Disney Dreamlight Valley Wishblossom Ranch Expansion: Is it worth it?

Disney Dreamlight Valley’s third paid expansion introduces horses, one of the most in-demand features since the cozy game released back in 2022. But are the four-legged friends worth the $30 entry fee?

Just like the two previous expansions, A Rift In Time and Storybook Vale, Wishblossom Ranch builds on the success of DDV’s base game, adding multiple horses, four new villagers (Cruella, Tinker Bell, Tigger, and Snow White), a new story, and a brand new world to explore, complete with all the recipes, crafting, and items that bring the Ranch to life.

It’s this exciting, new content that allows Wishblossom Ranch to set the standard for every future expansion, despite a few hiccups along the way.

Screenshots

Horsing around

Horses are the beating heart of the expansion, complete with the ability to customize your own mount and unlock some beloved horse companions like Mulan’s Khan, Hercules’ Pegasus, Tangled’s Maximus, and Frozen’s very-much-not-a-horse Sven. This creates a unique and refreshing new gameplay loop, which, after three years, is exactly what the game needs.

When you’re riding across the beautifully simple map (much better than A Rift in Time’s labyrinth design) or brushing, feeding, and petting your new companions, these horses (and one reindeer) give the impression of a hugely upgraded expansion. Riding on your horse is far quicker than running (you’d hope so – Ed), and completely changes how you traverse the regions.

Dexerto / Gameloft

It also wouldn’t be DDV without the occasional grind. Now it’s not as bad as we’ve seen in Storybook Vale, where days of resource farming were required, but you still find yourself having to spend a similar amount of time increasing your bond with a horse. That or hours of running along haybales while you question your life choices. 

Forcing players to level up a horse for the majority of a quest felt frustrating. An additional handful of ‘feed this critter’ or ‘build this blueprint’ would have been a perfect way to avoid that.

Despite this, these four-legged friends are arguably the best additions DDV has ever had, and while it does take a while to level them up, riding around the beautiful world while making my own obstacle course to increase their bond is so much better than grabbing 100 clay for that Minnie quest.

Familiar tail

The Ranch still has some of the same shortcomings from previous expansions, which hold it back from Disney perfection. Playing through the main story is always enjoyable when you’re on the horse, and it’s got a nice, simple plot, which you want from a relaxing game. However, unlike the best Disney movies, it lacks emotion, and it is predictable.

This does prevent you from losing yourself in its world, something the best cozy games like Firewatch or Spiritfarer do perfectly. While it’s nice to meet the new characters, Wishblossom Ranch’s main story is weaker than A Rift in Time and Storybook Vale.

Dexerto / Gameloft

Thankfully, Wishblossom Ranch, being only one act – as opposed to the two-act structure seen in the previous expansions – isn’t actually a bad thing, as it makes the expansion easier to digest, and while the story isn’t very strong, at least it hasn’t been padded out to fit two chapters. In fact, if DDV’s devs learn anything from Wishblossom Ranch, it’s that this new one-act structure should be the standard template from hereon.

Ultimately, though, this expansion is all about the horses rather than the plot, and riding around on them is always fun. It’s hard to imagine walking everywhere again.

Verdict

Wishblossom Ranch is the best Disney Dreamlight Valley expansion to date. The introduction of horses and the beautiful world make this worth the entry price alone. If the story were better, we’d be looking at full marks, but it’s hard to think of a single Disney fan who wouldn’t enjoy riding these magnificent beasts.

Whether you’re looking for something new in your DDV world or are thinking of diving in now that they’ve added horses, you are guaranteed a good time.