During the first Stardew Valley tournament hosted by creator, Eric Barone, and UnsurpassableZ, a Q&A was held where Barone announced that he was working on a new game. He has finally revealed a trailer for the game, Haunted Chocolatier.
Like Stardew Valley, Haunted Chocolatier looks to be a comfy, relaxing game. It clearly resembles Stardew Valley in many aspects, especially the visual art style and music.
Haunted Chocolatier features, well, a chocolate factory, where players will create their own gourmet chocolates that they can sell to the local villagers. As the owner and head chef of the factory, players will gather ingredients from exploration and combat, similar to Stardew Valley’s Mines.
As the name implies, the game will feature ghosts in the chocolate shops, but not in a negative or evil way. Rather, the adorable ghosts are employed as staff, which can help players run the shop.
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. That’s where magical haunted ghost chocolate comes in.
Chocolate represents that which is delightful. The haunted castle represents the allure of the unknown. The ghosts represent the imprint of the past. All of these things are important. However, don’t think for a moment that, because this game features ghosts in a haunted castle, it is an evil or negative game. On the contrary, I intend for this game to be positive, uplifting and life-affirming. However, if Stardew Valley mostly channeled the energy of the sun, Haunted Chocolatier channels the energy of the moon. Both are vital.
Eric Barone
The game will also feature other characters that the player can presumably form relationships with, and the writing will no doubt be as deep as in Stardew Valley.
Although the game appears to be playable, Barone has stated that the game is still a long ways off from completion. More details about Haunted Chocolatier can be found on the website’s developer blog.