Animal Crossing is one of the most popular life sims around The hit island builder has sold over 37.62 million copies worldwide and is still going strong to this day. Disney Dreamlight Valley is currently being viewed as something of an Animal Crossing clone ("Animal Crossing With New Paint," as one site uncharitably called it). But that couldn't be more of an over-simplification. Dreamlight Valley has its own mechanics, its own features, and as somebody who has put countless hours into both games I'd even say that Dreamlight Valley improves upon Animal Crossing in some important ways.
Dreamlight Valley has more of a narrative for a start. The Animal Crossing series has never been renowned for its storytelling. There isn't a point in Animal Crossing that lets you know you beat the game. It just goes on indefinitely, or at least until you get bored with it. In Dreamlight Valley, not only do we have that, but multiple goals and missions as well. You’re tasked with cleaning up the valley from a scourge called “The Forgetting,” which is causing several Disney characters to forget their memories. The stakes are way higher.
Each quest keeps you involved in restoring the valley to its former glory, whether it’s a fetch quest, helping a character out, or clearing out "The Forgetting" in an area. In Animal Crossing, ultimately you decide what to do. Early on you’re told how to get started, but after that, you’re on your own. Some may enjoy that freedom, but I'm one of those people who need a good story to keep me moving.
Unlike Animal Crossing, Dreamlight Valley has multiple biomes and locations for you to visit. Each location looks distinct from the others as they're themed after certain Disney characters. The biomes themselves are visually breathtaking. For example, you have Dazzle Beach overflowing with palm trees, aquatic life, and a vast blue ocean as far as the eye can see. In contrast, you have the swampy region Glade of Trust, which has a more eerie atmosphere packed with floating rock formations and weird flora like reeds, purple mushrooms, and water lilies that emanate luminescent purple light over the area.
As you progress further into the story, you’ll be able to not only move your house into your favorite biome, but can bring your favorite characters with you as well. Personally, I prefer the Peaceful Meadow as it's filled with glowing flowers, has a beautiful starry night sky, and is surrounded by buildings that illuminate the world from a distance (really brings out the Disney Princess in me).
Animal Crossing has seen its fair share of cute and wholesome residents over the years. Unfortunately, residents in Animal Crossing are more props than anything. Once they move in, there isn’t really much more that you can do with them. They give you the same one-liners and go about their business (which is wondering aimlessly for eternity). In contrast, Dreamlight Valley makes it easy to build connections with residents. Most of us have either grown up with them, adored their movies, or even uncontrollably started singing their songs on public transport, hoping that one day everyone else joins in (I'm still waiting for that day).
Each character has their own quest and story that you can complete for not only rewards, but to build a bond with them as well. The rewards can range from cosmetics based on their world, items for your house, food, and so much more. You actually have a purpose to interact with those around you instead of just leaving them unattended.
In Animal Crossing, time follows your system clock, which means you have to wait so long for anything to progress. If you upgrade your house, have a resident move in, or need to complete a task at a different time of day, you'll have to wait for hours, sometimes even days, to get it done.
You don’t need to do all that waiting in Dreamlight Valley. Everything built doesn't take long to finish, and if you ever want to remodel your town and move some buildings or decorations around you can do so instantly. Unlike in Animal Crossing, you don't have to wait a whole day after you move something for it to be built. Plus, you can have multiple buildings built at the same time.
Another big thing to mention is that Disney Dreamlight Valley is a free-to-play game, of the sort that you can completely play through the whole game without spending a single dime. The only microtransactions are cosmetic, and you don't need to pay to progress farther in the game. If you want something, you'll have to earn it. The game is in early access and set to fully release in 2023.
Disney Dreamlight Valley does more than enough to stand in its own light, even overshadowing its life sim rival in some areas.