Disney Dreamlight Valley: Wishblossom Ranch Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch & PC)

It appears that there’s a storm a-brewing in the Valley, kiddo. Although Dreamlight Valley has no shortage of mischievous villains or scheming tyrants of a magical sort, it seems that, at least in Whishblossom Ranch, there is more to the story than meets the eye. A ranch on the cusp of succumbing to a rather bleak climate; a stable of wayward horses and mythical mounts; and a Dalmatian-obsessed crone with an odd namesake who just so happens to have interests that align with your own. Oh, there is a lot happening in the once-idyllic Valley, and Cruella De Vil is merely the frosting on the cake in a rather stacked Snow White-centric ordeal.

If you’re unfamiliar with Disney Dreamlight Valley, then frankly, it’s probably best that you took the time to check out our original review on the acclaimed life and farming sim. Failing that, then you can also check out Thrills & Frills or its subsequent DLC, Dapper Delights & Treasures of Time. If you would much prefer to turn a blind eye to our ever-expanding trove of Dreamlight coverage, then be sure to read on for a “snippet” from the vanilla version of Gameloft’s cult favorite Disney-Pixar sandbox.

In short, Disney Dreamlight Valley is a life simulation game in which you, the curator of sealed portals and Disney characters, take to the titular Valley to return its enchanting boroughs to their former glory. There are crafting recipes, quests lines, Friendships, biomes, cooking ingredients, customization tools, and, as if to illustrate its capacity, hundreds of hours of activities, including fishing, mining, and even dungeon crawling. And again, that’s barely scraping the tip of the iceberg, believe it or not.

Wishblossom Ranch serves as the base game’s latest DLC in the timeline, which includes three new biomes for you to carve through; a wealth of primary and secondary quests to onboard; additional heroes and villains to befriend and conspire against; and, to top it all off, a jam-packed ranch that features a plethora of mounts that range from Pegasus to Maximus, Khan to Sven. And that, really, is what the latest installment in the series is: a steed-centric side story that casts its focus on mounts and, more importantly, the toolkit that allows you to befriend and customize your own steed. There is, of course, a plot that runs adjacent to all of these small additions, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Trouble in Paradise…Again

Credit: Gameloft

Wishblossom Ranch builds its narrative around the titular stables, a once-booming centerpiece for iconic steeds that, in the aftermath of its neglectful past, has transformed into a desolate place where mysterious phenomena—“The Decay”—runs rampant and whittles its roots down to a mere nub. Among all of this mess are several crucial characters: Snow White, and Cruella De Vil. Oh, and you, of course. With all of these enchanting pawns on the board and three biome pieces to unlock, Wishblossom Ranch welcomes you into a relatively short journey through a webbing of Friendship Quests and slick galloping, tyrannical feuds and flourishing creative possibilities.

In a similar fashion as the game’s earlier DLC, the latest chapter invites you to explore a wealth of fresh biomes, accept new chains of quests, and forge useful alliances with heroes and villains across a spectrum of beloved Disney franchises. At the heart of all of this is the DLCs keystone feature—a suite that allows you to acquire your own steed, and ultimately suit it and boot it to appeal to your tastes before embarking on a swift journey through the vast boroughs of the Valley. And yes, you can take your mount into the original areas of the game. Phew.

Although the journey itself here is rather short, it does provide plenty of bang for your buck, with biomes that can be unlocked through questing over currencies, as well as various tailorable assets that can flesh out your play time and keep you plodding along for hours, perhaps even days, depending upon how you choose to tackle quest lines and develop Friendship Levels. Either way, the fact is that, if you’re an avid creator who loves pouring heart and soul into embellishing every nook and cranny of the in-game world, then you won’t find a shortage of things to tweak and decorate here.

More Dreams, More Freedom

Credit: Gameloft

The base game itself remains largely unchanged, bar the slew of general hot fixes and quality-of-life improvements. Excluding all of that, what you have here is a five or six-hour expansion that adds a fresh lick of paint to an existing hub that is already bursting at the seams with content and character arcs, quests and customizable features. It just so happens that this DLC, in particular, allows you the flexibility to explore on horseback and customize your own steed with a ton of in-depth items. There are quests and new arcs, true, but they don’t really compare to the focal point of the game, and that’s its mount-centric approach, naturally.

All in all, Dreamlight Valley is, with all due respect, the same game that released several years back. That said, given the amount of material that has been added since its global debut, it’s also a lot more than a bog-standard one-and-done affair. It seems here, then, that Wishblossom Ranch is simply adding its own branch to an already established oak. At this point in time, however, I’m just curious how much more it can accomplish before the dreams finally fade into a form of static equilibrium. I guess, really, only time will tell on that one.

Verdict

Credit: Gameloft

Wishblossom Ranch adds a fresh lick of paint to an already vibrant and booming life simulation game with a more-ish progression hook and a ton of great customizable features and steed-centric avenues to explore and discover. For the admission price, too, I’d say that it more than warrants the purchase, given that it not only lathers three additional biomes to the Valley, but also a new mode of transportation that allows you the luxury of being able to swiftly gallop through the world and soak up vast new territories on horseback. That, in all honesty, is worth the asking price alone.

If you’re new to the Disney saga and wish to soak up a DLC to enhance your vanilla experience, then I’d say that Wishblossom Ranch has all of the bells and whistles of a well-oiled, beginner-friendly expansion to keep you entwined with the Valley. If, however, you are returning to the world and have mopped up all of the existing content (fat chance, by the way), then you should have every reason to plug into the newest DLC. It’s weighty, enchanting, and as magical as ever. What more could you want from a Disney sandbox?