This past week has been an eventful one for fans of Stardew Valley. This past week the beloved game’s developer, ConcernedApe, took to Twitter to release new teaser footage of his up-and-coming game Haunted Chocolatier. The game was first announced to be in development at the beginning of October, with the launch of a website for the game. For this game, ConcernedApe stated that he wanted to “explore fantastical possibilities.” The game is described to differ in Stardew’s quaint gameplay, focusing more on adventure and combat mechanics. The player will be a chocolatier at a chocolate store in a small, spooky town. New NPCs will be brought to the game, though the mechanic of gift-giving and romance seems to be still in place.
The view shots of gameplay showcased above brings back the loved Stardew style as well as several known monsters from the game. This could indicate that Haunted Chocolatier could be occurring within the same world as Stardew Valley.
Although not much gameplay is showcased, enough is shown to give players a feel of the game. Already the location and interior of buildings gives off a more rustic, spooky vibe than that of Stardew. The town’s streets are always overcast and the interior always has dark woods and deep-colored wallpapers. A clip from the beginning of the video shows the player waking up within the Chocolate store and attempting to make chocolate. They receive a message that tells them they lack ingredients, prompting the player-character to delve into the unknown. This could indicate the game could have a large foraging component, perhaps that being the focal point of the game. A chocolatier that delves into the spooky wilderness to forage for rare ingredients? Sounds likely. Speculation aside, fans are already clamoring for the game, trending the game’s name on Twitter following the developer’s announcement.
Art has been drawn and theories have been made. Now we all have to wait for that darn game to be made!
Haunted Chocolatier does not yet have an expected release date.