Summary
- Disney Dreamlight Valley captivates players with nostalgic Disney characters and engaging minigames.
- The game faces scrutiny over its portrayal of villains, sparking debate on narrative balance and character arcs.
- Gameloft's decision on handling villains in Disney Dreamlight Valley may impact the game's future success and storytelling.
Disney Dreamlight Valley has many strengths, but its main selling point lies in its premise as a life simulator where its characters are of nostalgic childhood legend. There are more than 30 Disney characters to interact with in the valley, which makes otherwise mundane everyday activities like its fishing and farming minigames that much more captivating. Despite the well-written narrative, which features plenty of complexity in the execution of its characters, Disney Dreamlight Valley isn't all rosy in telling its story. In the face of growing polarizing sentiments about its villains such as Scar and Ursula, Gameloft might have to reconsider one of the bedrocks of the game.
Games featuring any of Disney's multi-million dollar childhood-themed movies are bound to get that extra bit of scrutiny, but Disney Dreamlight Valley has handled that pressure admirably, providing a dreamlike experience quite unlike any other title in its genre. Gameloft's newest foray into nostalgic territory akin to its Lion King days on mobile is a success, and it's not finished yet. Ursula's machinations are leading up to some unforeseen narrative twist, and the Skull Rock adventure that's been teased for a while now hasn't materialized. In light of all these factors, the divisive topic of villains and their role is gaining some steam, and the developer needs to bite the bullet on a decision.
Disney Dreamlight Valley's Villain Decision May Be its Hardest One Yet
The crux of the argument about removing villains from Disney Dreamlight Valley is simple yet logical. Visualizing a world where characters share a close fraternizing space, it makes no sense to encounter continued scheming and betrayal with no tangible consequences. Take Scar as a case study: the image of the dark-maned lion flinging Mufasa from a cliff to his death is burned in the memory of many a Disney faithful. Simba, or any morally upstanding character, should bear some animosity to his presence, which makes a solid case against his becoming a neighbor to Disney heroes. Instead, Disney Dreamlight Valley allows the mortal enemies to live together by integrating Scar through the Friends Aren't Food quest.
The attempted erasure or muted effect of the lore that made these tales so legendary is a valid point of contention. The sentiment has even more legitimacy when considering Disney Dreamlight Valley's storyline in The Forgotten. Before this Act, one could argue that the game's villains existed in a bubble, separate and blameless for their crimes on the silver screen. However, Scar keeps his betrayal theme and tries to become king, and Tangled's Mother Gothel is still as selfishly manipulative as she was in the movie in her quest to stay young forever. With no mechanism for confrontation or reformation for closure, it seems like a disservice to maintain the current state of affairs.
Villains Might Not be Fashionable, But their Narrative Potential Justifies their Inclusion
On the other hand, villainy is the natural enemy of heroism. If anything is true in Disney's movies, it's that there must be a balance between the forces of good and evil. That might be the rationale behind including such problematic characters; they give Disney Dreamlight Valley a narrative flair that would otherwise leave the game bland. While Gameloft could go down the route of a cozy life sim focused on the day-to-day running of households, that goes against the spirit of interwoven contrasting plots that Disney is famous for.
Furthermore, there's an added layer of complexity to these villains that showcases a side fans aren't familiar with. Scar is notorious for his cold-blooded plots, but there's a scene where the brooding lion appreciates a drawing of himself that hammers home a human theme beneath all the gloom and doom. Moments like these wouldn't be possible if villains were removed from Disney Dreamlight Valley, and it's this subtlety that ties its elements together. They don't have to be doted on the same way heroes like Ariel are, but their contrast gives the game the precious lifelike balancing act it needs to thrive. With this in mind, Gameloft wouldn't be amiss to go full steam ahead with its blueprint of villainy to go along with Disney Dreamlight Valley's next Star Path.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 75 /100 Critics Rec: 77%
WHERE TO PLAY
Disney Dreamlight Valley is a hybrid between a life-sim and an adventure game rich with quests, exploration, and engaging activities featuring Disney and Pixar friends, both old and new.
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.
Free the Dream Castle from the insidious grip of the Forgetting, and unlock the unique Realms of well-loved Disney and Pixar characters, including great queens and kings such as Anna and Simba. Each Realm contains unique challenges with puzzles to solve in the quest to bring friendship back to the Valley.
You’ll start your adventure in the Valley, but your journey will take you to infinity… and beyond! Explore what lurks in the Forest of Valor and brave the deepest caverns as you take on challenges from iconic Disney and Pixar heroes and villains. Who knows who—or what—you might discover.
- Engine
- unity
- Multiplayer
- Online Co-Op
- Cross-Platform Play
- All platforms
- Cross Save
- All platforms (requires purchasing the game separately on each platform)
- Franchise
- Disney
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Verified
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PC, iOS
- Genre(s)
- Life Simulation, Casual
- How Long To Beat
- 33 Hours
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