Fantasy open-world game brings a new age of Disney to life.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 5+?
Any Positive Content?
Products & Purchases
some
The wide release has a base price of $29.99 but also contains transactions to "enhance gameplay." Founders Packs are available to purchase at different price points, providing the player with different levels of in-game merchandise, clothing, furniture, and currency. Microtransactions exist but are limited and focus exclusively on cosmetic items. Further paid DLC (downloadable content) expansions have been announced.
Violence & Scariness
very little
Occasional mild peril and mysterious music occur throughout, but it's no more than a traditional kids' game would typically display.
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The open-world style allows players to take their time, exploring different regions of the map at their own pace. Controls and commands are very easy to grasp, and tutorials are available to refer back to throughout the entire game. Multiple graphic adjustment settings are available to allow for a smooth playthrough no matter what your system is.
Diverse Representations
a lot
Avatar creation is uniquely diverse and inclusive. Players choose from multiple shades of skin color and body types when creating their avatar, as well as feminine, masculine, or androgynous presenting bodies. Body types are not labeled "male" or "female." Players can also select for their avatar to display vitiligo-like pigmentation, with multiple skin color options. Different body weights and culturally sensitive hair styles are available. Bindis, headscarves, and turbans can be added. Facial hair options are available for any gender presentation.
Main premise is to clean up the village and help its residents along the way. Positive messages include helping others, the importance of chores and cleanliness, and watching your good deeds benefit others. Only Scrooge McDuck delivers negative messages, which focus on greed and money.
Positive Role Models
a lot
Almost every character represents a good role model (except for the money-hungry Scrooge McDuck). The player is encouraged by various characters to make friends, be kind, and clean up, with the goal of helping the town as a whole. Collaborative kindness is a massive theme.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Disney Dreamlight Valley is a downloadable open-world simulation game for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC, and Mac. It drops the player into a colorful fantasy world where they are the hero. The plot encourages kids to help other characters for the good of the whole, make new friends, and think creatively. Players can customize their clothes, body, house, and the entire town in any way they please, encouraging creative expression in young players. Characters are all classic Disney and Pixar characters, and dialogue options when speaking to them provide options that could be classified as kind or rude. Characters can respond positively or have their feelings hurt if the player speaks to them in a certain way, teaching young players appropriate social skills. While there's occasional peril, there's nothing inappropriate for young kids. Downloadable content has been announced for the game, and various microtransactions are available to add costumes, furniture, and other items to the game.
This is a great game for anyone! It’s nostalgic, innocent and fun! I would allow my child to play it at any age but some of the tasks would probably be too hard for younger children.
12+, Beautifully complex/could be triggering for young players
Wonderful game but for 12+, definitely don't agree with it being E for everyone as there is lots of mentions to depression which might be confusing for young children, and might be triggering for some young teens, but it also has some wonderful lessons, here's some things I like specifically in game: the graphics and scenery are truly something out of a fairy-tale very beautiful, lots of customization options not just for character great if you are someone who likes sims or animal crossing, storyline is well thought out, the starpath features adorable one of a kind items you cant get from anywhere else in the game aswell as the weekly shop, complex tasks if you like a challenge, depending on when you read this (it's currently 2024 for me :)...) updates are still ongoing and with each update alot more things are getting added and with each update it gets better and better and that's saying alot because it's already really good.
What’s It About?
DISNEY DREAMLIGHT VALLEY is an open-world simulation game that features many of Disney and Pixar's most popular characters. You, the player, are dropped into Dreamlight Valley (presumably because you are sleeping, and the world you are now in is a dream) and greeted by Merlin the Wizard. He explains that Dreamlight Valley has been overtaken by a force called "The Forgetting," which makes all of the village's inhabitants forget their friends, their past, and the purpose of the town. The Forgetting has overtaken the town with purple haze and mysterious thorns. It's your job to clean up the town and restore the memories of the friends you make along the way. Quests, levels, chores, and customization are frequently featured in this game. Players can explore Dreamlight Valley or venture into other realms, which are the homes of characters from Disney and Pixar films, like Ratatouille, Moana, and WALL-E.
Fans of simulation and open-world games will latch on to this adventure easily. Disney Dreamlight Valley provides an incredibly unique and innovative set of inclusive avatar customizations, making sure that every player can live out their own life in the Valley, if that's what they wish. The user interface is very easy to navigate, despite its seemingly endless system of maps, guides, tutorials, tools, and point systems. Dreamlight Valley provides the navigation for players to explore and experience the world it has built without the stress of forgetting where something is or which button does what -- the game repeatedly reminds you of how to play it.
Additionally, while this game can easily be enjoyed by any age group, it's a perfect open-world introduction for younger players, with an unintimidating (but spacious) map to explore. Life skills are constantly being taught, from kindness to the importance of friendship and doing deeds simply because it is the right thing to do -- not because you receive a reward. These skills, coupled with the extensive world for players to craft into their own, make Dreamlight Valley a dream in itself for parents and kids alike.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the importance of helping others. Disney Dreamlight Valley encourages players to assist the town's residents with various tasks frequently. Why are being kind and being generous important character traits?
Sometimes good deeds can be done just to help others, without the benefit of a reward. What's an example of something selfless you can do to help out another person?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
suggesting a diversity update.
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
By Claire Crossman
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
