Stardew Valleycreator ConcernedApe released a new teaser image for his upcoming gameHaunted Chocolatier.ConcernedApe announcedHaunted Chocolatierwith a gameplay trailer in 2021, but the new title does not have a set release date yet.
Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone is best known as the creator of the hit indie farming simStardew Valley. Inspired by theHarvest Moonseries, ConcernedApe started working onStardew Valleyin 2012, shortly after graduating from the University of Washington. The game launched to massive success in 2016, remaining a solo project until 2017, when Barone brought on a second developer to assist him. Ported to multiple platforms,Stardew Valleysold over 20 million copies as of May 2022 and enjoys many positive reviews, with Metacritic scores in the high 80s.
RELATED:Stardew Valley Celebrates 7th Anniversary With a Letter from the Creator
As the name implies,Haunted Chocolatiertasks the player with managing a confectionery shop in a town inhabited by both living residents and the undead. ConcernedApe released a new teaser for the game on March 2, sharing some concept art on Twitter. The image showed off numerous sketches ofHaunted Chocolatier’s possibly supernatural candies, much to the excitement and amusement of ConcernedApe’s fans.
Haunted Chocolatier’s candy designs are varied, though a few common elements stick out. This includes a lot of faces, which some commenters found quite endearing. Cinelinx managing editor Katy Barber has a particular kinship with the face of one chocolate, with whoever runs the Opera GX Twitter account expressing similar feelings towards another confectionery. And while many of these faces are cute smiles, they certainly look like the kind of treats that might have something supernatural going on with them. A hand-shaped candy in the center-right has a particularly ghostlike visage, and one can’t help but get Lovecraft vibes from a pair of tentacle-shaped treats.
Haunted Chocolatiercarries overStardew Valley’s charming retro-inspired pixel art and NPC romance. Players will collect ingredients to make a variety of chocolate confections while interacting with the local townspeople. Players will manage their shop with the assistance of friendly spirits and can customize it to suit their personal tastes as supernatural candy makers.
However,Haunted Chocolatieralso adds toStardew Valley’s formula with the introduction of isometric action-RPG combat. Based on the gameplay trailer from 2020, the latter seems quite reminiscent of the old top-downZeldagames. Nostalgia has always been an essential part ofStardew Valley’s appeal, and it appears that ConcernedApe is expanding his pool of retro inspiration. His fans will no doubt be waiting eagerly for more news on when thehorror-themed RPG life simHaunted Chocolatierlaunches on PC.
