Disney Dreamlight Valley gives players the opportunity to build a community alongside fan-favorite Disney characters. Throughout the title's main quest, players encounter these characters and return them to the Valley. Relationships between individual residents can be strengthened through Disney Dreamlight Valley's Friendship Quests, which task players with returning a character's memories or restoring their area of the Valley. As friendships level up, players receive themed rewards, and the final reward is often an elaborate article of clothing. However, these rewards favor one type of player over the other, and Disney Dreamlight Valley would do well to make a change before the title launches later this year.
Disney Dreamlight Valley was released in August 2022 in Early Access. The title combines elements of Animal Crossing and Stardew Valley, allowing players to build and maintain a community while exploring the Valley's hidden past. Recently, in-game systems have been shifting to accommodate the upcoming launch. Now could be the best time to address some disparities in reward content, as some of those currently in place fail to take into account the major characteristics of players. The most obvious change needs to come to Friendship Levels, as masculine and feminine players alike are rewarded with the same objects, with max-level rewards almost always favoring feminine players.
Disney Dreamlight Valley Needs to Diversify Its Reward Offerings
Last month, Dreamlight Valley's Festival of Friendship update added Olaf and Mirabel to the Valley. Players who managed to reach Friendship Level 10 with Mirabel received the Emerald Dreamlore Skirt and Teal Dreamlore Poncho. However, like many of the Level 10 rewards that came before it, this special gift was rewarded to masculine and feminine characters alike. Despite the multitude of masculine clothing available daily at Scrooge's Store, Friendship Quests often reward masculine characters with the same elaborate dresses and accessories received by feminine characters.
For a title that offers so much customization and player choice, Disney Dreamlight Valley fails to reward players equally. The various dresses and gowns received by feminine characters are appreciated, but the lack of a masculine alternative is a staggering oversight. Given that Disney Dreamlight Valley is still working to perfect its mechanics and gameplay, rewards are not set in stone for the full-release version. When that version arrives, Disney needs to put diversity at the forefront of the experience if it wants to offer a game that is accessible to everyone.
Regardless of the appearance and settings of a player's character, the full list of masculine and feminine options should be made available at each Friendship Level to all players. Disney Dreamlight Valley should be a game for everyone, and that needs to be reflected in its acknowledgment of player preference and expression. Since its launch in 2022, Disney Dreamlight Valley has proven successful with critics and fans alike. However, issues like reward disparity or a lack of diversity may be put into the spotlight later this year, when that phase comes to a close. In 2023, aligning rewards towards a single identity or gender fails to acknowledge a significant amount of the gaming community.
Disney Dreamlight Valley Is Making Final Preparations for its Full Release
According to Disney Dreamlight Valley's Early 2023 Content Roadmap, the title will exit Early Access sometime after June. However, players can see evidence of the final version taking form right now. Recent updates have rapidly progressed the game's narrative, with players restoring the Frosted Peaks, and discovering the lair of Dreamlight Valley's antagonist. Likewise, the title has been tweaking in-game mechanics and reward systems, giving players increased storage space and changing the restrictions and drop rate of some materials.
Unfortunately, not every change has been for the better, as concerned players noticed Gameloft added microtransactions to Disney Dreamlight Valley. With other, more critical facets of the game in need of attention, adding microtransactions this early on is a further slight for players requesting greater diversity in character expression and rewards. These changes may arrive with future updates, but Gameloft has yet to acknowledge the need for adjustment. Hopefully the next change to Disney Dreamlight Valley will bring improvements to the experience, rather than focusing on its paid content.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.