All the Haunted Chocolatier news we’ve heard so far

The Stardew Valley neighborhood may be alive and kicking due to the latest 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 within the works, and it already seems to be like it is going to seize loads of the charms of Stardew Valley.

Since asserting Haunted Chocolatier in 2021, Barone has been juggling its growth whereas releasing vital updates for Stardew Valley. It may be exhausting to maintain up with progress on each video games directly, particularly since Barone has stated a number of instances that he prefers to work in secret and sometimes discusses necessary updates informally on X. In consequence, the knowledge out there on every sport is usually a bit scattered. So we did the work of rounding all these particulars up. As you learn, needless to say Barone is creating the sport “organically,” so it’s attainable 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 know the way far alongside growth is as a result of we’ve solely gotten occasional snippets from the sport. Most not too long ago, he stated that he’s “keen” to get again to work on it, however that he must ensure that Stardew Valley 1.6 is “settled, bug-free and out to all platforms first.”

Picture: ConcernedApe

It’s possible we received’t get a Haunted Chocolatier launch anytime quickly, because it’s going to take some time for Barone to launch all the pieces wanted for the brand 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 information to come back.

Moreover, Barone has been engaged on Stardew Valley updates for some time. In January of final yr, he stated he was “getting aspect 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 if you happen to’re itching for the sport, possibly give the man a break!

What is 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 fashion, pairing stunningly detailed pixel artwork with a lush soundtrack. Options of Stardew gameplay — like the power to develop relationships with characters and beautify a house — additionally appear to determine prominently into Haunted.

Nevertheless, the most important distinction between the 2 can be its core gameplay and fight. In line with a 2021 weblog put up, the sport will lean into extra action-RPG components and have a larger emphasis on fight. Moreover, in his announcement put up, he stated that the core loop will contain “gathering substances, making chocolate, and working a chocolate store” as an alternative of working a farm.

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

Regardless of fight variations, the 2 video games nonetheless feel and appear related. Haunted even appears to have an analogous premise, that includes a narrative a few new-to-town participant character who begins a enterprise.

“In Stardew Valley, the main focus was extra humble: residing off the land, rising meals, and connecting to the folks and nature round you. Nevertheless, with my subsequent sport, I wished to discover extra fantastical prospects… experiences that take you past the atypical,” Barone stated within the weblog.

In consequence, this sport will lean a bit extra into supernatural components. For those who watch the trailer, you’ll see cute little ghosts that help you in a chocolate store. Reasonably than wanting the sport to really feel scary, Barone stated that he intends for the sport “to be constructive, uplifting and life-affirming.” He stated, “if Stardew Valley principally channeled the power of the solar, Haunted Chocolatier channels the power of the moon. Each are important.”

Followers are already excited to satisfy the characters on this new world. Barone launched a screenshot of an unnamed character that appears like a grandpa or possibly a wizard; the trailer additionally confirmed us a number of new faces. You may learn extra in regards to the characters beneath, however be aware that these descriptions are primarily based 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 stunning desert-themed room.
• Burk, a burly bald-headed man with a thick beard. He appears to take care of a furnace, however he additionally simply looks like a sweaty man.
• Maddie, an individual with a little bit of a delicate goth look who asks the participant character what it’s like residing within 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 identification, so it in all probability received’t be a direct sequel. (Sorry to these of you who wished to pack up along with your Stardew partner and reside your greatest chocolate life collectively!) Nonetheless, the sport can have not less than some form of connection to Stardew’s world, however Barone hasn’t determined how deep will probably be but.

Will Haunted Chocolatier have multiplayer?

Followers who’ve performed Stardew Valley with associates utilizing its native co-op and on-line multiplayer modes may be questioning if Haunted Chocolatier will assist related gameplay. In line with the sport’s FAQ, it simply has single-player, and Barone has “no present 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 thus far. Though some followers have stated Barone introduced the sport too early, he has since responded by saying that he launched it as a result of he “wished to determine what [his] subsequent sport was about as a result of there have been plenty of false rumors and assumptions going round.” You may view the trailer above.

What platforms will Haunted Chocolatier come to?

The one platform that we all know Haunted Chocolatier will for positive come out on is Home windows PC, in accordance with the FAQ. But it surely’s not like all hope is misplaced for different platforms. Barone stated he imagines the sport can have “about the identical system necessities” as Stardew Valley. Barring any points with backward compatibility, he “would think about folks will be capable to play it on the identical programs [as Stardew Valley].”

Stardew Valley is offered to play on macOS, cellular gadgets, Nintendo Swap, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4, Home windows PC, and Xbox One. It’s additionally out there to play on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection X by way of backward compatibility. I’m not going to carry out hope for Haunted Chocolatier on PlayStation Vita within the yr 2024, however it seems 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 information, however for now, I’ll depart you with this banger Barone made for a boss combat within the sport. It’s titled “bee_boss.ogg” and it’s a licensed bop.