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Stardew Valley’s creator is working on another life sim, and it looks just as sweet as his first.
Even if you don’t yet recognize Haunted Chocolatier by name, you can likely tell who’s making it from a single screenshot. After dedicating several years to major updates and quality of life fixes for Stardew Valley, creator Eric Barone is working on his next game. From what we know so far, Haunted Chocolatier will share plenty with Stardew Valley even though it’s headed for new territory: having you run a store instead of a farm. We also know that the little ghosts helping to run your shop are extremely adorable.
After the surprise announcement in 2021, Barone has been characteristically quiet about Haunted Chocolatier development. As is his custom, information often comes in the form of teaser images and cryptic hints. While we wait to find out just when Haunted Chocolatier opens its doors, here’s everything we’ve learned about it so far.
The first teaser trailer for Haunted Chocolatier really sets expectations that it will feel very familiar to Stardew Valley fans. Barone is using the same art style, though he has said that the pixel art has mostly been baked fresh for Chocolatier. It looks like we’ll be fighting enemies, talking with the locals, and brewing chocolates for our very own shops.
«I’m not sure how best to describe it,» Barone said in his announcement blog post, «but at its core, the gameplay loop involves gathering ingredients, making chocolate, and running a chocolate shop.»
One thing that Barone has gone a little deeper on is the combat, which he says is a greater focus in his next game. Chocolatier will have shields, which you can use to block attacks and stun enemies as a result. Barone says there will be other off-hand items as alternatives to shields to complement different play styles.
The reveal trailer also showed a player using a bow and arrow. Neat!
We haven’t gotten much explanation on exactly how running your chocolate shop works, but there are some snippets to catch in the reveal trailer. You can spot a player choosing from different countertop styles, setting out different types of chocolate on the counters in their shop, and a crowd of characters walking around the shop while it’s open as your ghost friends carry chocolate over their heads.
Barone also mentioned in an interview with VGKami that Chocolatier will have romantic relationships again. «There will be relationships like in Stardew Valley. I haven’t decided exactly how the system will work, yet. And I expect to approach some things differently this time around.»
We don’t know when Haunted Chocolatier will launch yet. Barone first announced it with a reveal trailer in October 2021. In the past, Barone often kept details about Stardew Valley updates quiet and released teaser images very sparingly. We can likely expect the same during Haunted Chocolatier’s development. When it was announced, Barone said he had been working on it for over a year in secret.
«While the video I put together may look like the game is at an advanced stage of development, there is still a ton of stuff to do,» Barone said about the reveal trailer. «And the way I work, things often don’t come together until the final moments.»
Nope, Haunted Chocolatier is going to be singleplayer only. With Stardew Valley, multiplayer was added as a major game update after launch. Barone isn’t planning to do the same thing this time around. As with Stardew’s early days though, it’s possible that modders will find a way to add multiplayer even without official support.
Barone hasn’t specifically mentioned modding support or tools for Haunted Chocolatier yet, but I think it’s a very safe bet to assume there will be mods for Chocolatier regardless. Barone was supportive of modders during his years of Stardew Valley updates, and the same will likely be true with Chocolatier. Given just how many Stardew Valley mods exist, fans of Barone’s second game will likely be just as keen to start adding their own custom pieces.
Lauren started writing for PC Gamer as a freelancer in 2017 while chasing the Dark Souls fashion police and accepted her role as Associate Editor and Chief Minecraft Liker in 2021. She originally started her career in game development and is still fascinated by how games tick in the modding and speedrunning scenes. She likes long books, longer RPGs, multiplayer cryptids, and can’t stop playing co-op crafting games.
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