Stardew Valley Creator Reveals New Game, Where You Explore A Haunted Chocolate Factory
Stardew Valley made a bit of a splash when it first arrived in stores. It’s hard for farming sims like this to avoid the comparisons to the likes of Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon, but the one-man team of Eric Barone (known by his moniker of ConcernedApe) truly made Stardew Valley something incredibly special.
Ever since the game’s last big update, fans have been curious - what’s next for ConcernedApe? Well, thanks to the man himself, we have our first new look at his new game - and it looks deliciously spooky.
ConcernedApe Reveals Haunted Chocolatier
ConcernedApe has shared the very first peek at Haunted Chocolatier, the new game that sees you take over - you guessed it - a haunted chocolatier. The short gameplay trailer has revealed the first look at the spooky and charming game that looks to adopt a more linear gameplay style than Stardew Valley, but still includes the quirky NPC encounters and slime-busting that the developer has become known for.
Speaking of the game in a blog post on the game’s new website, Barone says “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.”
Stardew Valley Developer Reveals That The Game “Constrained” Him
For all the good that Stardew Valley has done for the world of indie games and farming games alike, it looks like developing this new game was a breath of fresh air for Barone. “With Stardew Valley, I felt somewhat constrained, because I was working within an established tradition”, he continues in the blog post. “I don’t regret that at all, but there’s also been a part of me that wanted to go ‘unleashed’. I believe this will be a good opportunity, but I haven’t even gotten to the good stuff yet.”
It looks like developing this game has breathed some fresh air into ConcernedApe’s creativity, and we can thank it for that alone - but even besides this, with the game’s “meat and potatoes” having been revealed, we can say that the game looks like a fantastic continuation of the developer’s creativity. It might be some time before we get our hands on Haunted Chocolatier, but we’re so very excited to see what’s in store for us at the spooky chocolatier.
