Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone (ConcernedApe) is busy at work with his next game, Haunted Chocolatier. And while there’s still no concrete date for Barone’s next release, the developer took to Twitter to share a glimpse at his progress and answer a few fan questions.
Mostly, folks are dying to know, how does Chocolatier compare to Stardew? And the answer is that looks are quite deceiving. Despite similarities in style and aesthetic, Barone seems quite keen on defining his next game as its own thing. The developer answered a few burning questions about Haunted Chocolatier on Twitter—most of which asked about Stardew Valley comparisons—but the biggest standouts are his thoughts on story elements shared between the settings.
When asked how much crossover we’ll see, Barone wrote Haunted Chocolatier is “its own separate game with a self-contained identity… it’s not a ‘Stardew 2’. But there might be some shared lore.” So, perhaps you’ll see something familiar, but don’t expect a whole follow-up story for the 2016 farm sim.
Barone’s impromptu Q&A session also included a little look at in-game progress. It’s the only extra screenshot he’s shared for now, but we still have those early assets he shared last year for the game’s reveal. Even if it’s not a farming sequel, it’s cute enough to hook me.
As for other comparisons, Barone said it shouldn’t cost more than Stardew Valley and may hit the same price point. (For folks stateside, that’s around $14.99 on Steam). Progress on the game is also moving along “pretty good,” but the creator says he’s making this one from scratch. It’s got the “rare re-use” of a Stardew asset, but that’s a pretty common (and fair) practice in game development. The TLDR of that one: don’t let the occasionally shared asset lead you to draw lines between the worlds.
Barone followed up to a few more lingering questions, noting that Haunted Chocolatier “feels quite different,” even if you noticed some gameplay similarities in the reveal trailer. There’s also an element that’s comparable to the Community Center in Stardew Valley but not “directly analogous.” For now, our only hint is that it has something to do with that old castle in early teases.
Haunted Chocolatier sounds like it’s still some ways off. However, Barone has mentioned this, and Stardew Valley‘s next mobile update is his primary focus. The clamoring for every little detail may seem a little strange to those of you not hit hard by the farming bug, but Barone’s first game is still pretty damn beloved. In a recent interview, the creator even mentioned Stardew Valley is selling better than ever, somehow. It’s six years old at this point, with over 20 million copies sold. I’m easily half of those on multiple systems.
I’m slightly bummed over no big crossovers, but I reckon it’s for the best. With plenty of playthroughs behind me, it’s time to probably move on in the same ways Barone seems ready to. And for anyone twiddling their thumbs until it’s Chocolatier time, we’ve got suggestions on what you can play to hold you over. I promise they scratch a similar itch.
