Disney Dreamlight Valley Reviews

Most of these quest require another quest be complete first with no heads up. Some are just bugged and there is no solution on the forms. Only buy is you want a pretty boring grind. Everything is overpriced and in some cases require a large some of credits to continue basic side missions.

Game lacks content, there's nothing to do, also if you are planning of upgrading / getting new computer be ready to start again and lose all your progress and moonstones because cloud saves don't work and they won't be fixed ever. Also adding to end, it was suppose to be f2p after launch, but no, they kept the horrible monetization and stayed pay to play. 0.5/5

Many hours of fun! I am nowhere near bored with the base game and I still have to play the expansions! 10/10 would recommend!

I've played this game to give it a chance. I'll still play it here and there but I'm very frustrated that you pay a full-game price and still have to pay for moonstones to complete collections. This is just a money grab pandering to anyone who actually wants to complete the game or get really good dreamsnaps. You do earn moonstones in the game and you can grind but I when I bought this I was hoping for a cozy, animal crossing style game. Which it kind of is but it's very grindy including the quests and spawn rates are terrible. Accessing the inventory is awful unless you're crafting that's it's only saving grace. Clothing items are okay but most of them are recolors and redundant. On top of that I've learned recently that Disney has taken old items from the moonstone store and split them up even further putting a bigger price tag on each "bundle". It's a shame because it could have been an enjoyable game especially with the star path. Moonstones ruin this game as most people have to pay more money (after paying $30-$50 for each game/dlc) to collect everything and it's costly. Disney is greedy. Spend your money on a different variant.

I've spent over 400 hours playing this game, and while I love the concept, there are several frustrating aspects that make it feel incomplete. The storytelling starts off strong, but once a storyline ends, there's no real follow-through. For example, the main story had a solid foundation, but with all the updates, what actually becomes of it? It just ended with no satisfying continuation. Another major issue is the way new content is introduced. The base game comes with periodic updates that add new characters, but now there are two DLCs featuring more popular characters—meaning you have to shell out extra cash if you want them. Even after purchasing the DLCs, you're left with massive, empty spaces that feel overwhelming and underutilized. There’s the main game map, two DLC maps (if you buy them), and an additional section connected to the main map. Instead of expanding into new areas and charging extra, why not just build upon the existing world? The content feels disjointed, and the game doesn’t feel complete despite all the updates. Speaking of updates, they don’t come frequently. Main game updates happen only every few months, which makes it difficult to stay engaged. On top of that, missions can be buggy—sometimes making me question if the developers actually play games themselves. If they were aiming for an ACNH-style experience, they missed the mark. For example, the store updates daily with new equipment, but if you buy an item you already own, there's no indication—so I’ve ended up with duplicates just because I forgot I already had them. Given that I sometimes go a month without playing, this small but frustrating detail adds up. Another personal gripe: my in-game lights didn’t work for months. I finally figured out how to submit a complaint, but even then, it took another two months to fix. By that point, I had already stopped caring since the only reason I even logged in was for the occasional new character updates. Overall, the game had so much potential, but the way it's been handled leaves a lot to be desired. The world feels too big yet too empty, the pacing is slow, and the monetization of DLC characters feels like a cash grab. I just don’t feel motivated to invest time in it anymore.

Lost so many hours in this game. It's everything you want animal crossing to be and more! Super worth if you're into that kinda thing and simulator games :)

You can tell from my playtime that I loved Disney Dreamlight Valley and spent a lot of time on it. It's a dream life sim game where you get to design a town and hang out with Disney characters. But there are two things that really gross me out. 1. In 2023, Disney Dreamlight Valley released with promises to become free to play. They retracted that promise in October/November of 2023. I honestly can understand why they backpedaled on being free to play, but to continue having in-game shops for characters/decorations and having a "battle pass" you pretty much have to purchase in order to 100% an event is pretty egregious. But what's worse is... 2. The $30 DLCs. That is the price of a full game, but the worst part is that the DLCs are UNFINISHED. $30 for DLC that release in parts and that you also have to wait months for releases on. That is simply ridiculous and a wild monetization model that I cannot support. The main story hides a wonderfully emotional story that is also unfinished, btw. There is no reason for any game studio of any size to release DLC at full price that that is not finished.

A very relaxing game to unwind after a hard day and a lot of cute Disney characters to obsess over!

The game was supposed to become free to play at some point but devs changed their mind and it will permanently remain buy to play. My ick here is that they are going to be keeping the free to play monetization model they added/started way before deciding of not going free to play anymore. When the game was planning to be free to play, I could get behind the idea and system since they would need the funds to continue developing the game overtime, but now that it will remain a fully priced game I really cant get myself to defend their system in this state. The fact that you have to buy the game full price to play already and then the prices of the premium currency for the cash shop items is quite expensive too, it all feel like its not right anymore. You buy the game (and its not cheap) and then theres a in game cash shop like a mobile game which use a premium currency that you buy with real money in order to buy "premium" items from the shop, you can earn that premium currency by playing but its so little and hard to get by that youll have to buy a bundle anyway or else you wont have enough before the shop listing rotate with different items.. The Star path (battle pass cozy style) are fully FOMO fuelled also so if you dont pay the premium path youll miss out on a lot of very nice items that the free path doesnt give you with no guarantee that the items will ever return later if you ever want them. I really dont recommend this game unless you actually dont mind monthly/seasonal FOMO elements or if you are a player that is used to buy battles passes in other games along with a cash shop filled with a rotating listing of micro transaction, this is a game being ran by greed targeting a community of players of a game genre that dont usually have such predatory monetization model, especially not in a fully priced game (Pay to Play). I bought a founder/early access package to support the game in the early days of release, I wouldn't have done so if I would have known how it was going to become a money milking project.

A dopamine trap masquerading as a farming sim, [b]Disney Dreamlight Valley[/b] includes stellar decorating options, endless fetch quests, and equally endless grinding. After ~500 hours, I don’t know if I enjoy the game or if Scrooge McDuck has a gun to my head. [h3]Story[/h3] After returning to your grandparents' countryside home, you [strike]suffer a traumatic brain injury[/strike] take a nap and wake to find the old farmland overrun with sinister thorns and amnesiac Disney characters. You must use dreamlight magic to unravel the mysteries of the Forgetting and the Valley's missing ruler, rescue lost characters, and restore the Valley. The main story is interesting and, while I wasn't particularly moved by it, the themes and conclusion seem to resonate with many adult and young adult players who feel disconnected from childhood wonder. [h3]Gameplay[/h3] While there's enough variety to keep you busy, all game mechanics boil down to gather-craft-deliver in real time. Resources regenerate after a certain number of minutes; farming requires you to water crops at timed intervals (plants do not wither when neglected); and some quests require real-life days to pass before you can complete the objectives. Attempting to "time travel" by adjusting the clock on your device [i]will[/i] break the game. The first 50ish hours are mostly foraging, farming, mining, and digging for materials to sell for gold or hoard for crafting. All tools operate in roughly the same way and recent patches added several accessibility options for players with limited mobility. Gold can be spent on crops or at Scrooge's store, which refreshes daily with new selections of furniture and clothing. The rest of your time is spent completing fetch quests for Disney characters. "Hanging out" with a character increases your relationship, which unlocks new rewards and gives bonuses when performing certain actions. There's no voice acting or cut scenes outside of the main story, and the endless fetch quests quickly start to feel cheap, frustrating, and unrewarding -- BUT the developers were clever: there's a constantly refreshing panel of bite-sized "royal tasks" that award "dreamlight" (AKA instant dopamine), which unlocks new biomes/characters. If you have any kind of attentive disorder, this is basically catnip. Late and post-game are mostly decorating your valley, experimenting with designing your own clothing and furniture, participating in Star Paths, and competing for moonstones in Dreamsnaps (more on this in a moment). You can also explore multiplayer, which allows you to visit and collect materials from another players' valley if you have their code; there's no in-game chat or emotes, but it's so cool to see what others have done. [h3]What Works For Me[/h3] ✅ [b]Character Customization[/b]. The full editor can be accessed at any time and includes limited facial features, ten body types, and a rainbow of skin colors, but the real customization is in the expansive catalog of clothing/hair styles that you purchase from Scrooge or unlock in quests. At a certain point, styling your avatar is basically its own minigame. ✅ [b]Crafting + Cooking.[/b] While cooking/crafting is straightforward (go to the appropriate workstation and select a recipe), there are tons of neat craftables and all of the food looks delicious. Best of all: crafting and cooking pull materials from your storage chests, even if those chests are on a different island. ✅ [b]Decorating.[/b] It takes a long, [i]long[/i] time to collect enough materials and items to begin decorating, but it's worth it: there are so many unique assets to choose from, the graphics and lighting are absolutely gorgeous, and the controls are mostly seamless on both keyboard and controller. I've spent at least 300 hours renovating. ✅ [b]Community.[/b] In decades of gaming, this is the first time I've had game friends become real-life friends. When I was a new player, members of the subreddit offered materials and tips or invited me to their Scrooge shops. Later on, I'd post my multiplayer codes so others could visit/collect resources while I worked from home. Sure, I met the rare griefer, but I also had spontaneous 1920s dress-up parties and bake-offs and silent discos and that odd kinship that forms when you see the same faces again and again. [h3]What Doesn't Work For Me[/h3] ❎ [b]Character Quests.[/b] There are 47 characters (including expansions) with 4+ fetch quests each. Some are fun, but most are filler. After a character's final quest, dialogue usually suggests celebrating in some way, the screen fades to black, and then dialogue recaps the celebration for you. It feels… unrewarding. For all the money Game Loft is raking in, we should get a cut scene or snapshot montage here. ❎ [b]Premium Shop.[/b] In the "Premium Shop," you spend moonstones (e.g. real money) to purchase particularly cool cosmetic items. This wouldn't be a big deal, but Game Loft weaponized FOMO: the shop only offers 7-8 items at a time and rotates its inventory at 9AM EST every Wednesday, so you feel pressured to make purchases in case an item doesn't come back. ❎ [b]Moonstones.[/b] Technically, you can earn moonstones in-game: 50 from a daily chest, another 300 - 4,000 by participating in a weekly themed photo contest called "Dreamsnaps", plus 50 more by judging entries in the previous Dreamsnap. It sounds like plenty, but the cheapest Premium Shop items cost 850 and most average 2,000 - 3,000 ($10 USD). ❎ [b]Dreamsnaps.[/b] Since there's real money at stake, the weekly photo contest is less about expressing your creativity and more about trying to generate as many votes as possible. As much fun as I had with it in the past, other players take it so seriously that the community can feel exhausting. ❎ [b]Star Paths.[/b] These time-locked seasonal events have unique rewards, but require so much grinding that they're hard for new or busy players. I joined during Mulan's Star Path, and raced through most of the game to ensure that I earned the rewards; I didn't get to enjoy discovery or move at my own pace. The most recent Star Path was overly long and annoying just to be overly long and annoying; as an adult with a busy life and family, I couldn't complete it. [h3]Final Thoughts[/h3] After 500 hours, I'm burned out on fetch quests, tired of grinding, tired of Dreamsnaps, and frustrated with the bugs proliferating in the Storyvale expansion. At the same time, I have to fight the urge to log in every day to see if Scrooge's shops have any new stock. (I wasn't joking about weaponized FOMO.) I was tempted to leave a negative review because my feelings are generally negative right now, but at its core, DDV is a lot of fun. It's well-designed, it has heart, it has a lovely community, and decorating is just -- *chef's kiss*. I never minded that farming or quests happened in real time because there was - and continues to be - so much else to do. The first ~350 hours of playtime didn't feel like a chore; I genuinely enjoyed almost every moment that didn't involve fishing, building Minnie's clocktower, or... well, fishing. [h3]Recommendation[/h3] I'd recommend DDV if you don't mind logging in for daily housekeeping, want a laidback farming sim with plenty to do and discover, and/or don't mind grinding to create beautiful areas and biomes. If you want somewhere safe, comforting, and pretty to escape to for a hundred hours or more, this is perfect. DDV is [b]not[/b] for you if you want a story-driven experience or hate real-time games; in which case, I'd steer you toward [i]My Time at Sandrock[/i]. If you struggle with impulse control or FOMO, and especially if you're on a budget, maybe try [i]Coral Island[/i] instead. [quote][b]Follow [u][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45365863/]Eekz Today[/url][/u] for more crafting, life sim, management, puzzle, and story-rich recommendations.[/b][/quote]