Disney Dreamlight Valley Wishblossom Ranch DLC Gamescom preview

Everyone and their mother, brother, and old granny knows what Disney is - it’s a universal piece of media that tries, in varying degrees of success, to reach every age group, culture, and identity out there through their films and cartoons. You can’t deny their impact and influence. Now, as for myself, I have always loved Disney films growing up, but my interest in them as a young adult has considerably died down. Maybe its modern magic is lost on me? However, when Gameloft invited us to view gameplay for Disney Dreamlight Valley’s third expansion, I thought ‘Why not?’ There’s a joy that Disney brings wherever it goes, and it seems this game and its new expansion will provide that in a whole new environment, along with the addition of steeds!

For those who don’t know, Disney Dreamlight Valley is a life-sim game mixed with adventure, where you inhabit a world where Disney and Pixar characters are your neighbors. You’ll build your home, farm, and surrounding area while also helping those in need through thoughts, quests, and activities. Again, I have never really played DLV, but I know it’s been a rocky road for players when it comes to this game – cough, microtransactions. But if you’re a life/farm sim player, then you know what this game is all about; it just has that magic twist. The presentation, led by Creative Director Josh Labelle, took us through new gameplay features and addressed any questions we had. We were able to interview him after the presentation, so be sure to check that out if you’re interested!

Wishblossom Ranch is the third paid expansion being brought to Disney Dreamlight this fall. The focal point of this pack is horses, where you can ride them, level them up, and get them to do chores around the farm. The latter will involve managing your crops by watering them, controlling weeds, and more. In the demo, they pointed out that horses will be available immediately after downloading the pack instead of being locked behind past story missions. This decision was made so all players could be on equal footing and enjoy the most out of the pack at launch. The horses can also be levelled up to a cap of 10. With each level up, you’ll get unique cosmetics for your horse, like a bridle and saddle, and unlock skills that help you on your farm. Levelling up is easy, as you’ll just need to do horse-related activities, like brushing them.

The other perk of horses is their complete customization. We had a fun time naming and picking colors for our horse in the presentation, even though he ended up looking a bit too funky. Players will be presented with many color options, from neutrals to neon pinks and blues, and you’ll be able to choose various manes, tails, and more. However, if you’re craving that truly Disney experience, there will be set skins you can choose that match Disney horse characters. For now, it seems that we have Maximus from Tangled, and the devs have even stated that Maximus will have unique level-ups to match his character. When asked if we would be getting any more, such as maybe Phillipe from Beauty and the Beast or Bullseye from Toy Story, I was given a vague answer that neither confirmed nor denied. Despite the horses having a set cartoony look that fits Maximus, I hope we will get some more unique horses that fit other characters, like the big shire horse that is Angus from Brave, not just the same look every time.

The world that Wishblossom Ranch takes place in is very much a ranch-themed one, and even has architecture that echoes Scandinavia with its colourful etchings on its wooden structures. The map will be a considerable size, as fans are accustomed to from previous packs. You’ll be able to completely customize the ranch of your dreams, with several building structures and plenty of ranch and homestead furniture to choose from. As always, the game looks stunning.

This time around, our new Disney friends include Snow White and Tinkerbell, as showcased in the trailer. Both are characters that fans have been waiting for a long time, and despite not being a player of the game, Tinkerbell especially piqued my interest. Obviously, all the Disney NPCs have their own homes to go to, but where does a little Fairy go? What does her house look like, and is this a hint at a possible inclusion of Pixie Hollow? When I asked this, again, they were incredibly vague, but they said they would love to do it in the future.

Overall, experiencing the newest expansion pack for Disney Dreamlight Valley was a blast. Racing around colourful landscapes on your trusty steed tickled my horse girl fantasy and seems to be an innovative way of managing your farm. Whilst I’m intrigued to see the range of horses we will get, for now, it all seems magical!

For more information on the behind-the-scenes choices that went into Wishblossom Ranch, check out our interview with their Creative Director coming soon!

For all things Disney Dreamlight Valley, stay tuned to GamingTrend!

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