Highlights
- Haunted Chocolatier is a new game by ConcernedApe, set to break the farm life sim trend started by Stardew Valley.
- Players will manage a chocolate store instead of a farm, and combat is emphasized more than in similar games.
- The game’s unique premise and gameplay elements should help it stand out from the numerous Stardew Valley imitations.
The gaming industry has certainly seen no shortage of farm life sims in recent memory, with the release of ConcernedApe’s Stardew Valley practically spearheading the movement in 2016. Inspired by other similar franchises like Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley took everything fans love about the farm life sim genre and added a charming coat of paint, plenty of lovable characters, and a surprisingly deep world to boot. Now, the developer is hard at work on another title that appears to be much more than a typical farming sim — Haunted Chocolatier.
In Haunted Chocolatier, players will own and manage their very own chocolate confectionery store in a world that already appears strikingly similar to Stardew Valley. While it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing to simply get more Stardew Valley in a different setting, it would also be refreshing for Haunted Chocolatier to be a fresh experience altogether. Fortunately, there is plenty about it that seems to differentiate it from the popular farming life sim. This simultaneously means it may be more than enough to avoid the farm life sim overload that has occurred over the last few years as a result of Stardew Valley‘s immense success.
Related
How Haunted Chocolatier Could Kick Stardew Valley’s Gift System Up a Notch
Giving gifts to people was an important part of Stardew Valley, and Haunted Chocolatier can make the process even more impactful.
Haunted Chocolatier May Finally Break the Trend Stardew Valley Started
Stardew Valley’s Success Has Led to an Overwhelming Number of Imitations and Iterations
Since its release in 2016, Stardew Valley has inspired countless titles like it. Other indie games like Sun Haven, Graveyard Keeper, and Traveller’s Rest share similar art styles with Stardew Valley, along with comparable gameplay loops. There are plenty of other games like Stardew Valley that are different in their visual presentation but still maintain the heart of Stardew‘s gameplay and cozy tones — like Slime Rancher and its sequel, My Time at Portia, My Time at Sandrock, Coral Island, Fae Farm, Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles, and Lightyear Frontier.
Needless to say, there have been more than enough Stardew Valley-esque experiences released since 2016, and while there may still be an audience who will readily receive another, the thought of even one more being added to the list feels a bit overwhelming. Furthermore, almost every game with elements similar to Stardew Valley is eventually compared to it anyway, so another game like it may not be the best move for developers to make right now. Thankfully, Haunted Chocolatier seems to utilize Stardew Valley‘s charming art style, all while being different in just about every other way.
Haunted Chocolatier’s Premise Already Sets It Apart From the Rest
Based on what has been revealed about Haunted Chocolatier‘s premise and gameplay, it may very well avoid criticism for being too much like Stardew Valley. If so, it could simultaneously break the trend that Stardew started and not be “just another farming sim.” Firstly, rather than managing a farm, players will manage a store in Haunted Chocolatier. It won’t be the first game to do this, as even Traveller’s Rest revolves around running a tavern, which could be considered similar. Many other games before it have also allowed players to manage their own store, but Haunted Chocolatier‘s timing with this premise couldn’t be better considering the farm life sim trend that has been persistent since Stardew Valley‘s launch.
Haunted Chocolatier also seems to emphasize combat more than almost any farm life sim in recent memory. Stardew Valley certainly featured combat, but it wasn’t a core part of gameplay like it seems to be in Haunted Chocolatier. Sun Haven is perhaps one of the more recent farm life sims to emphasize combat, but it is rarely a prominent feature in the genre.
Haunted Chocolatier will presumably feature relationship and exploration mechanics similar to Stardew Valley‘s, but its store-management premise and emphasized combat should help it shake the farming sim overload that Stardew Valley started. With ConcernedApe playing his cards close to his chest, even more surprises likely await players in Haunted Chocolatier.
Haunted Chocolatier
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.
