Disney Dreamlight Valley is not a kid's game. It had me fooled at first, since this is an RPG with no combat, no firearms, and where everyone – yes, even Ursula the Sea Witch – gushes with gratitude when you surprise them with so much as a lump of coal. Obstacles are based around the friendships you make rather than the enemies you kill, and the pervasive message is that most battles can be won not with power, but with empathy.
Despite this child-friendly premise, it always spoke directly to 28-year-old me. The most recent story update finally helped me understand why that is, and unearthed the complexity of much darker themes that had been hinted at all along. Trapped in a state of suspended adolescence, it's only through confronting The Forgotten that you come face to face with a deep part of yourself that few games, let alone a Disney game, dare you to revisit.
