Summary
Disney Dreamlight Valleycaptivated players with its charming atmosphere and beloved Disney characters when it launched in early access. Nearly two years later, the game continues to thrive, thanks to its passionate community. With compelling features like storytelling through friendship, customizable avatars, and real-time synchronization, it’s no wonderDisney Dreamlight Valleyhas continued to retain an incredibly active monthly player base.
However, despite establishing itself as a life sim favorite,Disney Dreamlight Valleymight be missing a golden opportunity. While the differences in gameplay are distinct,Disney Dreamlight Valleycould benefit from a core feature fromAnimal Crossing. If implemented thoughtfully to complement the Disney and Pixar elements, this feature could become a massive hit with the game’s existing audience.
Disney Dreamlight Valley Could Elevate Its Adventure Elements
One Animal Crossing: New Horizons Feature Could Enhance Disney Dreamlight Valley’s Exploration Options
Animal Crossing: New Horizonstook the world by storm in March 2020 with its vibrant tropical setting. This excitement only continued when afreeNew Horizonsupdate, version 2.0, arrived in November of the following year, though it also marked the last of Nintendo’s major updates for the game. Regardless, not only did this patch add new villagers, island expansions, and The Roost, but it also introduced boat tours to the game.
Boat tours in Nintendo’s life-sim allow players to travel to a random deserted island, similar to the Mystery Island Tour operated by Dodo Airlines. However, boat tours offer a much greater variety of destinations when compared to traveling by air. For instance, when using the boat, players can visit islands with different seasons and weather conditions, and obtainunique items such asAC’s glowing mossand gyroid fragments. If one opts to go by plane, they will be limited to islands that have the same season, weather, and hemisphere.
Notably, the success of boat tours inNew Horizonsdemonstrates the potential for a similar mechanic inDisney Dreamlight Valley. While direct imitation wouldn’t be ideal, the ability to explore new islands with unique biomes that are brimming with different resources and creatures could be incredibly engaging. Players could even unlock new storylines and characters through these voyages, which could expand upon the lore of the Valley.
Disney Dreamlight Valley’s Moana Could Be Its Version of Kapp’N
Fortunately,Disney Dreamlight Valleyalready possesses a strong foundation for incorporating journeys to new islands or locales. With its vast ocean surrounding the Valley, exploration by boat seems like a natural fit. Additionally, because Moana is one of the first characters that players can invite to the village, and was included in the early access period, her expertise and iconic canoe could be the perfect gateway to discovering new environments. Similar toKapp’n, the amiable turtle who ferries players across the seasinNew Horizons, Moana’s exceptional navigational skills could be leveraged to provide safe passage to unexplored islands.
Moana can be unlocked after choosing “the ocean with a demigod” option in the Dream Castle and completing the subsequent quests.
WithDisney Dreamlight Valleyexpected to double down on Moana contentshortly, the idea that the Polynesian princess could become a guide to new destinations isn’t unfathomable. This theory becomes even more exciting since Moana’s canoe can currently only be used to visit four locations within her realm:
When Moana becomes a permanent resident of the Valley, her canoe remains docked at the beach, which means it no longer has functionality. Furthermore, while"The Mysterious Wreck" raftis available for players, it only offers access to The Lonely Island to progress Ariel’s friendship quest. Nevertheless, Merlin’s cryptic hints about other islands with their own secrets suggest that future updates might introduce a more robust exploration system that could potentially mirror the engaging boat tours found inNew Horizons.
Disney Dreamlight Valley
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.
