Looking for a detailed comparison between Dreamlight Valley and Animal Crossing? Check out this article and see the difference between the two games!

Intro

This is the best time to get into the life simulation genre as many new and creative games are being released, such as Animal Crossing and Dreamlight Valley. As life around us gets more stressful and hectic, there is a calm that playing such games brings with them and leaves you relaxed.

Animal Crossing and Disney Dreamlight valley are two of the most charming games of this genre. We have put both games against each other to determine which is right for you and which has the lead, so keep reading!

It is to be noted that Animal Crossing was released two years ago and has received significant updates, whereas Dreamlight Valley is in early access. It is just the beginning of our journey with Dreamlight Valley, but there is still a lot to unpack.

Let us get into the details of both games and start comparing:

Disney Dreamlight Valley VS Animal Crossing New Horizons

Following are some of the features that set both games apart from each other:

Graphics

Both Disney Dreamlight Valley and Animal Crossing New Horizons have a cute animated, cartoonish style, but there are some differences. Firstly, things in Disney Dreamlight Valley are more realistically proportioned.

The characters from Disney and Pixar movies appear in the game just as they did in the movies because the game’s art style fits them perfectly. On the other hand, the visuals of Animal Crossing are heavily styled and iconic.

The characters in Animal Crossing have big heads, short limbs, and rounded joints for a chibi appearance, making them look more cartoonish than real. Secondly, the settings of these games are very different from each other too.

Disney Dreamlight Valley has various biomes, such as a Moana-inspired Beach called Peaceful Meadow or a Frozen-inspired Tundra called Forest of Valor. This is compared to the game Animal Crossing which consists of only one main island.

However, the island changes with the seasons, whereas Dreamlight Valley’s areas remain the same. Perspective-wise, Animal Crossing is played mostly top-down, so you see the action from a high angle.

The camera doesn’t budge as your island has a “rolling-log” style effect where things at the edge of your view begin to sink below the horizon as you walk away. Due to this reason, Animal Crossing players can only see the buildings from the front and the side.

Disney Dreamlight Valley, however, consists of a more immersive and traditional camera experience, where players can freely rotate the camera around to get a good view of the valley.

RolePlay

Animal Crossing usually gets to the point by letting players build a new town without much of a storyline to hold them down. This is acceptable for folks who want to quickly get started with the game, but Dreamlight Valley has a different approach.

It has a considerably more detailed role-playing design which many players enjoy. This narrative-based approach will have you follow a long and winding questline to solve the mystery of The Forgetting – an event that caused all Disney characters to lose their memories.

Dreamlight Valley has plenty of freeform crafting, town-building, and laid-back events that one can partake in while playing the game. Moreover, there are numerous fun and exciting quests to complete along the way to figure out who is behind The Forgetting.

As you move further in the story, you will unlock new mechanics, skills, and more that will help you make your dream town, all while expanding your friendships with each of the Disney characters who have joined the valley.

Convenience and Efficiency

Since its release, Animal Crossing has long been the most popular life simulation game and whether Dreamlight Valley will make a similar mark is yet to be seen. However, Animal Crossing has one huge problem that even most diehard fans will have to admit.

The problem is that performing many tasks in the game can be immensely time-consuming and inefficient for no real reason at all. For example, crafting has to be done one item at a time with needlessly long animations and pointless dialogue, while moving homes and structures can take days of work after spending tons of money.

All of this is before factoring in the frustration of replacing broken tools often. Whereas, even in its early access state, Dreamlight Valley is already a considerably more efficient experience.

You can craft as many items as you want at one time since crafting is an extremely fast and straightforward affair. Moreover, every structure, plant, or piece of furniture can be moved at any time to nearly anywhere without spending any money.

As for tools, they never break in Dreamlight Valley; however, you can upgrade them, which means you can dig, fish, and mine all you would like.

Dreamlight Valley Is A Free-To-Play Game

Another crucial difference between the two games is the platforms that they can be accessed through. Animal Crossing New Horizons is available only on Nintendo Switch, while Dreamlight Valley is available on Switch, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PC, and PlayStation 4/5.

Furthermore, Disney Dreamlight Valley is a free-to-play game, or at least it will be once it fully releases in 2023. It will then be entirely free to download and play on every platform. Disney Dreamlight Valley has some monetization as a free-to-play game, but so far, it doesn’t seem to be particularly invasive.

A timed Battle Pass system known as the Star Path allows you to unlock various Disney-themed items and cosmetics, and an upcoming in-game store will offer similar options.

Things are looking good for those players who want to play for free since Developer Gameloft has promised there will be no paywalls or pay-to-win items in Disney Dreamlight Valley.