Disney Dreamlight Valley Preview – What You Need To Know About The New Disney Life-Simulation Adventure Game

Each year, millions visit Disney’s theme parks to see their beloved characters. They also enjoy the rides and aesthetics that allow them to revisit the films they love. The wonder and excitement of stepping into a Disney-infused world is unmatched – a childhood rite of passage and way for adults to recapture a part of their younger selves. 

Gameloft hopes to make that experience a reality with the recently released free-to-play Disney Dreamlight Valley. The life-simulation adventure game lets you create your own avatar and design your own world, where you’ll interact with iconic characters and find nods to the Disney and Pixar classics in the items and structures around you. The Dreamlight Valley demo was impressive and I spoke to the developers. Here’s what you need to know about the experience that’s launching sometime in 2023 for all major consoles, PC, and Mac. 

It’s Split Into An Adventure Game And Life Sim

Disney Dreamlight can be described as a mixed experience. There is the main narrative, where you will discover the reasons why the earth fell into darkness. Every objective you complete provides a picture as a hint to guide you in piecing together what happened. This also includes discovering why you’re the chosen one to bring this world from its desolate state into a thriving landscape.  

“We have that whole overarching meta-narrative where the player is discovering their purpose and saving the valley,” explains senior product marketing manager Claire Llewellyn. They also have the storyline of building relationships with characters in order to complete the story arcs. And thirdly, they also have the whole realm story arcs to discover –  the adventure aspect that they’re going on.”

The main story is engaging and you will enjoy it. However, the game can be described as an adventure with many mysteries and puzzles. Gameloft compared it to LucasArts games like Monkey Island and Indiana Jones. From what we saw, various portals to Disney and Pixar worlds exist, and you’ll have tasks to complete within these to restore characters’ memories and bring them back into the world. For instance, we had to locate some hidden items and move trash piles to get the goods to repair Wall-E. Once we did this, we not only unlocked new story clues but Wall-E was brought back into our world as a character living out their own life in it.

Life simulation is another part of this game. Imagine the game as an amalgamation of The Sims and Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon or The Sims. You are very much cleaning up this world and unlocking various biomes, such as a meadow and beach, which will advance the main story. Gameloft estimates that it takes between 40-60 hours to unlock these areas.

You also get to make your mark by making it your home. Your avatar can be customized and you have a home you can decorate. There are many things you can do in the world, like harvesting crops or mining materials. You also have the option of fishing, creating your own clothing, and even taming wildlife. Cooking and crafting recipes are aplenty, so you’re always working toward creating something new to either give as gifts or use to decorate the world. 

Every Disney Character Has A Unique Story Arc

Gameloft drew inspiration for the game by challenging its team to think, “What would it mean to be living next door to Disney characters?” Beyond the main narrative, the team crafted unique stories for a multitude of big-name characters, who will casually walk around your world as you unlock them through the main story. You should be able to have new conversations with each character every day. They all also come with their own A.I. Schedules and behavior. What’s more? A bonus?

In RPGs, each character has a friend level that allows you to show your progress and bond in the storylines. In my demo, Goofy asked for help finding his missing fishing rod, a nod to the character’s love for the activity. Our friendship with the dog anthropomorphic improved once we found it.

Each new level of friendship you achieve with a character grants you special perks such as decorations or new objects. You can build your friendship faster by giving characters gifts, so crafting items or cooking dishes for them is to your benefit – just keep in mind everyone has their own likes and dislikes. When you achieve certain friendship tiers you will get more Gameloft stories tailored for your character. 

There’s Customization Galore

The experience allows you to express yourself and add your personal touch to the world. You’re always evolving the landscape, taking it from a dark desolate place to a vibrant populous. Watching various Disney and Pixar characters move into your world is a big highlight, but so are all the new items you can unlock and craft that exude the Disney spirit.

So far, the game has 1,000 decoration items, allowing you to create everything from a Monsters Inc-themed living room to a Little Mermaid-centric bathroom. Your clothing is an important part of creating your avatar. Gameloft encouraged players to be Disney lovers, just as you would see them at the parks. The site allows you to design and purchase unique outfits. My demonstration included everything I could imagine, including a Buzz Lightyear winter jacket and Elsa’s famous blue Frozen gown. 

A photo mode allows you to share your fun creations and experiences with others, but the game is still being worked on, so time will tell if Gameloft adds a feature for you to visit other friends’ worlds or download their designs.

“We have many plans for multiplayer interaction, but at the Early Access launch, we won’t have this kind of interaction yet,” says game manager Manea Castet.

However, Monetization is Still in Flux. More about Cosmetics

With any free-to-play game, this is always the burning question, and it’s something Gameloft is still figuring out. However, the team was adamant that microtransactions would focus more on cosmetics.

“We made sure the monetization side of the game is being built during Early Access with our players to make sure that they like it,” Castet says. The strategy is now to focus on customization. We will have a system to unlock new outfits and new decorations that you can speed up with real money if you want. There is no way to speed up your gameplay, speed up your progress, or unlock a new area by spending real money.”

During the game, you will earn currency by doing different things in the world and reaching certain milestones but you cannot spend real money to unlock it. You can use this currency to increase your inventory or buy new decorations.

Game Shapers Are Helping to Form Early Access

Gameloft is able to use all of the Disney characters and worlds at its disposal. Gameloft considers this a game with a very long tail. The Early Access is just the beginning of what lies ahead. 

“At Early Access we will have four doors [to Disney and Pixar realms] unlocked,” Llewellyn confirms. We’ll be opening additional doors free of charge for players. You can expect more. and a lot more IP from Disney and Pixar that we’re going to be adding in the months and years to come.”

Those who want an early taste of the experience can play it in Early Access this summer. Gameloft is here to monitor the feedback from its community and learn more about your expectations for the final game. Early Access can be purchased as a Founders Pack and by becoming a Xbox Game Pass Member. You’ll be able to earn in-game prizes as an early adopter. These awards will continue when the full game launches in 2023. 

For more information, visit the official website.