You play as yourself (or anyone you want, really) as your enter a world darkened by night thorns and a mystery known as The Forgetting. Just a few Disney characters are there to greet you and fill you in on what's happened. Then it's up to you to bring everyone else back, restore their memories, and bring friendship back to the Valley.
This review only covers the base game and free updates, not the Rift in Time DLC.
Visuals
I loved the way Dreamlight Valley looks! Even when it's dark and gloomy, it's just bright and crisp and lovely. It's fully 3D with a free roaming camera, so you're able to look everywhere and take everything in. Yes, this means there are some crazy camera angles at times, but that just goes with the territory.
The character models looks great, really capturing each of the characters. Each biome has its own theme and unique look, and is fully customizable once you clear it of any debris. I especially loved seeing the sky change with the time of day, weather, or Valley events.
Sound Effects + Music
I love Disney music, so of course the background music here makes me super happy. It's mostly remixed familiar tunes with some new compositions mixed in.
The voice acting is also great. It's not full lines, just words and phrases, but everyone sounds how they're suppose to (unlike Belle in Disney Speedstorm!).
Gameplay + Controls
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a 3D life simulator with lots of mechanics and menus and buttons. But with nearly 100 hours in the game, everything is almost second nature to me.
The basis of the game is fetch quests and collecting resources. Thankfully, those are things I enjoy doing, so this is the perfect game for me. Every single character has multiple quest lines based on their friendship level with you. Some of them are required in order to progress the main story, but for the most part, you can do these at your own pace.
There are soooo many things to collect! You have resources that are needed to craft other items, lost memories, quest specific items, and more. You can fish, mine, forage, garden, and cook! You can talk to your neighbors and give them gifts and hang out with them! Hanging out was a little disappointing, because they just kind of follow you around and give you extra items based on whatever job you assign them. I wish there was a bit more to that.
You also have multiple currencies. The main one is Star Coins, which you get from selling items, finding chests, or digging up. You use these for making purchases at Scrooge's shop, Goofy's stall, and paying for Valley upgrades. The second currency is Dreamlight, which is earned by completing an endless supply of Dreamlight duties and achievements. Dreamlight is mainly used for unlocking new areas. Finally, there's Moonstones, the premium currency. You can earn some Moonstones, but for the most part, you'll be spending real money on them, if you so choose. They're spend on cosmetic items, and other optional content.
Replayability
While I love this game, Disney Dreamlight Valley is not really replayable for me. There's a pretty lengthy story, and the friendship quests also take quite a bit of time and grinding. I don't see a reason to start it over, but it definitely has daily play potential! There's so much to do to keep you engaged and coming back again and again.
Overall
If you love Disney and fetch quests as much as I do, you'll certainly enjoy your time with Disney Dreamlight Valley. I can't wait to see how this game grows over time!
This review only covers the base game and free updates, not the Rift in Time DLC.
Visuals
I loved the way Dreamlight Valley looks! Even when it's dark and gloomy, it's just bright and crisp and lovely. It's fully 3D with a free roaming camera, so you're able to look everywhere and take everything in. Yes, this means there are some crazy camera angles at times, but that just goes with the territory.
The character models looks great, really capturing each of the characters. Each biome has its own theme and unique look, and is fully customizable once you clear it of any debris. I especially loved seeing the sky change with the time of day, weather, or Valley events.
Sound Effects + Music
I love Disney music, so of course the background music here makes me super happy. It's mostly remixed familiar tunes with some new compositions mixed in.
The voice acting is also great. It's not full lines, just words and phrases, but everyone sounds how they're suppose to (unlike Belle in Disney Speedstorm!).
Gameplay + Controls
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a 3D life simulator with lots of mechanics and menus and buttons. But with nearly 100 hours in the game, everything is almost second nature to me.
The basis of the game is fetch quests and collecting resources. Thankfully, those are things I enjoy doing, so this is the perfect game for me. Every single character has multiple quest lines based on their friendship level with you. Some of them are required in order to progress the main story, but for the most part, you can do these at your own pace.
There are soooo many things to collect! You have resources that are needed to craft other items, lost memories, quest specific items, and more. You can fish, mine, forage, garden, and cook! You can talk to your neighbors and give them gifts and hang out with them! Hanging out was a little disappointing, because they just kind of follow you around and give you extra items based on whatever job you assign them. I wish there was a bit more to that.
You also have multiple currencies. The main one is Star Coins, which you get from selling items, finding chests, or digging up. You use these for making purchases at Scrooge's shop, Goofy's stall, and paying for Valley upgrades. The second currency is Dreamlight, which is earned by completing an endless supply of Dreamlight duties and achievements. Dreamlight is mainly used for unlocking new areas. Finally, there's Moonstones, the premium currency. You can earn some Moonstones, but for the most part, you'll be spending real money on them, if you so choose. They're spend on cosmetic items, and other optional content.
Replayability
While I love this game, Disney Dreamlight Valley is not really replayable for me. There's a pretty lengthy story, and the friendship quests also take quite a bit of time and grinding. I don't see a reason to start it over, but it definitely has daily play potential! There's so much to do to keep you engaged and coming back again and again.
Overall
If you love Disney and fetch quests as much as I do, you'll certainly enjoy your time with Disney Dreamlight Valley. I can't wait to see how this game grows over time!