Disney Dreamlight Valley

Disney Dreamlight Valley is an incredibly strong early access start to a bewitching, Disney-infused life sim.

Disney Dreamlight Valley's whimsy is offset by the frustrations of time management and a monotonous daily grind.

Steep costs and microtransactions taint an otherwise dreamy life sim.

Even at this Early Access stage, Gameloft has created an awesome game here. There's enough content here already to give a good sense of what's to come, and a foundation to build something rather special.

Dreamlight Valley is 'Disney meets Animal Crossing', but there's more to it than that. With a healthy supply of quests on top of the usual foraging, crafting and house-building, there's a proper story here too for any players who want a goal to aim towards.

An Animal Crossing inspired life-sim populated by the world's most fiercely defended intellectual property

Disney Dreamlight Valley is delightful. The title is a brilliant life sim sandbox that already has a staggering amount of content, and has already begun outlining what comes next. If Gameloft plays its cards right, this game could be a mainstay on many people's consoles for years. Thousands of Disney-themed items and a robust construction mode pair with all the traditional life sim trappings executed at a high level to create a surprisingly excellent experience. Whether you want to completely redesign your town or just go fishing with Mickey, the game has everything in place to ensure you get the most out of your experience. A slew of camera bugs and the odd crash stand out as early access hiccups, and the framework for an extensive microtransaction economy is a red flag, but this isn't enough to stand in the way of having a lovely time.

Disney Dreamlight Valley is a frictionless, relaxing spin on life sims that manages to remain heartwarming and charming, despite a few Switch-related rough patches. Dreamlight Valley's unique identity relies heavily on fresh interactions with your in-game friends, and Gameloft will need to continue supporting it with regular updates to keep the Night Thorns from creeping back in. However, what's here at launch is surprisingly touching and thoughtful, and cleverly plays on the nostalgia of anyone who's ever been a Disney fan.

Having transformed considerably since its early bug-filled days, Disney Dreamlight Valley provides dozens of hours of enjoyable play on Nintendo Switch. Regular events and a rotating shop of cosmetic additions mean there is always something new around the corner. Being able to fish with Donald and take walks with Minnie and Ariel in human form brings an immeasurable amount of joy, and looks set to do so for the foreseeable future.

"Disney Dreamlight Valley, after more than a year in Early Access, is still a work in progress. Gameloft continues to develop the game with updates and new content, which is how it was intended. It’s a relaxing game with plenty to do, though not particularly challenging. Gameloft has delivered a solid farming sim with Disney Dreamlight Valley. However, it's disappointing that they didn’t fulfill their promise to make the game free for players. If you make a promise, you should stick to it."