Disney Dreamlight Valley Has Scary Stability Issues

As much as this is embarrassing for me to openly admit after 40 years on this rock, I am a Disney adult. I love Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and friends. The magic that this universe has brought into my life is something that I could discuss ad nauseam, but the games that this pop culture juggernaut has birthed over the decades are spotty at best. So I was very skeptical about the announcement of Disney Dreamlight Valley for Nintendo Switch. So join me in a journey through imagination.

In Disney Dreamlight Valley, Disney and Pixar characters lived in an idyllic village in perfect harmony — until a plague called the Forgetting sets in. Night Thorns took hold of the titular valley, destroying everything and driving some of the residents back to their home worlds.

First and foremost, this is a game for Disney fans who understand the mechanics of life sims, so please keep that in mind before you purchase.

Let’s start with the positives — I love the music; it transitions seamlessly into a medley of iconic tunes that will make any player feel like they’re 8 years old again.

As for the parts that aren’t quite terrible, it’s not ugly from a visual stance, but the graphics feels like a PS3 game.

The game’s limited voiceover talent runs the gamut of mediocre to decent. A great number of voice actors return for their respective roles, but anyone with a discerning ear can spot the fakers.

And as for the not-so-good parts, while playing the game before release, it constantly crashed and one of the most heinous crashes ruined an essential mission for me, and this specific glitch has happened to other players. As of the writing of this article developer Gameloft has barely addressed the issue.

The game has also suffered from frequent framerate drops. We’re talking game freezing drops, but I can’t say I’m surprised given that Gameloft’s name is NOT synonymous with quality.

And that’s my overall problem with this game — so much of it feels like low hanging fruit at best while other parts feel like an undercooked chicken leg. But there is fun to be had for Disney adults like myself, when it actually works; but I can’t excuse this game’s faults, even if you are a lifelong fan like myself. I suggest waiting until a more stable patch is released, because brand loyalty is not enough to justify a purchase in its current state.

I give Disney Dreamlight Valley a 2 out of 5.