While Stardew Valley continues to enjoy huge success, details about Eric Barone's next project have finally been revealed. Barone, known by his alias ConcernedApe, is taking his new game in a different and spookier direction, while keeping some of the best elements of Stardew Valley. Instead of farming, Haunted Chocolatier will have players owning a chocolate shop in a haunted mansion, and like Stardew Valley, resource gathering will be a major component.
While combat was a big part of Stardew Valley, it was far from the focus of the game. Haunted Chocolatier, however, will definitely focus a lot more on combat and with its spooky theme, players can expect to battle all sorts of monsters. While farming sims remain popular as a genre, Haunted Mansion will offer the same escapist calm that farming sims offer, but have a much more fantastical and magical atmosphere. From the gameplay footage revealed so far, it appears that Barone has taken the already strong combat mechanics from Stardew, and combined them with his mastery of effectively utilizing gaming nostalgia to create this exciting action-adventure RPG.
Combat Improvements From Stardew Valley
While the gameplay trailer showed off a variety of interesting mechanics in Haunted Chocolatier, many of them will feel familiar to Stardew Valley fans. In particular though, the combat shown in the trailer is similar to the combat system in Stardew Valley's mines. The curious slime creatures that players can grow and farm in Stardew return, along with plant creatures that pop out of the ground.
Blocking and shielding appear to be much more important mechanics in Haunted Chocolatier though, as well as ranged attacks with the new bow weapons. The UI is similarly changed from Stardew Valley to reflect the greater emphasis on combat, with a larger health bar and a quick inventory display of a short-range weapon, shield, and long-range weapon.
Players will be able to explore the town around the haunted mansion that houses their chocolate shop, and there will also be Super Mario 64-style portals to other worlds/locations. The influence of early action adventures and RPGs is clear, further emphasizing the dominance of nostalgia-driven games in the indie industry.
Continually, games like Haunted Chocolatier prove a strong audience for games that try to capture the nostalgic ideal of a magical joy in the simplicity of early games. While the full range of enemies and weapons in Haunted Chocolatier has yet to be revealed, the atmosphere suggests fans can expect the same charming gameplay experience as Stardew Valley.
Combat and Resources in Haunted Chocolatier
While farming was undoubtedly essential in gathering necessary resources in Stardew Valley, combat also offers opportunities to gather rare and exotic items. In Haunted Chocolatier, combat will be the main way players gather items. The range and use of these items are sure to include the mystical and supernatural, but simple resources like fruit will also return. To survive the mines in Stardew Valley, eating food along the way was an important factor to success. Since Haunted Chocolatier is more combat-focused, health-boosting foods are sure to play a huge role in gameplay, as well as being important ingredients in chocolate products for the shop.
Ghosts, chocolate, and combat-heavy gameplay may not be exactly what was expected of ConcernedApe after Stardew Valley, but now that Haunted Chocolatier has been revealed, the marriage of these elements in a picturesque Stardew-esque setting makes total sense. The resoundingly popular relationship mechanics of Stardew Valley will ensure that although the gameplay is combat-heavy, Haunted Chocolatier will be another relaxing, escapist gaming experience.
Haunted Chocolatier is in development.