Disney Dreamlight Valley, published and developed by Gameloft SE and released on September 6th, 2022 for $39.99. The game also had Deluxe and Ultimate Editions at higher prices. The game was made for PC, Mobile, consoles, and was available day one in Game Pass Ultimate.
To quote the game description from Gameloft SE, here’s what the game is about;
It’s time to make yourself a cup of hot cocoa, grab a cozy blanket, and join the new Festive Star Path!
Welcome to Disney Dreamlight Valley’s early access! Show your love for Disney with exclusive outfits that celebrate the classic Disney Parks themes, along with beloved characters such as Mickey Mouse. This Founder’s Pack grants early access to the game and contains exclusive items.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a hybrid between a life-sim and an adventure game rich with quests, exploration, and engaging activities featuring Disney and Pixar friends, both old and new.
Once an idyllic land, Dreamlight Valley was a place where Disney and Pixar characters lived in harmony—until the Forgetting. Night Thorns grew across the land and severed the wonderful memories tied to this magical place. With nowhere else to go, the hopeless inhabitants of Dreamlight Valley retreated behind locked doors in the Dream Castle.
Now it’s up to you to discover the stories of this world and bring the magic back to Dreamlight Valley!
Discover the Secrets of Dreamlight Valley
Free the Dream Castle from the insidious grip of the Forgetting, and unlock the unique Realms of well-loved Disney and Pixar characters. Each Realm has its own challenges, with puzzles to solve and friends to bring back to Dreamlight Valley. Free the Dream Castle from the Forgetting’s grasp and unlock the Realms of great queens and kings such as Anna and Simba. Each Realm contains unique challenges with puzzles to solve in the quest to bring friendship back to the Valley.You’ll start your adventure in the Valley, but your journey will take you to infinity… and beyond! Explore what lurks in the Forest of Valor and brave the deepest caverns as you take on challenges from iconic Disney and Pixar heroes and villains. Who knows who—or what—you might discover.
Forge Friendships with Disney & Pixar Characters
Garden with WALL•E, cook with Remy or kick back and fish with Goofy. What better way to collect, craft, and rebuild the Valley than with a friend! From beautiful princesses to nefarious villains, every Dreamlight Valley resident brings their own story arc, quests, and rewards. Meet up in daily hangouts and make friends with some of your favorite Disney and Pixar characters.Restore the Valley to Its Former Glory
Free the Valley from the grip of the Forgetting and return Dreamlight Valley to its former greatness by making it your own. In Dreamlight Valley, you can build the perfect neighborhood that is just for you with a fully customizable layout, creative landscaping, and thousands of decorative items.Will you settle on the Beach next to Moana, or call Buzz Lightyear your next-door neighbor in the Plaza?
Express Your Disney Style
Bring out your inner princess, villain, or Disney bounder! Assemble unique outfits and decorate your home with thousands of fantastic items. Using the Touch of Magic tool, you can even create your own designs using Disney and Pixar decals!With the in-game Camera, get ready to snap a sunset selfie with Rapunzel, a culinary creation with Remy or simply cherish a moment.
A Game in Constant Evolution
New content means that there’s always something fresh to explore. Meet new characters in the Valley, check out the latest clothing and furniture collections in Scrooge’s Store, and complete challenging in-game events! Be sure to dream your way back to Dreamlight Valley regularly to discover new adventures!
The game has similarities to Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Stardew Valley, but has been charming and fun to play. It has cross-platform saves, such as when I chose to save my PC gaming progress to the cloud, I was able to load my save file on my Xbox Series X. The saving is also auto-saving, and manual saving, which means if the game crashes, you do not lose as much progress. Disney released the game with only a few characters available at the start, and each season brings new missions, worlds and characters to interact with. Sadly, the game released with some minor bugs, which were were only mildly annoying (thank you save files!). There was a server issue around Halloween of 2022 when an event took place and the developer had not expected the mass of players trying to play on the same day.
According to the site How long is Disney Dreamlight Valley? | HowLongToBeat they state the game’s main story takes around 20 hours to complete, and 57+ hours on side stories.
Playthrough:
Calina live streamed several episodes on YouTube, most often on Tuesday mornings. Watch the replays here!
