Disney Dreamlight Valley Needs A Kingdom Hearts Star Path

Summary

• Star Paths in Disney Dreamlight Valley offer collectibles and seasonal items to create a magical atmosphere in the game.
• Dreamlight Valley brings a sense of nostalgia and innocence, with the potential for a Kingdom Hearts collaboration to capture childhood memories.
• It's the perfect way to tide over Kingdom Hearts fans while waiting for the next installment in the series.

Star Paths are the bread and butter of Disney Dreamlight Valley. I’ll admit that I abandon the villagers in-game every few weeks, but I come back to check what’s new, say a few hellos, and pick up new collectibles every update.

The Dreamlight Parks Fest event ties into the Day at Disney Star Path so perfectly, combining event duties with park-themed rewards and quests to build your own Disney Park, that I don't see why we shouldn’t have a Kingdom Hearts themed event in the future. I mean, just imagine it!

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While news has been quiet this year for the Kingdom Hearts community – with the only real updates being about the second round of Missing Link’s closed beta testing – a Star Path in Dreamlight Valley could tide us over. Characters like Mickey, Donald, and Goofy already have various outfits you can unlock, and it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to add their Kingdom Hearts ensembles along with guest characters like Sora, Riku, and Kairi.

Kingdom Hearts is developed by Square Enix, but the Disney cast and original characters are owned by Disney.

Star Paths feature furniture, outfits, and motifs inspired by the seasonal theme, and I’ve spent too much time trying to obtain everything in case one day I want to use them all. Gameloft could add Sora’s outfit, the iconic Kingdom Hearts logo and crown as motifs, and a displayable Keyblade or two into the mix for starters. I could dream up a dozen other ideas for Star Path rewards, but the real appeal is in the potential character interactions.

Disney Dreamlight Valley focuses on reconnecting to your inner child and building wholesome relationships with the villagers. Sora is known for his naivety and innocence, always seeing the good before the bad. In a village where heroes and villains live in harmony, I can think of no better addition to the valley if Gameloft were to branch out beyond traditional Disney IPs.

We’ve seen it already with the addition of Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit. His appearance in the Epic Mickey franchise solidified his place as a beloved Disney character, and Sora deserves the same treatment. There’s no reason that Dreamlight Valley can’t be yet another world that all characters go to — and I’m sure Tetsuya Nomura could find some way to make Sora’s appearance canon.

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Night Thorns aren’t so different from the darkness in Kingdom Hearts. There’s no reason for why Mickey can’t recall events from the games or Goofy doesn’t tell stories about his adventures. Donald already exaggerates about his feats during most quests, so a few tall tales from his journeys to other worlds isn’t unexpected.

Dreamlight Valley acknowledges the Here and There as a separate world and Vanellope von Schweetz confirms the simultaneous existence of the Valleyverse — an interconnected network of all players’ valleys. It sounds an awful lot like how Kingdom Hearts handles different worlds across its canon, and the franchise is no stranger to crossovers.

More unconventional collaborations have happened in gaming history. While some argue that crossovers need to make sense, that’s not always the case. I never expected to place bets on whether Isabelle from Animal Crossing could best Sephiroth in a fight, but here we are with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. Disney Dreamlight Valley is in the position to walk the line between bizarre and beautiful.

My love for Disney is only beaten by my love for Kingdom Hearts. The sheer number of hours I spent drawing the characters, designing alternate looks, and discussing theories throughout my childhood is hard to fathom. Disney Dreamlight Valley currently lacks any references to Kingdom Hearts, and it’s my only real complaint about the game. Missing such a significant part of my childhood in a game about reconnecting with it feels criminal.

I’m not saying that Gameloft has to drop everything to focus on Kingdom Hearts events, but it’s something to consider in the future.

A series of quests could explain why Sora is or isn’t present in the game, depending on how far Gameloft takes things. Regardless, the rewards from a Star Path are often enough to draw in a crowd and inspire valley rulers to post their custom designs and village layouts online. It would be a missed opportunity to glance over the inclusion of Kingdom Hearts in Dreamlight Valley.

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