Wishblossom Ranch: A Game-Changing Expansion for Disney Dreamlight Valley | Review

During the holidays it seems like a good time to jump back into some cozy games, and Disney Dreamlight Valley is giving you a lot of reasons to. 

After years of playing Disney Dreamlight Valley, and my spouse and I finally earning the last grinding trophy this year, it’s safe to say we enjoy the game very much. The game has consistently received new content, including iconic characters, story expansions, and minor cosmetic additions. The developers have been responsive to fan feedback, even with simple gestures like adjusting holiday events and shop items to be more accessible for dedicated players. While all of this has been positive, the game lacked a “true” expansion that introduced new core dynamics—until now.

Wishblossom Ranch made a significant impact immediately by delivering an unprecedented amount of new content for a recent expansion. This substantial update includes vast new areas, new characters for players to interact with, and the highly anticipated ability to ride horses.

This represents a huge, potentially the biggest, change to the game’s core gameplay, which initially led to numerous problems. I deliberately gave the development team time to address these issues before I jumped in with my review. While most of the severe, game-breaking bugs now seem resolved, occasional minor technical glitches still appear. However, it’s encouraging for long-time fans that the team remains highly proactive in responding to reported issues, especially for a game that has been out for several years. Initially I was running into game breaking bugs, bugs that literally halted my progress for some time, but after running it back with recent updates the only bugs I’ve encountered seem to be more aesthetic based than anything. And the team seems proactive in addressing those concerns also. 

Wishblossom Ranch continues with the trend of offering a take on classic Disney lore. This latest update introduces new regions where wishes can be granted, though a mystery has caused the wish magic to disappear. Players must embark on an adventure to solve this riddle and restore the magic. The journey features new characters to welcome into your world, the largest region yet added to the game for exploration, and numerous opportunities to ride iconic horses.

I initially felt this was the ideal chance to connect Disney’s Wish to the game, but that didn’t happen for some reason. Instead, the expansion introduces a polarizing set of characters. Snow White is arguably the most controversial, featuring a high-pitched voice that deviates significantly from the classic original and is likely to be a love-it-or-hate-it addition. (I am on the hate-it side).  My personal favorite, Cruella de Vil, spends the entire expansion ordering the you around and has some really funny remarks along the way. Tigger remains true to his character. However, Tinker Bell is easily one of the most popular new additions and stands out as the winner among this round of new characters by being a useful companion. 

The most significant new feature is the introduction of horses, which bring a new dynamic to the game. These horses function as companions with expanded utility. Notably, they are iconic Disney characters, including Maximus (Tangled), Khan (Mulan), and Pegasus (Hercules). Unfortunately, I was unable to access Sven (Frozen), and I haven’t yet discovered a method to upgrade my edition to acquire him.

The horses in the game are more than just aesthetically pleasing with distinct personalities; each provides unique gameplay mechanics crucial for solving puzzles on your journey. For instance, Maximus can clear large chasms, Khan is capable of kicking down obstacles, and Pegasus allows for flight. You also have the exciting option to adopt and completely personalize your own horse with custom colors and gear. (Mine, by the way, was named Mayoneighs. Yes, I’ll show myself the door now.)

The puzzles, while not excessively difficult, effectively serve as a foundational training experience. This is primarily focused on teaching players how to successfully coordinate multiple horses to achieve objectives. This approach establishes a strong base for future content, suggesting that expansions could introduce more challenging puzzles requiring greater finesse and skill in managing the horses. Through this short campaign though, it’s very much just a demonstration of their skills. 

The expansion’s greatest achievement, however, is solving one of the game’s most frustrating issues: traversal. In the core game I found simply walking through even the most basic areas tedious, and the short bursts of faster travel using all my energy weren’t much better. Consequently, when larger areas were announced, my initial thought was dread. Thankfully, this was not an issue, as the introduction of horses vastly improves movement compared to traveling on foot. The new expansion areas are clearly designed around this feature, allowing their expansive size to match the player’s ability to quickly cross them on horseback.

Interestingly, acquiring the horse prompted a complete island redesign when I was given the ability to bring it back to my original island. Before, the island was a cluttered mess, but now I’ve enjoyed the process of slowly re-engineering it for easy travel. While I still occasionally get stuck and frustrated with the horse, this seems acceptable, as the island was never originally designed to accommodate this feature, unlike the added new regions. 

While the addition of horses addresses one flaw in the game, it ironically exacerbates the most frustrating element: grinding. I appreciate that the game offers lengthy achievements, including a trophy that takes a full year to earn, but the sheer volume of grinding can feel excessive and unrewarding. It’s tasks that were designed for the free to play model, but since the game is now a paid title I don’t see the need to keep doing this. 

I had hoped that a major expansion would introduce new trophies, but none were added. Instead, the expansion introduced additional, tedious grinding quests centered around the horses. Players must first max out their relationship level with specific characters to unlock an ability, which is a mandatory prerequisite to advancing the main story. This gating mechanism, common in the game, demands only time rather than skill, which severely detracts from the overall enjoyment. It feels like a cheap tactic to artificially lengthen playtime instead of offering genuine new content or deeper lore. I would much prefer to see more trophies and substantial lore exploration. Or even more complex puzzles to solve. 

This trend extends to the newly added, vast land. While visually appealing and expansive, these areas currently lack significant depth. The groundwork is promising for future greatness, but the expansion’s content is relatively short compared to past iterations. Once completed, there is little incentive to continue exploring these regions, though hope remains for future expansion.

Wishblossom Ranch stands out as one of the game’s top expansions, largely due to the introduction of horses. This new dynamic significantly alters gameplay and paves the way for potential future content. While Wishblossom is fundamentally a good expansion and hopefully lays the foundation for more, it currently lacks the depth needed to be truly great. Nevertheless, the inclusion of Tinker Bell and Maximus alone justifies the purchase, with the added gameplay mechanics being a significant bonus. It’s clearly paving a path forward, and I’m enjoying the path it’s trending on, but lets just hope more content is on the way soon. 

And if that isn’t enough content for you, the timing of the release was rather interesting as it came out shortly before the most recent free update. This update, free to all players, includes the highly requested Cinderella being added to the game, which honestly blows away Snow White in every way. You also get castle additions, along with winter theme elements for your island. Combining the content of both Wishblossom and the winter update is an incredible experience, and it makes Dreamlight Valley a perfect game to get cozy with over the holidays.