Game info

• Title Disney Dreamlight Valley
• Developer Gameloft
• Publisher Gameloft
• Year 2023
• Platforms iPad, Apple TV
• Genre Simulation

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!

Player Select

On the one hand, the sheer volume of intellectual property that Disney has control over continues to baffle and concern but on the other hand, you get to enjoy a game where all the worlds collide and Disney characters from far and wide come together in a game like this. I don’t think I would have paid top dollar for this but I might have picked it up in a sale… as it turns out, the game is free in Apple Arcade, so definitely worth a look!

Initially I opened this up on the iPad and it looked good, played well, but I wasn’t sure of the controls, thinking it would be better with a physical controller. Actually, when I tried on the Apple TV with a Playstation controller, it didn’t really make it much easier, so I think either option is fine, it’s just a matter of getting used to it.

It’s in the Game

The gameplay itself isn’t particularly groundbreaking - it’s one of those cutesie village building type things, although in this situation the village is there already, it’s just been overrun by purple night thorns that are ruining the friendly atmosphere. We arrive out of nowhere and are here to save the day, required to go round talking to different characters and getting the lay of the land. Guided by quests initially from the wizard Merlin, we start discovering things that open up new elements of gameplay - a spade allows you to start gardening, the fishing rod opens up fishing, and there are recipes that culminate from the output of both those tasks.

I haven’t got much further than that so far, so have only managed to talk to Merlin, Mickey and Donald Duck, but I know there are lots of characters still to come across and plenty of missions to get involved in - it’s just going to take a lot of time to make progress, I think.

Thoughts

Initial thoughts are that this game is very playable but is one that I need to take my time over. There’s a lot to unlock and get on with so it’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the menus and options. Taking it slow, dipping in and out on occasion and gradually opening up the world is the only way forward and now that I think about it, I’m really keen to start doing that, which is a good sign.

Rating: 3 / 5