Summary
Haunted Chocolatieris an upcoming, highly anticipated confectionery store simulation game by the creator ofStardew Valley, Eric Barone, that has been in development since 2020. So far, Barone has not divulged much about the game, as he has proven in the past to prefer playing his cards close to his chest. However, it’s still possible to speculate on what the game will bring to the table, especially in terms of its combat, as that isone feature ofHaunted Chocolatierthat has possibly piqued the interest of fans the most.
Aside from building and managing a chocolate confectionery store, one of the key features ofHaunted Chocolatieris its emphasis on combat. This has not only been explicitly noted in Barone’s blog on theHaunted Chocolatierwebsite but it has also been featured in much of the gameplay footage Barone has shared since he began development on the game. With combat being such a significant feature in the game, however, it could have more of an impact onHaunted Chocolatier’s story than it didStardew Valley’s.
Haunted Chocolatier’s Story Will Need to Explain Its Emphasis on Combat
How Stardew Valley Explains Its Combat
Stardew Valley’s combatplays a fairly insignificant role in the game. While there are monsters to fight inStardew, these monsters are typically only found in the Mines or the Skull Cavern. As players go deeper into the Mines or the Skull Cavern, they encounter increasingly challenging monsters that prompt them to put their combat prowess to the test. Since combat generally only takes place in these two very limited spaces, there is not much need to explain how the player character’s ability to fight monsters fits into the overarching story.
Stardew Valleywas built to be a relaxing farm sim, and a greater emphasis on combat would ultimately defeat that purpose and steal from the main drive of the narrative. In addition to combat being confined to a smaller portion of the game, players also already expected combat to take place in locations like the Mines andStardew Valley’s Skull Cavern, as many of them were familiar with the mechanics of pastHarvest Moontitles (which were a huge inspiration behindStardew Valley). However,Haunted Chocolatieris built to be an entirely different experience, despite bearing similarities toStardew Valley, so its combat may need further explanation in its story.
How Haunted Chocolatier Could Explain Its Combat
In his blog on theHaunted Chocolatierwebsite, Barone stated that the upcoming confectionery sim’s combat “needs to be very fun, satisfying, and engaging, while also appropriately fitting into the big picture.” This heavily implies that combat will not just be something the player can do inHaunted Chocolatier, but that it will somehow factor into the “big picture” of the game, which can be assumed is the game’s narrative.
UnlikeStardew Valley,Haunted Chocolatier’s combat will take place all over the game’s world. In light of this,Haunted Chocolatier’s story will need to explain why battles are such a regular occurrence in its world.
Perhaps residents of the local town are all skilled in combat due to being constantly barraged by monsters, or the player character comes from a long line of sword-wielding heroes. On the other hand, maybe the entire game takes place in the player character’s head, as if in a dream or a fantasy world. After all,early gameplay footage ofHaunted Chocolatierreveals the player character entering a magical door leading to the outside world where they are then seen battling monsters.
In whatever way thatHaunted Chocolatier’s combatimpacts its story — or whether it does — it’s bound to be an exciting part of the game, as Barone has already proven he is capable of handling just about anything. As players venture out into the unknown world ofHaunted Chocolatierin search of more ingredients for their chocolate confections, they’ll undoubtedly be rewarded with an engaging experience from start to finish.
Haunted Chocolatier
WHERE TO PLAY
Haunted Chocolatier is an upcoming adventure game from Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe (Eric Barone). The game is currently set to feature a lush explorable world, chocolate making and cooking, a spooky theme, and more. There is currently no release date or time period for the game.
