Disney Dreamlight Valley has been released on early access for those of us who just can’t wait for the game’s 2023 release. I have been playing the game since release day on Nintendo Switch and in this Disney Dreamlight Valley review, I will be discussing why this game is an excellent take on the life simulation genre.

Disney Dreamligh Valley Review – The Revival Era Continues

Title: Disney Dreamlight Valley
Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Gameloft
Players: 1
Genre: Life Simulation, Adventure
Platform: Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, X-Box One, X-Box Series X/S, Steam
Release Date: September 9, 2022

Disney Magic

One thing that is palpable when playing the game is the Disney aura. This is a complete Disney fan experience that will delight people young and old. The characters and music choices are right out of Disney IPs which was always going to benefit, but the game’s art style and presentation have an explicitly Disney energy.

I think this is important because ultimately the selling point of Dreamligth Valley is getting to experience the world of Disney and the game pulls this off flawlessly.

Life Simulation, But Better

Ever since the success of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley the mellow life simulator/village builder style of game has gotten more and more common. Few games have managed to match what either of those titles did and even fewer have improved on it like Dreamlight Valley.

Dreamlight Valley is your standard randomly generated village-building game, but what helps it excel is the quest system. Too often these games leave me entirely to my own devices to just do stuff, but Disney Dreamlight Valley keeps me interested by giving me quests to perform and goals to accomplish. Whether these goals are to accrue Dreamlight or to complete a friendship quest it doesn’t matter. What matters is the game makes an effort to give me a reason to play.

I also like that despite the implementation of real-time elements I’m not often left waiting around for something to spawn for me to complete a quest, although the odd time it does happen is still frustrating.

Engaging Characters

One of the obvious main selling points is getting to live and interact with your favorite Disney characters. I think this is done really well in Dreamlight Valley as every character has strong voice acting (for the limited voice acting there is) and acts exactly how you’d expect them to act.

Interacting and befriending Wall-E is different to interacting with Goofy which is different to interacting with Maui etc. With building friendships being a core mechanic of the gameplay it’s great that the game makes this enjoyable as I actively wanted to spend time with Wall-E and enjoyed speaking to just about every character.

Disney Dreamlight Valley Review – Last Word on Gaming Viewpoint

Disney Dreamlight Valley is a quintessential Disney fan experience that shakes up the life simulation genre. While it has its performance issues and occasionally leaves me unable to find the materials necessary to complete a quest it is a charming and addictive experience.

Disney Dreamlight Valley Review – The Verdict

8/10