I am what you might call a casual gamer. I love playing video games, but I don’t always have time to dive into huge open-world RPGs. For this reason, cozy games like Animal Crossing and Disney Dreamlight Valley has always been horrifying to me. These are titles that you can conveniently play for any length of time and enjoy every second of it. There’s a deep comfort in stress relief games like this that always calls to me.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons was one of my favorite games when it was first released. The ability to create an island of my own and slowly complete quests at a leisurely pace is truly satisfying. But it only took a few months for me to get tired of the repetitive gameplay and move on to newer horizons. Now that Disney Dreamlight Valley has completely captured my attention, I can’t help but reflect on how Disney’s new life model has improved upon the Animal Crossing model.
Similarities between Animal Crossing and Disney Dreamlight Valley
It’s hard not to acknowledge the similarities between Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Disney Dreamlight Valley. Both games immediately put you in some kind of fallen paradise and force you to work on fixing it. All the elements you would expect from an Animal Crossing game are present in Dreamlight Valley. There is mining, fishing, gathering, crafting and gardening that you are free to pursue at your leisure. Each of these games also allows for full customization of both your home and the environment you live in.
Aside from the gameplay elements, even some of the character structures are similar. In Animal Crossing, you’re basically working for Tom Nook to industrialize your island and attract villagers. In Disney Dreamlight Valley, you’re essentially doing the same thing for Scrooge McDuck. While this similarity between the two games is strong enough to call out, it’s also where Dreamlight Valley begins to differ in its approach to the genre.
The characters are the Heart of Dreamlight Valley
The biggest difference between Disney Dream Valley and Animal Crossing: New Horizons is, for me, at least the focus on the characters. While Animal Crossing offers some crossover characters from previous games, it’s more about developing your Island than interacting with the villagers. In Disney Dreamlight Valley, the center of the game is character quests you work your way through.
No wonder the main attraction of a Disney game would be Disney characters you can interact with. Your conversations with Mickey, Goofy, Donald Duck, and even Ursula are some of the best parts of the game. It’s a nostalgic deep dive that makes the game so worth playing, and the writing really captures the essence of each classic Disney character you meet. Although you need to grind a bit to Accumulate Star Coins and complete Dreamlight Quest, it doesn’t feel too much like a chore because you’re doing it to help your Disney friends work their way through the plot.
It is this connection with these classic characters that has kept me coming back to Dreamlight Valley over and over again and knowing there will be more characters to come makes me excited for the future of the game.
Cooking is an essential aspect of friendship
Another key difference between the launch of Animal cross and Dreamlight Valley is how much Disney has incorporated cooking into the game. In Animal cross, this functionality arrives in late 2021, and it’s more of a gameplay add-on than an essential. In Disney Dreamlight Valley, find out cooking recipe and cooking is a core element. It is directly related to gathering resources, completing quests, and even keeping your own energy.
The cooking system is simple and fun with all the recipes that require real ingredients that you need to make them. You even get a great introduction to cooking by completing Remy’s Quest and learn to make Ratatouille.
Disney Dreamlight Valley’s Roadmap Is Exciting
Disney Dreamlight Valley is still in early access and still has a lot of bugs to fix in the system. That being said, the game is off to a strong start and will likely only grow in popularity once it’s free-to-play in 2023. In fact, there have been confirmed updates on the game. Disney Dreamlight Valley Roadmap I’m excited to keep playing, and the Scar’s Kingdom Update that went live in mid-October has proven that Disney is bringing it with each of these subsequent content releases.
One of the biggest reasons I stopped playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons was the lack of new content. To the big time Update 2.0 By 2021, I’m way beyond that game to get back to it. The fact that Disney has planned to include major character updates in the game is a huge plus for me and something that will likely keep me invested in my personal Dreamlight Valley.
Want to join playing this game? Let’s see the best tips for Disney Dreamlight Valley or dive into our whole Dreamlight Valley Wiki Guide for more information.
