Haunted Chocolatier is the latest project by Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, creator of the massive indie hit, Stardew Valley. When the trailer for Haunted Chocolatier dropped back in October, fans were quick to draw comparisons to ConcernedApe's first project, owing to the remarkably similar visual style with assets being drawn from Stardew Valley for use in Haunted Chocolatier. There's also the fact that the premise for the gameplay of Haunted Chocolatier seems to be more or less a continuation of Stardew Valley, except with players taking control of, unsurprisingly, a chocolatier in a rural village who resides in a haunted house.
Though the initial trailer didn't give fans a ton to go off of, subsequent comments made by ConcernedApe have offered a glimpse into the differences between Stardew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier. For now, it appears that Haunted Chocolatier will be a slight departure from the Harvest Moon-inspired farming simulation of Stardew Valley and will instead encourage players to engage in a greater degree of combat to gather ingredients for a shop management style of gameplay. While introducing new gameplay should satisfy both new and inveterate fans alike, there are a few features, like Stardew Valley's mysteries and Easter eggs, that should remain a staple in its spiritual successor, Haunted Chocolatier.
Haunted Chocolatier is the Perfect Setting for Mysteries
Even though Stardew Valley is sprinkled with its fair share of horror and fantasy flavor, Haunted Chocolatier has the opportunity to lean more aggressively into both categories. Since the core of the gameplay will take place in a haunted mansion, with ghosts acting as employees, ConcernedApe's latest project is, right off the bat, has the potential for a much more fantastical take than Stardew Valley. It's the type of setting that seems to be begging for a Clue-style murder mystery, but there are plenty of games that Haunted Chocolatier could draw inspiration from such as Luigi's Mansion which could lend the game a more light-hearted horror approach.
ConcernedApe also appears to be pulling more inspiration from Super Mario 64 by outfitting the eponymous chocolatier with portals that will transport the player to different locations. Through the use of these portals, Haunted Chocolatier has essentially limitless potential for hidden Easter eggs and secrets. While Stardew Valley was structured around, and in a sense bound by the town, Haunted Chocolatier could force players into unfamiliar locations to face challenges and uncover secrets that simply weren't possible in Stardew Valley.
The Practical Argument for Including More Mysteries
While the mysteries of Stardew Valley are certainly interesting and add nuance to the game, they serve an equally important practical purpose. Despite releasing over five years ago, there are still secrets in Stardew Valley that remain unsolved to this day. In an effort to solve the mysteries of Stardew Valley, players have poured countless hours into exploring the game in depth. From a purely functional standpoint, mysteries can be an effective, relatively simple way to drive engagement in the game. For the mysteries that are tied to low percent occurrences, like the Strange Capsule's shadowy figure—that only has a 1% chance of appearing—it's also a great way to encourage the community to share their findings with one another and promote the game further.
Perhaps an even more compelling reason to add more mysteries to the game is to break up the monotony that is baked into farming simulators or store management games. While Stardew Valley is one of the most successful examples of the genre at keeping its gameplay feeling fresh, even the most die-hard players will inevitably want to change things up now and again. The option to try and solve one of the many unsolved mysteries, or just the knowledge that one of Stardew Valley's rarest random events could occur at any time, is a surefire way to keep players feeling engaged.
Haunted Chocolatier is currently in development.