All the Haunted Chocolatier news we’ve heard so far

The Stardew Valley group is perhaps alive and kicking because of the current 1.6 replace, however followers are nonetheless excited for the shiny new sport coming from its maker, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone. The subsequent sport from the developer, Haunted Chocolatier, is in the works, and it already appears like it should seize loads of the charms of Stardew Valley.

Since saying Haunted Chocolatier in 2021, Barone has been juggling its growth whereas releasing important updates for Stardew Valley. It may be exhausting to maintain up with progress on each video games without delay, particularly since Barone has said several times that he prefers to work in secret and infrequently discusses necessary updates informally on X. Consequently, the info out there on every sport generally is a bit scattered. So we did the work of rounding all these particulars up. As you learn, needless to say Barone is developing the game “organically,” so it’s potential some particulars will change earlier than launch.

Does Haunted Chocolatier have a launch date?

The brief reply is that we don’t have a launch date or window for Haunted Chocolatier but. Barone began engaged on the sport in 2020, however we don’t understand how far alongside growth is as a result of we’ve solely gotten occasional snippets from the sport. Most lately, he stated that he’s “eager” to get again to work on it, however that he needs to make sure that Stardew Valley 1.6 is “settled, bug-free and out to all platforms first.”

It’s probably we received’t get a Haunted Chocolatier launch anytime quickly, because it’s going to take some time for Barone to launch the whole lot wanted for the new model of Stardew. He simply dropped the 1.6.3 Stardew Valley fixes for PC on March 27 and doesn’t but have a launch date for when the replace will come to console, so there’s extra news to return.

Moreover, Barone has been engaged on Stardew Valley updates for some time. In January of final 12 months, he said he was “getting side tracked” by Stardew Valley work. Then, that spring, he stated that he paused work on Haunted Chocolatier to work on the 1.6 replace. Barone is a one-man group (roughly), so in case you’re itching for the sport, possibly give the man a break!

What’s going to the gameplay be like in Haunted Chocolatier?

Picture: ConcernedApe

Picture: ConcernedApe

Picture: ConcernedApe

Picture: ConcernedApe

Followers of Stardew Valley will instantly acknowledge a number of of Haunted Chocolatier’s gameplay components from the trailer. The sport bears Barone’s typical type, pairing stunningly detailed pixel artwork with a lush soundtrack. Options of Stardew gameplay — like the means to develop relationships with characters and enhance a house — additionally appear to determine prominently into Haunted.

Nevertheless, the largest distinction between the two will likely be its core gameplay and fight. According to a 2021 blog post, the sport will lean into extra action-RPG components and have a larger emphasis on fight. Moreover, in his announcement post, he stated that the core loop will contain “gathering ingredients, making chocolate, and running a chocolate shop” as an alternative of working a farm.

What will we learn about Haunted Chocolatier’s characters and story?

Regardless of fight variations, the two video games nonetheless appear and feel related. Haunted even appears to have the same premise, that includes a narrative a couple of new-to-town participant character who begins a enterprise.

“In Stardew Valley, the focus was more humble: living off the land, growing food, and connecting to the people and nature around you. However, with my next game, I wanted to explore more fantastical possibilities… experiences that take you beyond the ordinary,” Barone stated in the weblog.

Consequently, this sport will lean a bit extra into supernatural components. In the event you watch the trailer, you’ll see cute little ghosts that support you in a chocolate store. Somewhat than wanting the sport to really feel scary, Barone stated that he intends for the sport “to be positive, uplifting and life-affirming.” He stated, “if Stardew Valley mostly channeled the energy of the sun, Haunted Chocolatier channels the energy of the moon. Both are vital.”

Followers are already excited to fulfill the characters on this new world. Barone launched a screenshot of an unnamed character that appears like a grandpa or maybe a wizard; the trailer additionally confirmed us a number of new faces. You may learn extra about the characters beneath, however observe that these descriptions are based mostly on our personal observations of the footage — some particulars aren’t confirmed and will change.

• Lily, a younger maybe-bachelorette who seems to ask the character into a beautiful desert-themed room.
• Burk, a burly bald-headed man with a thick beard. He appears to keep up a furnace, however he additionally simply looks as if a sweaty man.
• Maddie, an individual with a little bit of a delicate goth look who asks the participant character what it’s like dwelling in the metropolis.
• Jett, a researcher with a complete mess of hair. I simply need to know if he’ll be this sport’s Sebastian.
• Miguel, a bartender who additionally has a bald head and a few very furrowed brows.

Is Haunted Chocolatier simply Stardew Valley 2?

Barone stated he needs Haunted Chocolatier to have its personal id, so it in all probability received’t be a direct sequel. (Sorry to these of you who wished to pack up together with your Stardew partner and stay your greatest chocolate life collectively!) Nonetheless, the sport may have a minimum of some type of connection to Stardew’s world, however Barone hasn’t decided how deep it will be yet.

Will Haunted Chocolatier have multiplayer?

Followers who’ve performed Stardew Valley with associates utilizing its native co-op and on-line multiplayer modes is perhaps questioning if Haunted Chocolatier will assist related gameplay. In line with the sport’s FAQ, it simply has single-player, and Barone has “no current plans” so as to add multiplayer.

The place can I watch the Haunted Chocolatier trailer?

We solely have one early gameplay trailer of Haunted Chocolatier so far. Though some followers have stated Barone introduced the sport too early, he has since responded by saying that he released it as a result of he “wanted to establish what [his] next game was about because there were a lot of false rumors and assumptions going around.” You may view the trailer above.

What platforms will Haunted Chocolatier come to?

The one platform that we all know Haunted Chocolatier will for certain come out on is Home windows PC, according to the FAQ. Nevertheless it’s not like all hope is misplaced for different platforms. Barone stated he imagines the game will have “about the same system requirements” as Stardew Valley. Barring any points with backward compatibility, he “would imagine people will be able to play it on the same systems [as Stardew Valley].”

Stardew Valley is on the market to play on macOS, cellular units, Nintendo Change, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Home windows PC, and Xbox One. It’s additionally out there to play on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection X through backward compatibility. I’m not going to carry out hope for Haunted Chocolatier on PlayStation Vita in the 12 months 2024, nevertheless it feels like gamers received’t want to fret about platform exclusivity.

What else is there to learn about Haunted Chocolatier?

What’s left? Not a lot. We’ll proceed to replace you with extra news, however for now, I’ll depart you with this banger Barone made for a boss battle in the sport. It’s titled “bee_boss.ogg” and it’s a certified bop.