Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, aka the one-person creator of hit farming indie game Stardew Valley, has announced his next game: ConcernedApe’s Haunted Chocolatier. The only confirmed platform so far is PC.
“With my next game, I wanted to explore more fantastical possibilities… experiences that take you beyond the ordinary. That’s where magical haunted ghost chocolate comes in,” writes Barone in the news post. “I intend for this game to be positive, uplifting and life-affirming. However, if Stardew Valley mostly channeled the energy of the sun, Haunted Chocolatier channels the energy of the moon. Both are vital. More important than all that, I just want to make a fun game.”
The game very much looks like Stardew Valley’s beloved, detailed pixel art, but don’t mistake it for another farming sim. Haunted Chocolatier is in active development, and many gameplay features may change significantly. The core gameplay is about gathering ingredients to make chocolate and selling them at the store, which is inhabited by friendly ghosts.
Gathering ingredients isn’t all peaceful, as the trailer showcases the simple but effective combat from Stardew. Perhaps the combination of battling, gathering, and selling will be bit like 2018’s Moonlighter? The FAQ states that Haunted Chocolatier is more of an action-RPG than Stardew, though it’s also a town game with characters to befriend (and hopefully romance).
ConcernedApe emphasizes that the game is still very early in development, and that the content in the trailer is created from a vertical slice. Stardew Valley took five years to create. Hopefully we won’t have to wait that long for the Haunted Chocolatier.
