KEY POINTS

  • "Haunted Chocolatier" is the spiritual successor to 2016's "Stardew Valley"
  • Players take on the role of a chocolate maker who runs a haunted chocolate shop
  • The game features many of "Stardew Valley's" gameplay elements like crafting and gathering

Years after releasing the hit indie game “Stardew Valley,” solo dev Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has revealed a trailer for the farming simulator’s first follow-up game, this time featuring a chocolate maker in a big city.

“Haunted Chocolatier” is a sim game in the same spirit as its predecessor. Here, players will take the role of a chocolatier who has recently moved to a big city. The game’s first trailer gave a glimpse of what players can expect, and fans of the original “Stardew Valley” will have a lot of reasons to look out for the game.

Instead of running a farm in a rural area, “Haunted Chocolatier” will have players manage a chocolate store. The trailer featured a customizable store floor where players can pick and place a variety of furniture like tables, countertops and decorative pieces, much like house customization in Barone’s first game.

Haunted Chocolatier lets players run a sweets shop with the help of friendly ghosts
Haunted Chocolatier lets players run a sweets shop with the help of friendly ghosts ConcernedApe

What’s interesting about “Haunted Chocolatier” is that the player character lives in a haunted mansion with a literal door to what looks like a different dimension.

It seems like most of the game’s exploration, gathering and combat aspects will be done in the other world. Players will be able to fight a range of monsters with a combat system that’s very reminiscent of “Stardew Valley’s.” Collect enough ingredients and bring them back home to make some delicious sweets for the shop.

Barone has been constantly updating “Stardew Valley” throughout the years and whilst he was doing so, he was apparently working on “Haunted Chocolatier” in the background. Barone kept the project a secret from the public in order to fully realize the game’s vision and work without any pressure from his fans, he wrote in a 2018 dev blog as per PC Gamer.

So far, only an early gameplay footage reel of “Haunted Chocolatier” is available to the public. Barone has not yet shared any specific details concerning the world, but fans can expect some of “Stardew Valley’s” key features to be included in the game’s full release.

“Haunted Chocolatier” has been in development for a year now, but it does not have a concrete release date as of late.

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