Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition review - "An enchanting sim game for Disney fans"

• Explore Disney Worlds
• Befriend iconic characters like Goofy and Vanellope
• Customize your avatar's style

Disney Dreamlight Valley is a new simulation and adventure game for mobiles from Gameloft in which you aid the citizens of the Valley, all of whom are famous Disney characters. The game launched for consoles and PC in September, and is now available for iPad and iPhone. Exclusive to Apple Arcade subscribers, Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition lets you interact with and befriend a plethora of Disney and Pixar characters.

Story

Dreamlight Valley was once a peaceful island where iconic Disney characters, new and old, lived together harmoniously until the Forgetting. As night thorns sprouted across the Valley, memories were forgotten. With your newfound magical abilities, you’re the only one who can restore Dreamlight Valley to its former glory.
Upon first launching the game, you can customize your avatar with a variety of hairstyles, body types, face shapes, eye colours, makeup and more. The game offers a decent selection of customizations without becoming overwhelming. While you can’t customize your outfit at first, you’ll be able to buy and earn tons of clothing and accessories as you play.

One of the first things you'll learn to do in the game is to remove night thorns - ominous thorns that began spreading throughout the Valley during the Forgetting. Removing night thorns helps characters regain their memories.

Gameplay

As you play, you’ll earn Dreamlight, which allows you to unlock new realms to explore. From Frozen 2’s Enchanted Forest to cooking with Ratatouille in his kitchen, you’ll interact with characters from all your favourite Disney and Pixar films and help them by completing friendship quests.

Friendship is an essential aspect of Disney’s Dreamlight Valley. You’ll befriend various characters like Scrooge McDuck, Goofy and Merlin. By completing quests for characters, giving them gifts and just hanging out, you’ll improve your friendship level. Upgrading a friendship level nets you rewards and is necessary to access certain quests. Not only is befriending your favourite Disney characters your inner child’s dream come true, but it's also an incredibly peaceful experience.

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• Use some of the codes for Dreamlight Valley

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Primarily, gameplay centres around exploration, mining, gardening, foraging, fishing, and decorating. Early in the game, you'll acquire the magical tools the Valley's previous ruler used. Once you’ve acquired the magic shovel, mining pick, fishing pole and water can, you can set about improving and beautifying Dreamlight Valley.

Go fishing at the beach or nearby ponds to catch fish, lobsters, and seaweed, all of which can be used as ingredients. Or, if you're in the mood to garden, dig holes, plant seeds, and water them to help them grow. You’ll also use your magic pickaxe to mine gems and remove obstacles. Whatever you choose to do, you’ll enjoy serene casual gameplay that, between the easy-to-master controls and a rapturous Disney setting, will keep you coming back for more gaming sessions.

Skins and cosmetics

Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition also features a selfie-taking feature so you can snap photos with all your Disney pals. Choose from several poses and a variety of filters, frames and facial expressions to create the perfect selfie. You’ll also occasionally need to snap photos of specific items for quests, such as The Haunting of Dreamlight Valley quest, which you get from Scrooge McDuck.

The game also lets you express your creativity by changing up your avatar’s outfit. Find new clothes and accessories by digging or purchasing them at Scrooge’s store. The inventory at Scrooge's shop is constantly changing, so if nothing suits your fancy, just drop back in later. Mix and match hats, backpacks, shoes, tops and bottoms to create fun and exciting outfits.

At the beginning of the game, Merlin gifts you a house you can customize and expand. You can build furniture at crafting tables or purchase new pieces from Scrooge. Though you begin with a simple one-room home, you can expand your home to multiple rooms and floors as long as you have enough coins to pay Scrooge McDuck. Decorating and expanding your home is an absolute delight. In letting you customize and change your avatar's outfits and your home, Disney Dreamlight Valley brings some of the best aspects of the Sims series to your iPhone or iPad in a simplified manner.

It has a few cons

The only downside to the Arcade Edition is that it doesn’t include the option to purchase premium content available for other versions of the game, including Star Path seasons and the Premium Shop. However, this seems a small price to pay when you consider the currently high price tag of the game on consoles.

Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition does exactly what it sets out to do, offering an engaging simulation adventure experience. You’ll interact with Disney heroes and villains, explore diverse realms and heal Dreamlight Valley. Whether you prefer exploring new locals or fishing at the local fishing hole with Goofy, there is something for just about every Disney fan to enjoy. Disney Dreamlight Valley Arcade Edition will provide you with an utterly enchanting experience that no Disney fan with an Apple Arcade subscription should miss out on.

We already have a few guides for it, and if you love what you've just read, take a look at all of the Dreamlight Valley recipes, and one of the quests where players are usually stuck - how to solve a Golden Potato quest!