Over a year after Beauty and the Beast's Belle first starting popping up in promotional images for developer Gameloft's Disney Dreamlight Valley, the avid book-reader, Gaston-snubber, and dinner-enjoyer will be joining the village sim today, 13th September.

Belle will be accompanied by her furry boyfriend Beast, and both will be introduced though a new Realm adventure set in the Beast's castle, with new Friendship Quests and items becoming available once the pair move village-ward.

Additionally, players who've been progressing through Dreamlight Valley's overarching story will be able to settle The Forgotten into the Valley over a series of quests, and - good news for the completionists out there (hello, it's me) - the spooky candy event is back from 24th October to 1st November, meaning you can tidy up any seasonal Dreamlight Duties you missed last year.

Disney Dreamlight Valley – Announcement Trailer Belle has been loitering around promotional material since last year.Watch on YouTube

And continuing the spooky theme, today's new Enchanted Adventure update adds a Halloween-inspired Haunted Holiday Star Path featuring various seasonal costumes and decor. That includes the pipe organ from the Disneyland's Haunted Mansion, which - speaking as a Haunted Mansion nerd - makes me way happier than I can reasonably convey.

Other spooky stuff - including "an iconic hill, some Disneyland staples, and much more" - is also promised for the premium store. And if any of those mean I get to use the Haunted Mansion/Phantom Manor exteriors for my house, I may finally be forced to open my wallet in weepy-eyed gratitude (sorry, it's a whole thing).

Need a closer look at the upcoming Star Path? 👀 We've got you covered. pic.twitter.com/AtGPo7YPyh

— Disney Dreamlight Valley (@DisneyDLV) September 10, 2023

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Full patch notes for today's update - which includes various bug fixes - can be found on the Disney Dreamlight Valley website. And that takes us almost to the end of Gameloft's previously released early access development roadmap, implying a version 1.0 mightn't be too far away. Recent unconfirmed store listings have suggested the studio is targeting mid-October for a full launch - despite the likes of a new story chapter, more characters, new frontiers, and multiplayer still due before the end of 2023 - so news on an early accesss departure date could be near.