ThoughStardew Valleymay be mistaken for a somewhat formulaic farming simulator with simple graphics and familiar progression, the reality is that it’s far more in depth. It’s a game that isclearly inspired byHarvest MoonandAnimal Crossing, but develops upon them with light RPG elements and more things to do to ensure that players can extract dozens, perhaps hundreds of hours from the game without seeing everything. Because of its lofty legacy, anticipation for ConcernedApe’s next game is higher than ever, andHaunted Chocolatierhas the tough task of being familiar, but unique.
One of the stand-out inclusions inStardew Valleycompared to its contemporaries is its romance options, and how well they are developed. Games likeHarvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Townhave woo-able NPCs, butStardew Valleygives them far more life and substance, allowing players to get far more invested in their chosen partner’s dedicated character arc. However, the heart events that happen when specific criteria is met are too few and fleeting for the quality that they are, andHaunted Chocolatiercan develop on the mechanic to help make it feel like an evolution of the developer’s 2016 outing.
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Heart Events are Special, But Short-Lived in Stardew Valley
Most of the time spent inStardew Valleywill be on the farm, deep in the mines, or on the banks of a lake, river, or sea while trying to catch the dozens of fish available. However, it’s a life simulator almost as much as it is a farming game, so finding a partner to date, marry, and eventually have children with or divorce is part of the fun. The most substantial time spent with the aforementioned bachelors or bachelorettes will be the heart events, which occur with specific people when the player reaches a certain friendship level with. Those events could be a glimpse intoShane’s alcohol addiction, Penny’s grappling with living with her mother, or indulging Maru’s science fascination by stargazing with her.
It’s a wonderful reward for players who put the time in, but each personality only has a few events, and they never stick around for long, only enough for the player to get a brief insight into that character’s life. Usually, they focus on just one plot line, and more could be done with them to make the budding relationship feel more involved.Haunted Chocolatierwill have the opportunity to do this, asConcernedApehas confirmed that romances will be a factor in the upcoming release. To replicate whatStardew Valleydid would be enough, but there’s a lot of potential to add more, especially as the foundations have already been laid.
Romance Could Be a Big Factor in Haunted Chocolatier
WhileStardew Valleytasks players with a smorgasbord of tasks and responsibilities to achieve in each in-game day as a farmer, explorer, fisherman, wheeler-dealer, and community friend,Haunted Chocolatiercould be best served focusing on just a few things but in a way that is more in depth. Romance needs to be one of those components, and it should put more emphasis on developing a relationship by working to makeStardew Valley’s heart eventsmore substantial.
In the 2016 game they feel worthwhile in spite of their fleeting length because they are structurally different to the repeated and formulaic gameplay format, taking control away from players as they watch a small but charming cutscene unfold. Without moments of genuine emotion,Stardew Valleywould be a deep but lifeless farming/life simulator, but with the snappy writing and simple yet effective character development, it becomes so much more.Haunted Chocolatierhas the chance to continue its predecessor’s strong legacy, and expanding heart events would be a neat way to recapture the charm.
Haunted Chocolatieris in development.
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