Of all the indie game success stories, few have resonated quite as loud as Stardew Valley. The farming and life simulation game was originally the work of one man, Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, and it became a breakout success that has continued to receive content since launching in 2016. Barone has teased new games in the past, and today he confirmed one of those projects as officially in development: Haunted Chocolatier.
The upcoming title's pixel art style and apparent relationship dynamics should be instantly recognizable to Stardew Valley fans, but with a number of twists. For instance, there appear to be branching dialogue choices in everyday conversations and deeper combat mechanics with new weapons like bows. However, the biggest difference is undoubtedly the game's overarching focus. Instead of moving to Pelican Town to become a farmer, players will instead move somewhere with the intent of becoming a chocolatier; running their shop out of a haunted mansion.
What ConcernedApe Has Confirmed About Haunted Chocolatier
After surprise launching the trailer for Haunted Chocolatier on YouTube, Barone revealed a website for the game with a blog post from October 8 and an FAQ section detailing basic information. He says the game has been in development since 2020, and isn't the only project he's working on - though it's the most likely to be finished first. Haunted Chocolatier is currently a single-player title with no plans for multiplayer, and while Barone does not want to commit to a release date or say whether it exists in the same world as Stardew Valley, he does hope to bring it to PC and "other major platforms."
While he says the gameplay is similar to Stardew in some ways, it is more of an action-RPG centered around a loop of gathering rare ingredients (apparently from other lands accessed through Super Mario 64-styled portals), making chocolate, and then running a shop to sell it. According to Barone, 10 years of working on Stardew Valley has made him confident in his abilities, and Haunted Chocolatier will explore more fantastical, extraordinary settings and themes than Stardew's more "humble" focus. Even so, he emphasizes that the game will be "positive, uplifting and life-affirming," channeling the energy of the Moon instead of the Sun.
Haunted Chocolatier's Shop Management Elevates Stardew Valley Mechanics
It's hard to say for sure what all of Haunted Chocolatier's mechanics will look like, as Barone said it is "evolving organically" and he doesn't want to be tied down to any particular concept. However, the "meat and potatoes" in the vertical slice Barone presents through this reveal trailer is compelling. A larger focus on combat should appeal to fans of Stardew Valley's mines who wanted to see more involved than just swinging swords and dropping bombs.
More importantly, that combat serves a greater purpose: helping players gather ingredients so they can produce higher-quality products. There's no shortage of "shop management" games out there, in fact one could draw parallels to specific games like Digital Sun's Moonlighter - in which players gather weapons from dungeons that they can go back and sell at their shop.
What makes Haunted Chocolatier stand out right off the bat is its connections with Barone's last game, both visually and mechanically. There appears to be much deeper systems in place for customizing one's chocolate shop to build upon basic home and farm decorating in Stardew Valley, which also gives added value to the currency needed to build said decor. Boo-like ghostly assistants also help players run their shop, reminiscent of the Junimos, likely as they explore the surrounding town and talk with NPCs.
Ultimately, Barone says he just wants to "make a fun game," and he believes more exciting details will be incorporated as he keeps on with development. In fact, he feels Haunted Chocolatier will let him be more "unleashed" than when he was primarily working within the constraints of the farming sim genre for Stardew Valley. That should be exciting for fans of Barone and management games alike, as something very unique and fun may very well be on the horizon.
Haunted Chocolatier is currently in development.