Disney Dreamlight Valley comes with a phrase that will either chill you to your soul, or get you reaching for your wallets. “A Disney RPG that’s in the spirit of Animal Crossing”. As someone whose game of the pandemic was Animal Crossing (too many hours were wiled away on selling turnips), we fall very much on the positive side. 

The setup is simple enough. You’re transported from the real world into Disney Dreamlight Valley, a kind of commune for the best-loved Disney characters. But things are not well here. There’s a murkiness to the surroundings, purple brambles coil around everything, and your favourite characters have all forgotten who they are and what has happened. 

It seems like some kind of ‘Dark Being’ has clothed the valley in The Forgotten, a magic that is emptying the heads of everyone around. Goofy’s pretty much the same as he’s always been. You have your wits, at least, so you can complete chores in the area and – more importantly – cleanse The Forgotten, which will return the characters’ memories. 

If you’ve played Animal Crossing, Cozy Grove or even an MMO, you will be right at home here. The main difference is that, rather than leveling up yourself (although, there is a spot of that too), the focus is on leveling up relationships with other people. You are making their lives easier, improving their plots of land in the valley, and – by doing so – making the world a better place. As Field of Dreams once said, “if you build it, they will come”, and your renovations will also cause more characters to return.

Disney Dreamlight Valley is very much a laid-back game for laid-back people, with nothing in the way of failure or hazard. It’s a game about nurturing and growth, particularly in the way of relationships, and we could all do with a dose of that.

If you’re still on the fence, know that Disney has absolutely overloaded Disney Dreamlight Valley with your favourite characters. Disney and Pixar get the treatment here (presumably Star Wars and Marvel will soon follow), as you can get to know Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, Moana, WALL-E, Buzz Lightyear, Belle and more. 

So how do you get involved? Now, this is where it gets complicated: Disney Dreamlight Valley is actually in Game Preview form. It’s launching as a free-to-play title in 2023, but Gameloft and Disney are using 2022 to test it in front of an audience. Game Pass subscribers can access the Standard Founders Edition, with all of its contents below. Alternatively, you can buy one of the three different editions that are on the Xbox Store. All contents of these editions will work and carry over to the game when it becomes free-to-play:

Disney Dreamlight Valley Founder’s Editions: 

*moonstones are used to unlock the premium track of the Star Path to get special cosmetic items.  

Hit those links above and grab a copy of Disney Dreamlight Valley on Xbox One or Xbox Series X|S right now. It’s also on PC and Nintendo Switch.

Stay tuned for our review.

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Love the guide - I check here every week. Cheers!

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