Disney Dreamlight Valley is a mixed bag, as two fan favorite characters join the game, as well as a highly requested feature. However, one addition could prove highly controversial.
First off, we are getting Olaf, the beloved snowman from modern cartoon classic Frozen. Olaf is Anna and Elsa’s childhood friend, a snowman that Elsa keeps recreating and bringing life back to who mysteriously acts like nothing happened to him.
Joining Olaf is Mirabel Madrigal, the bespectacled star of a newer Disney release, Encanto. Mirabel is the protagonist of the movie, the one member of the Madrigal family without a magical ability. I won’t spoil the rest of the movie her, but Mirabel is an affable girl and a great addition.
Gameloft have also added in a long requested feature to Disney Dreamlight Valley. Your storage for items will now sort itself automatically. Alongside this, Gameloft is increasing the amount of storage you have.
The big controversial change, as reported by Video Games Chronicle, is the addition of a Premium shop. This shop will allow you to buy items like clothing, furniture, and house skins. These items will not be available anywhere else in the game, so this is Gameloft trying to get players to part with their hard earned money.
The currency used to buy these items are called Moonstones. Moonstones can be earned through the Star Path, Disney Dreamlight Valley‘s equivalent of a Battle Pass. Of course, given the monetization, Gameloft only put so much Moonstones that you can earn in the Star Path. You have the option to buy Moonstones separately with real money in Moonstone Packs, but the real way to earn these Moonstones quickly is by buying one of the Founder’s Packs.
For people who dislike monetization, the Moonstone Packs and Founder’s Packs may seem to be an eyesore, but there’s a good reason for the Founder’s Packs to be so enticing and expensive. Disney Dreamlight Valley remains an Early Access game. While Gameloft announced that Early Access period will end sometime this year, which will depend on how soon they can get to finish it.
The addition of the Premium shop while they’re still in early access is Gameloft telling their players to buy Founder’s Packs now to support them finishing the game. At that point, it’s entirely up to the players if they feel it’s worth their money or not. It hints that Gameloft will take these expensive DLC eventually, though they haven’t expressly said so. So if you’re an active player now, whether you think you’re being taken for a ride or you want to see this game succeed would determine if you would buy these or not.
Disney Dreamlight Valley is playable on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and PC on Windows and MacOs, via Steam and Epic Games Store.
