Much of the charm in Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone's Stardew Valley is its simple premise that leads to an engrossing gameplay loop: Players move to the countryside and start a farm while they get to know the community. While someone could spend all their time growing strawberries and wooing potential partners, there's a lot of fantasty worldbuilding just under the surface that makes Stardew Valley unique. The indie developer's next project, Haunted Chocolatier, seems to be making fantasy elements more explicit.
In Haunted Chocolatier's announcement blog post from October 2021, Barone said he intends to contrast the "humble" experience of Stardew Valley that channeled the "energy of the sun" with a title that channels the energy of the moon. It will still be "positive, uplifting, and life-affirming," even if its focus on ghosts in a haunted castle could have been perceived as something "evil." These ghosts will help players run a chocolate shop, and Barone says he wants surprises left to be discovered by players. An interesting development for fans to find upon release could be the presence of more supernatural creatures who help operate the player's business.
Fantasy Elements in Stardew Valley, Haunted Chocolatier
Most of Pelican Town's inhabitants in Stardew Valley are human, but there are plenty of fantasy creatures around the region. Players' first taste of this is through the Wizard, who helps them understand the forest spirit Junimos that fix up the town's Community Center. More traditional storybook fare like mermaids, dwarves, elves, fairies, and goblins also either appear directly or are referenced by certain characters. One of the more prominent fantastical characters is Krobus, a shadow person who can move in with the player given enough attention and gifts.
The reveal trailer for Haunted Chocolatier depicts its snowy town as being primarily populated by humans, with the haunted castle's ghosts serving as store clerks. Yet a greater variety of creatures do appear in combat encounters. Monsters like slimes, skeletons, and even ghosts are among the denizens of The Mines, Skull Cavern, and Volcano Dungeon in Stardew Valley. In Haunted Chocolatier's reveal trailer and screenshots, the player is shown battling slimes, fiery humanoids, and monsters reminiscent of Zelda's Deku Scrubs.
Haunted Chocolatier appears to explain the separation between a more human environment and monster haven through portals reminiscent of Super Mario 64. To find ingredients for chocolate, the player has to harvest plant life while battling monsters in far-off lands. However, more of these supernatural elements could also be incorporated in the store management side of the game than were involved in Stardew Valley's farming.
How the Supernatural Could be Incorporated in Haunted Chocolatier
Perhaps the most obvious way to include more supernatural entities in Haunted Chocolatier is letting players decide what kind of monsters they want to run their chocolate shop. While the game's title and premise clearly revolve around ghosts, more creatures associated with haunted houses could be discovered over time. Zombies, vampire bats, chimeric Frankenstein's monsters, mummies, and others could serve different roles and have their own unique benefits, all helping keep their haunted home financially stable.
A more diverse assortment of fantasy creatures could also contribute to the romance system that was built into Stardew Valley. Every true bachelor and bachelorette in that game was human, despite there being interesting, less-human characters like Casino owner Mr. Qi. Haunted Chocolatier could go further, even if it stays in the safer supernatural realm of vampires and werewolves that would present as human more often than not. Regardless of how things shake out, Barone says he feels "more confident than ever" in bringing ideas to life after 10 years on Stardew Valley, so this follow-up should reflect his willingness to truly embrace the bizarre and supernatural.
Haunted Chocolatier is currently in development.