Haunted Chocolatierisn’t, strictly speaking, a sequel toStardew Valley, although the two do have ostensible similarities. The slice-of-life premises of both titles, combined with a dash of the supernatural and an outpouring of charming retro visuals are clear parallels, but developer ConcernedApe has made it exceedingly clear thatHaunted Chocolatieris targeting different goals, describing the game as having more “action-RPG” elements.
But the similarities might run deeper than the surface level, as a recent update from ConcernedApe suggests that farming mechanics could be featured to some extent inHaunted Chocolatier. As one would expect given the developer’s incremental, relaxed approach to marketingChocolatierthus far, there’s no real explanation for a screenshot that appears to feature three rows of crops beside an in-game home, but one can naturally make some assumptions. Arguing against the idea that this indicates farming mechanics, it can be posited that these plants are simply decorative, and their resemblance toStardew Valley’s crops can be chalked up to a simple asset flip—Chocolatieris still relatively early in development, after all. But if this image does indicate the return of farming in some form, then it will be interesting to see howChocolatieradapts it.
How Farming Could, and Should, Show Up in Haunted Chocolatier
If Haunted Chocolatier Has Farming, It Will Have to Be a Secondary Feature
Assuming, for the sake of discussion, thatHaunted Chocolatierwill indeed feature farmingin some capacity, it’s important to establish that features relevant to the activity will most likely not be as fleshed-out or robust as they are inStardew. Farming is positioned smack-dab in the middle of theStardewexperience, and even though players can earn income and XP through other activities like foraging and mining, farming is still the “main” activity and skill to develop. It’s through farming, and the physical location of the player’s farm itself, thatStardew Valleypresents most of its customization and strategic gameplay systems.
This can’t be so inHaunted Chocolatier, which is staked on its titular premise of chocolate-making and engagement with spectral forces. The game can’t simply transplantStardew Valley’s robust farming simulation, in other words, as this would weigh down its other facets. Plus, there simply wouldn’t be a reasonable justification for including a similarly extensive assortment of crops—one can hardly imagine what use onions and carrots would serve to a chocolatemonger. That said, there are still ways thatConcernedApe could borrow fromStardew’s farming mechanicsin his sophomore release.
Understated Farming Systems Could Benefit Haunted Chocolatier
Some degree of farming inHaunted Chocolatiermight actually make sense. For one thing, chocolate is derived from the cocao plant, and unless ConcernedApe is working on a surprisingly fun supply-ordering minigame, it would make sense for players to grow and harvest cocao directly. Assorted fruits and herbs could also be cultivated for use in chocolate-making, greatly expanding the player’s options. Taking things even further,Haunted Chocolatiercould include livestock, with cows, goats, and other milk-producing animals being leveraged to produce milk chocolate.
Haunted Chocolatier’s portal transportationhas been shown to lead to combat opportunities, but perhaps this biome-hopping could also facilitate farming mechanics, allowing players to grow crops in the appropriate regions.
Even so, featuring these sorts of mechanics to the same extent asStardew Valleycould lead toHaunted Chocolatierfeeling over-engineered. It’s still not clear how activities like chocolate-making and business management will factor into the broader experience, but one can assume that they will be fundamental and distinct from whatStardew Valleyoffers. With streamlined farming systems,though,Haunted Chocolatiercould still be a satisfying, distinct standalone experience, but one that learns from its spiritual predecessor.
Haunted Chocolatier
WHERE TO PLAY
Haunted Chocolatier is an upcoming adventure game from Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe (Eric Barone). The game is currently set to feature a lush explorable world, chocolate making and cooking, a spooky theme, and more. There is currently no release date or time period for the game.
