I’m standing on a creaking dock, salt on my lips and a trailer looping on someone’s phone—then it hits me: this expansion isn’t just another map. It’s a shipping manifest full of moments that will change how you play. If you care about characters, toys, and tiny systems that keep you coming back, you’ll want to read every line.
I’ve played through the previews, scoured the patch notes, and tracked community reaction on Steam and Switch forums. I’ll walk you through what The Keepsake Sea adds, why it matters, and how each piece fits into your valley routine. Treat this like a tour from someone who’s already tested the compass.
A gull lands on a weathered post while a vendor ties a new banner to the pier. The Keepsake Sea is an expansion pass that refills the game with content across the board.
Think of the expansion as a treasure chest: it drops new characters, biomes, mechanics, and a handful of finishing touches that change the rhythm of your play sessions. It’s marketed by Gameloft in partnership with Disney, and you’ll find it on the Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, and Epic Games Store. Because this is an add-on you pay for, I’ll call out what actually moves the needle so you can decide if it fits your playstyle.
A child at a kiosk points to a Captain Hook keychain and refuses to let go. This expansion doubles down on nostalgia by adding new faces you’ll either argue with at dinner or invite to your house.
What characters are in The Keepsake Sea?
The DLC brings five new befriending characters and one unusual villager type, plus deluxe extras if you opt for that edition. The roster is:
- Captain Hook (Peter Pan)
- Megara (Hercules)
- Wendy (Peter Pan)
- Milo Thatch (Atlantis: The Lost Empire)
- Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Dory (Finding Nemo) arrives as a hybrid villager—part normal resident, part Notable Companion, similar to how Zero and Pluto function in the base game. If you buy the deluxe version, you also get Sebastian and Flounder from The Little Mermaid as allies.
A boardwalk candy store windowsill is sticky with sugar; tourists keep returning for that smell. You get three new biomes—each with land and undersea sections—that lean into treasure-hunt fantasy and bright, clickable scenery.
The three new regions are:
- Shipwreck Shores — wreckage, salvage, and pirate atmosphere.
- Candy Cove — whimsical, colorful, with confectionery motifs.
- Kingdom area — a more mysterious, regal zone tied to story beats.
A seagull steals a sandwich while you fumble with your camera—tiny moments like that are why critters matter. Each biome ships with its own befriending critter types to collect and place around your Valley.
So far, the previews show Toucans as one new critter. Expect at least two more species across the three biomes; Gameloft typically follows that pattern to give each area its own fauna and crafting materials.
I watched a 30-second clip on Steam showing a player swim under a coral arch, and the comments lit up. The Keepsake Sea introduces major mechanics that reshape exploration and base-building.
- Mermaid form — You transform into a customizable mermaid to swim through underwater zones, pick up ocean items, and enter fishing spots to grab catches without the standard fishing minigame. The mermaid form is a passport through currents that were previously off-limits.
- Pirate Ship — A fully customizable vessel you can pilot. Recruit any Valley villager as crew, decorate the mast and interior, and use the ship to salvage resources from the sea. Your pirate ship becomes a drifting workshop for exploration and resource loops.
- Underwater building — Furnish underwater rooms and set pieces like you would on land, then slot them as explorable, permanent areas in the new biomes.
How does the mermaid form work in The Keepsake Sea?
When you switch into mermaid form you gain continuous swimming controls and a new inventory interaction for ocean items. It skips the fishing minigame at certain spots and lets you grab treasure directly—handy if you prefer exploration over reflexy minigames. Expect UI hints and dedicated controls on console (Switch/PS/Xbox) and PC (Steam/Epic).
Pro tip: test your mermaid’s customization early—some cosmetics alter how you move through certain currents, and players on Steam threads are already comparing builds.
A shop window displays a nautical jacket next to new seasonal pins. Small items matter—this pack adds many of them to expand routine play and decor options.
Other additions include:
- New quests that stretch across the three biomes
- New ingredients and recipes for cooking
- New flowers and landscaping items for aesthetic builds
- New clothing and furniture styles—useful for roleplay and display
Before the expansion launches, the Seafaring Star Path event lines up items that pair nicely with the pack: a Helm Bookshelf for nautical charts, gifts aimed at characters like Wendy or Jack, and tasks like feeding sea turtles. If you participate, you’ll enter the expansion with themed gear already in hand.
I’ve skimmed forums at Moyens I/O and official channels from Gameloft; the community is split between players who want pure cosmetic content and those who expect systemic change. If you’re a collector of stories and small systems, this expansion stacks value by adding multiple hooks into the main loop. If you play to min-max resources, the ship and mermaid systems will change how you farm and explore.
Ready to test the currents yourself, or will you wait to see how other players rig their crews and mermaid builds?