Haunted Chocolatier: everything we know so far

Haunted Chocolatier, a simulation RPG, has been announced by the creator of Stardew Valley, ConcernedApe.

In Haunted Chocolatier, you’ll be playing as a chocolatier with the goal of making the best delicious desserts possible. Success requires gathering as many rare and exciting ingredients as you can and then making your creations as delectable as possible. Oh, and you’ll be working out of the kitchen in your own haunted mansion.

If you’re waiting for the Haunted Chocolatier as intently as we are, then read on to find out everything we currently know about the Stardew Valley follow-up so far.

Haunted Chocolatier: cut to the chase

• What is it? A spooky chocolate-making sim that follows the style of Stardew Valley.
• When can I play it? No release date yet
• What can I play it on? PC (other platforms TBC)

Haunted Chocolatier release date and platforms

For platforms, the developer has only committed to PC right now, but has said he has “every intention of bringing it to the other major platforms as well”. 

We’ll almost certainly see Haunted Chocolatier supported on Steam Deck, though we’d expect it’ll come to the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S, and PS5. However, it may be a delayed release like with Stardew Valley. 

Unfortunately, the game doesn’t yet have a release date of any kind – not even a vague ‘2022’ release window. Launch details for Haunted Chocolatier are thin on the ground right now, and over on the game’s FAQ page, ConcernedApe says:

“I can’t commit to a release date yet. It’s still relatively early in development, and I want to be able to work in peace without the pressure of a release date”.

Haunted Chocolatier: trailers

Latest trailer

Right now, we just have the announcement trailer for Haunted Chocolatier, which gave us a good look at what we should expect from the gameplay. You can see this in full below:

More trailers

There are no other gameplay trailers as of now, but if you want to keep up to date with all the developer’s antics and creations, then check out ConcernedApe’s official YouTube channel.

Haunted Chocolatier: story and setting

It looks like Haunted Chocolatier might have more sinister elements than ConcernedApe’s previous game, Stardew Valley. While the trailer shows friendly ghosts helping to manage your chocolate shop, we also meet a bartender named Nigel, who doesn’t seem overjoyed to have another chocolatier rock up to the town.

We do know there’ll be some lore overlap with Stardew Valley, but it remains to be seen how that’ll work. So far, ConcernedApe has been keen to make clear that Haunted Chocolatier will have a self-contained identity. Reiterating that when speaking to a fan in a Twitter reply, ConcernedApe said:

“It’s gonna be its own separate game with a self-contained identity… it’s not a “[Stardew Valley 2]”. But there might be some shared lore; I haven’t nailed down exactly to what degree the two will be connected”. 

Haunted Chocolatier: gameplay

Thanks to that announcement trailer, we’ve got an idea of what to expect. For starters, there is a lot of similarity to Stardew Valley. 

Most obviously is the return of Stardew’s iconic pixelated art style, which will bring this game’s new characters and locations to life. We also get to see that Stardew’s combat and romance systems will be making a return.

ConcerenedApe has stressed this is a game still very early in development, so it’ll be a while before we’ll likely see new features added to Haunted Chocolatier. There’s even every chance we might find certain aspects taken away or changed. 

Haunted Chocolatier: news

Haunted Chocolatier gets a new screenshot

Offering a small new update on the game, ConcernedApe has taken to Twitter to release a brand new screenshot. While you can’t discern much from this image, it’s a nice update that the project’s moving ahead, if nothing else. When asked about how development was proceeding, ConcernedApe replied: 

“Progress is pretty good, but it does take a long time to make a game, and I’m making this completely from scratch (Except the very rare re-use of something from Stardew [Valley], if it makes sense). Still just in the middle of the long grind”.

Romantic relationships will return

Speaking in an interview with VGKami, Barone revealed that Haunted Chocolatier is bringing back romantic relationships. He didn’t elaborate too much, though, stating: “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.”

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