Disney Dreamlight Valley entered early entry on the finish of 2022, and the Animal Crossing-meets-Mickey Mouse gameplay instantly caught on in my home. The sunshine and simple gameplay paired with mushy music and the presence of a number of the world’s most family-friendly characters made for low-stakes gaming classes that served as a pleasant break from no matter overview was on my slate.
I truthfully did not count on a lot from the sport; Animal Crossing by no means leaned closely into its story so I did not count on Disney Dreamlight Valley to do greater than roughly as a lot as Nintendo’s hit franchise. Nevertheless, all through the previous yr, the writers at Gameloft not solely exceeded that expectation, they did so with an actual and uncooked take a look at childhood, maturity, and the transition between the 2. It was a daring choice–and positively one which flies within the face of “life simulator starring Mickey Mouse and associates”–but it is a story I’ve routinely thought of since finishing it.
SPOILERS for Disney Dreamlight Valley’s first yr of content material is beneath, proceed with warning.
For those who do not know the story, Disney Dreamlight Valley follows a protagonist who returns to the valley they created as a toddler after years of being away, solely to seek out it in disrepair due to an occasion known as The Forgetting. Homes are falling aside, insidious vines are rising all over the place, and the earlier inhabitants are both lacking or affected by amnesia. Our return appears to awaken our latent Dreamlight magic skills, and from there we set off on restoring the valley to its former glory.
The vines signify a darkness that is fallen over the valley, which itself was introduced on by The Forgotten, a malevolent presence who corrupted the idyllic world by unknown means. By writings, we study extra concerning the origins of this darkish being, till lastly we meet the villain face-to-face–and they give the impression of being surprisingly acquainted. Herein lies the twist: The hero the participant creates and The Forgotten are one in the identical, with the “evil” model representing the younger little one creator’s transition from little one to adult–and the entire angsty teenage years in between.
We’re fed this revelation in crumbs for essentially the most half till that first assembly, however from then on is the place the story actually takes flight. A lot so, actually, that the sport produces a content material warning earlier than the ultimate missions of the sport: “The Forgotten Recollections quests take care of some troublesome feelings and themes, resembling unhappiness, loneliness, and anger,” the warning reads. “For those who’re not in the proper house to take care of these themes, take into account returning to your village till you are feeling ready to face them.”
By following the questline, we’re transported again in time to when the “darkness” started to take maintain. We management the Forgotten model of ourselves as we meet up with acquainted faces who ask us for acquainted favors: Mickey desires flowers for Minnie, Goofy desires to make some meals, and many others. Nevertheless, due to the clouded psyche of our character, all of our dialogue decisions are turned to damaging feelings. Whereas speaking to our associates, our speech is damaged up by intrusive ideas like “What is the level of this?” or “I will simply screw this up anyway.”
As we collect the gadgets for our associates, one thing’s off: The flowers we discover for Mickey are lifeless, and the meals elements for Goofy are rotten. When the Forgotten delivers the gadgets to their associates, and the reactions aren’t what they’d count on, the Forgotten instantly begins to descend again into that anxiousness, as one of many dialogue choices is “I simply wish to be alone!” whereas one other is just “UGH! UGH! UGH!”
Whereas these moments went over my youngsters’s heads, I used to be all in. These are acquainted emotions for lots of people as they develop from youngsters to adults. Issues they as soon as liked lose their luster, duties they as soon as loved appear menial and annoying.Self-doubt, anxiousness, overreaction, and extra are all a part of the growing-up course of, and Disney Dreamlight Valley does a terrific job of showcasing this by means of these scenes.
Finally, again in our created character’s sneakers, we’re tasked with gathering “hidden relics” of the Forgotten’s previous; a blanket, a shovel and pail, and a toddler’s drawing of a lion. We then journey to the Forgotten’s world, which is a darkish and twisted model of the citadel that sits in the course of the valley. This citadel has been fully overtaken by the darkness, with vines rising by means of and partitions and flooring. Once we attain the Forgotten, we’re transported to a world of pure darkness, save for a couple of areas with spotlights above them.
Utilizing the “relics” of the previous, we’re in a position to study the reality: The Forgotten is our character’s misplaced childhood made manifest, as they are saying they’re bringing darkness to the valley to “be sure that nobody goes by means of what [they] went by means of.” By restoring sacred areas of their past–the shovel and pail in a sandbox, the blanket on their childhood mattress, and so on–we persuade them that darkness is not the best way, and the day is received.
One of the best half is what occurs to the Forgotten after this ultimate mission concludes: They do not disappear within the gentle, they do not get imprisoned at midnight citadel, they merely change into simply one other villager. From there, a brand new questline opens the place the participant character and their forgotten childhood work collectively to make the valley a greater place for all.
I didn’t count on such a whirlwind story in my Mickey Mouse cozy life sim, however Gameloft stealthily hid top-of-the-line tales of the yr proper in between journeys to Scrooge’s store and inside adorning.