Disney Dreamlight Valley is a new life simulation game developed and published by Gameloft. The game takes players on a magical adventure filled with quests, exploration, and many other surprises along the way. It features various familiar, as well as new sets, of characters owned by Disney and Pixar. The plot of the game centers around these quirky characters who once lived in harmony in Dreamlight Valley. But one day, a mysterious catastrophe known as The Forgetting caused them to lose their memories and thrust them back into their own worlds. As the protagonist, players must seek these characters and recruit them to fight off the evil that threatens Dreamlight Valley.
Within the game, there is an area called The Dream Castle, which seemingly has 30 locked doors. Behind each door is a whole other world called a Realm. Each realm has been extracted from the famous franchises that are owned by Disney and Pixar. Since the early access release of Disney Dreamlight Valley, four realms have been added to the game for players to explore. These include the worlds of Frozen, Ratatouille, Moana, and Wall-E, with a fifth Toy Story Realm slated to be added in the fall of 2022. These realms have been ranked below based on their engagement, charm, and overall quality.
4 Wall-E Realm
Wall-E’s realm is a wasteland filled with garbage and pollution. In it resides a shy little robot named Wall-E that collects waste and cleans up the area. When players first enter this realm Wall-E becomes spooked and gets himself stuck. Players then have to clear away the trash lying around and help fix Wall-E’s track for him to roam around again. Afterward, players decide to help Wall-E clean the Earth to gain his trust. However, he still initially refuses to return to the Valley with players.
Then, the players go on a quest to find multiple items in the Valley that will help make Wall-E more comfortable. They then bring these items to Wall-E, and he finally agrees to go back to the Valley with them. The realm itself is quite bland, and the tasks in it are tedious as well. It fails to really resonate with the players and feels more like a chore to get through. The highlight of the realm is Wall-E himself, with his quirky movements and noises.
3 Ratatouille Realm
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The Ratatouille realm takes players to the kitchen of a French restaurant. There they meet a chef rat named Remy. Remy tells the players that he needs help with the dining as most of the staff is sick, and there is a food critic waiting to be served. If he gives the restaurant a bad review, it might cause some serious problems. Players agree to help Remy by first cleaning the dishes and then by cooking meals. The first dish the players make centers around a fish, and the second around fruit. Then, players go on to cook more complicated dishes using Remy’s cookbook, like a pizza. No meal is complete without a dessert, of course, and so the players go on to bake a pie as well.
After going back and forth with the orders, Remy then asks the players to prepare his signature dish, the Ratatouille, for the food critic. After receiving a five-star review from the critic, Remy is overjoyed. Players then invite Remy back to the Valley to run a new restaurant, and he agrees. The quests in this realm may look repetitive but have enough charm to make them stand out. The kitchen is also beautifully set up with various ingredients and a boiling cooking pot at its center.
2 Moana Realm
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The realm of Moana takes players to a beautiful beach beside a sea. The scenery is filled with grass, trees, and flowers all shining vibrantly under a blue sky. When players first enter this realm, they find Moana of Motunui, who needs help fixing her canoe so that she can find some good fishing spots in the ocean. Players then go on to find wood and silk to fix help fix her canoe. But before departing into the ocean, players must also remove the debris lying around the canoe. To do this, they go and meet Moana’s friend Maui who boasts around about his “heroic legends.” Players then take on the Maui quiz, after which he gives them a magical pickaxe with which the debris can be cleared out.
After setting sail, players receive an unreadable map from Moana, which they fix using a memory. The fishing spot lies behind a thick mist that is not easy to get by. Players then roam around the sea to find a torch near the coral reefs and then set sail towards the mist, where they catch a fish. Moana is happy to find the fishing spot and agrees to go back to the Valley with the player after they build her a fale in the Valley. The quests in this realm are very charming, the dialogue is funny, and the surroundings feel alive, making this realm one of the best in the game so far.
1 Frozen Realm
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The realm of Frozen takes players to the homeworld of Queen Anna of Arendelle and her icy-cold older sister Elsa. Players find themselves in the dazzling Enchanted Forest, where multiple elemental spirits have gone wild. Why is it called the Enchanted Forest? Because everything about this place is enchanted, and everything the player has to do in it is magical. Initially, players are introduced to Anna, who tells them about her home and her missing sister, Elsa. She says that the spirits of the forest have become agitated and that Elsa went to calm them down but has not returned since. Afterward, players go on multiple quests to calm down the four elemental spirits.
They put out the violet flames of the fire salamander Bruni, wake up a sleeping earth giant, calm down the water spirit by removing Anna’s engagement ring from the lake, and finally, they meet up with Elsa, who helps them calm the wind spirit gale with the help of wind chimes. This realm is a lot of fun as it offers many engaging quests and is filled with a lot of color and quirky dialogue. After the completion of the initial quests, players can invite Anna back to the Dreamlight Valley, whereas Elsa requires further convincing.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is available now on Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.