Creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone is best known for being a man who does it all. His massively popular farming simulator,Stardew Valley, which first released in February 2016, was an entirely solo project, with Barone writing the game’s script, building assets, and even composing his own music. Now, as theStardew Valleycreator moves on to his next project,Haunted Chocolatier,he is both sticking to a few belovedStardewtraditions and adding some brand-new gameplay elements.
Haunted Chocolatier,which was announced via a trailer in October 2021, will move away fromStardew Valley’srural setting as the player takes up residence in a city and takes over the titular chocolatier. UnlikeStardew,the game will focus not on farming but on running a business - possibly with the help of some friendly ghosts who can be put to work serving customers delicious chocolate. Players will be able to decorate their chocolate shop, learn new recipes, and assign various tasks to their ghost helpers.
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In previous interviews, ConcernedApe had confirmed thatseveral gameplay elements fromStardew Valleywould be returningtoHaunted Chocolatier,such as the ability to build friendly and romantic relationships with a variety of NPC characters. Now, during a livestream with Reason Studios in which he discussed his music composition, Barone previewed an upcoming track fromHaunted Chocolatierentitled “Bee Boss.” AnotherHaunted Chocolatiertrack was also revealed, entitled “Pristine Snow,” which was a slow, gentle tune commenters on Reddit compared favorably to the music fromThe Legend of Zeldaseries.
The upbeat, buzzy tune “Bee Boss” may indicate the presence of boss battles inHaunted Chocolatier,a feature which was not present inStardew Valley.In a previous blog post, Barone revealed thatHaunted Chocolatierwould focus more heavily on combatand have more RPG-like elements thanStardew Valley.The game’s first trailer showed a player facing off against slime-like enemies using multiple weapons, including a sword for melee and a bow and arrow for long distance combat. A later blog post from ConcernedApe also showed a player running into a bee-like monster, which may in fact be the “Bee Boss” to which the new track was referring.
So far, ConcernedApe has not confirmed a release date forHaunted Chocolatier, although he did state that he was continuing to actively work on the project. It is likely that Barone will self-publish the game, as he recently confirmed thathe had become the sole publisher ofStardew Valleyfollowing an official split with former publishing partner Chucklefish. A 2023 release date is speculated, but some fans suspect a surprise earlier release, as previously happened withStardew Valley’sfree 1.5 content update.
