight Valley castle, they'll be able to unlock the doors inside of it with Dreamlight as well, with each leading to a different Disney movie-themed areas. These excursions to new locations in Disney Dreamlight Valley are used to recruit characters who fled during the Forgetting to return to the valley, and generally involve completing a set of in-world tasks before returning to Dreamlight Valley, where players will need to pay for the character's new home to be built in order for them to arrive. In the beginning, players can recruit Wall-e, Moana, and Remy, who will existing residents Mickey, Goofy, Scrooge, and Merlin.
Disney Dreamlight Valley players will unlock Scrooge McDuck's store early on in the game, which is where they can purchase furniture, clothing, and accessories. The other retail establishment in town is Goofy's stand, which sells seeds and produce and can be used to sell various goods. Both Scrooge's store and Goofy's stand can be upgraded with Coins to expand their stock. Dreamlight Valley itself can also be expanded by removing big clusters of thorns and activating Pillars, which represent the important values of the valley and are activated through completing goals based on these values. For example, the game's beach area is unlocked via the Friendship Pillar after getting three relationships to level five - although, at least in the preview copy of the game, only part of the area is actually accessible.
Relationships in Disney Dreamlight Valley can be raised through giving residents their favorite gifts, completing Friendship Quests, and through initiating what the game calls Discussions. Discussions are an interesting mechanic that allow for more in-depth conversations which often contain Easter eggs for Disney fans, like a Discussion with Mickey Mouse where he talks about his past job as a steamboat captain. Raising Friendship Levels utilizes a battle -esque reward system, where each level comes with its own spoils.
Disney Dreamlight Valley contains many different ways for players to customize their home, character, and the valley itself. Players can utilize furniture, flooring, and wallpaper to design their residence, slowly building it up from a decrepit shack to a comfortable home. Furniture can be bought or crafted, and placed around town as well as in players' homes. Clothing can be bought, found, or designed by players themselves. Much like Animal Crossing's custom clothing design tool, players can make their own clothing and accessories using a color palette and different motifs, which can either be placed individually or turned into a pattern.
Currently, Disney Dreamlight Valley is only in early access form, and does possess some of the stability issues that are common with unfinished versions of games like crashing and lag. While it's not known exactly when the game will leave early access, it can be assumed these issues will improve over time. Despite these problems, Disney Dreamlight Valley clearly has a lot planned for its future, and offers players a myriad of fun ways to spend their time surrounded by their favorite characters.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is available in Early Access for Playstation consoles, Xbox consoles, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. To play in Early Access, players need to purchase a Founder's Pack edition of the game or possess an Xbox Game subscription. Screen Rant was provided with a Nintendo Switch code for the purpose of this preview.