Disney Dreamlight Valley reader’s review – Reader’s Feature

metro.co.uk:

A reader tries the early access version of free-to-play title Disney Dreamlight Valley and is surprised to find it’s actually a good game.

Gameloft has a reputation for making solid but soulless mobile apps that rip off the most iconic gaming franchises. So when I saw that they were releasing a new free-to-play game based on Disney my scepticism was high to say the least. I was imagining waiting hours for the simplest tasks to be completed, unless you pay to speed things up. When I found out that it was a life simulator, I thought, ‘Oh great, another Animal Crossing wannabe, this time with a lick of Disney paint.’ I now have to eat these words, as all of my lowest expectations were debunked.

The first thing to note is that to get early access on PC, Xbox, Switch and PlayStation you do have to buy a Founder’s Pack that costs anywhere between £24 and £58, depending on what tier you want. This is unless you have Xbox Game Pass, in which case you get the base pack and access to the game via XCloud.

However, when it is officially released next year, not only will it be free-to-play on all these platforms (including iOS), but the only paid elements will be optional cosmetics and game expansions. In an era where microtransactions are offensively abundant even on paid games, Gameloft’s approach here is not only refreshing but also matches the open-ended gameplay.

The interplay between the story and that gameplay is also really inspired compared to Gameloft’s past games, and free-to-play games in general. You move into a Disney-ified valley that has been overtaken by dark magic, ruining a once bustling valley.

It becomes your job to restore the village to its former glory by entering different realms based on various Disney/Pixar