Disney Dreamlight Valley's massive A Rift in Time paid expansion detailed
Arrives in December alongside free multiplayer update and Apple Arcade release.
With Disney Dreamlight Valley's early access exit right around the corner, developer Gameloft has detailed some of the new features it'll be getting as part of its full release on 5th December and beyond - including a first look at its free multiplayer mode and the recently announced A Rift in Time paid story expansion.
Starting with the free stuff, Dreamlight Valley's next content update launches 5th December to coincide with its full release, bringing the "biggest amount of fixes and improvements so far", alongside the addition of The Nightmare Before Christmas' Jack Skellington as a new villager with his own friendship quests and rewards.
More significantly, it'll introduce the multiplayer ValleyVerse feature, enabling friends to visit each other's villages - where, alongside the usual activities, they'll be able exchange items, visit Scrooge McDuck's store (to take advantage of different stock), and more. Gameloft says it'll be building on this initial multiplayer offering over time.
5th November also brings a new paid Star Path - unlocking winter rewards as well as seasonally appropriate "iconic Disney princess looks" - and Disney Dreamlight Valley's first paid expansion, A Rift in Time.
Based on today's reveal, this adds a significant chunk of new content to the already substantial base game (which is just as well considering the expansion costs $29.99), starting with a brand new map, known as the Eternity Isle. This, which is said to be roughly the same size as the base game map, will have a greater focus on verticality and secrets, and introduces three new biomes: there's the port town of Ancients Landing, which backs onto mysterious temple ruins, plus the desert-themed Glittering Dunes and the Wild Tangle jungle biome.
Each biome includes new foliage and features - all new assets are compatible with the game's landscaping tools across both maps - as well as new animals for taming (specifically capybaras, monkeys, and cobra snakes), as well as new cooking ingredients. These include strawberries, fantasy figs, and cinnamon, and can be used in a range of new recipes, such as biryani, poutine, and arepas.
Alongside all the above, A Rift in Time introduces the Hourglass tool - which can, among other things, sense and release hidden treasure lost in time - plus a new board-game-style mini-game to play with villagers. It also brings Ancient Machines capable of automating certain frequent gameplay tasks - including an auto-cooker that can cook multiple items of a dish without player input - and three new villagers: Beauty and the Beast's Gaston, WALL-E's EVE, and Tangled's Rapunzel. Each can move into the base game map and comes with furniture items, friendship quests, and associated rewards.
And we're still not quite done; The Eternity Isle also brings a new story (the complete, and surprisingly lengthy Forgotten arc is included in the base game) focusing on Aladdin villain Jafar's disastrous experiments with ancient artefacts capable of controlling space and time. The story will be split across three chapters - the first arriving at launch and the latter two due in spring and summer 2024 - but it looks like all the expansion features detailed above will be included with Chapter 1 on 5th December. A roadmap flashed up during Gameloft's showcase did, however, suggest a "very lucky villager" will be arriving as part of Chapter 2.
On the subject of 2024, and back in the world of free updates, Gameloft has confirmed Monster Inc's Sulley and Mike will be arriving (along with a new Realm) at the start of next year in "late winter". It's also teased a "vibrant new villager" arriving in early spring (almost certainly Daisy Duck going by the accompanying image), and a new Realm for late spring which appears to be themed around Mulan. And finally, Tiana from The Princess and the Frog arrives next summer. A new paid Star Path will accompany each update.
More news! Gameloft has announced a special Arcade Edition of Disney Dreamlight Valley is coming to iOS via Apple's Apple Arcade subsription service on 5th December. This includes the base game and expansion, but jettisons all monetisation - meaning no weekly premium store update or Star Path challenges. All free updates will come to the iOS version, however. And finally, the game's really rather wonderful (for fellow Disney nerds, at least) soundtrack launches on music streaming services today.
And that's everything. Disney Dreamlight Valley exits early access on 5th December and will for available for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PS4, Switch, PC, and iOS. Notably, as recently confirmed, the full release will no longer be free-to-play, although the premium store and season-pass-style Star Path will remain. All existing Founders Edition owners will be given 2,500 Moonstones and a selection of cosmetics on launch day.