While Haunted Chocolatier is being viewed by many as a Stardew Valley sequel, the connections between the two games are a little more complicated than that.
Haunted Chocolatier is the second major project from solo developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone, following up on the major success of his first game, Stardew Valley.
The title will see players taking over a haunted mansion where they will open a confectionary shop, spending their days gathering ingredients, battling monsters, developing relationships with fellow townspeople, and (of course) making chocolate.
Haunted Chocolatier Stardew Valley Connections Explained
Haunted Chocolatier is not technically a sequel to Stardew Valley, even though it may look the part.
The upcoming title from solo developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone will be his first major release since Stardew debuted in 2016. While it is not Stardew Valley 2 by name, the two games share some key connections.
Both titles seem to be structured similarly, with players settling into a gameplay loop of gathering resources, crafting goods with said resources, and then selling those goods. They are like Minecraft if players could then make money on the diamond pickaxes they made in-game.
However, instead of running a farm in Haunted Chocolatier, players will set up shop in a haunted mansion, crafting and selling chocolate with the help of the spirits that inhabit the house.
Barone directly addressed the similarities and differences between his two games in an FAQ on his official website, clarifying how his upcoming project will differ from the one that put him on the map.
In that back-and-forth with fans, he wrote, "In some ways" gameplay between the two will be similar, but in other ways, it will not be:
Q: "Is the gameplay similar to 'Stardew Valley?'"
A: "In some ways, yes, but in many ways, no. Like 'Stardew Valley,' 'Haunted Chocolatier' is another 'town game,' where you move to a new town and try your hand at a new way of living. You'll get to know the townspeople, achieve your goals and make progress in many ways. All of that is similar to 'Stardew Valley.'"
He posited that while Stardew was a more laid-back Harvest Moon-esque experience, Haunted Chocolatier will be "more of an action-RPG:"
"However, the core gameplay and theming are quite a bit different. 'Haunted Chocolatier' is more of an action-RPG compared to 'Stardew Valley.' And instead of a farm being the focal point of your endeavors, it's a chocolate shop."
This can be seen in the game's only trailer to date, showing off a much more fantastical world than that of Stardew, with a heavier focus on combat and exploration (something that was only a small part of the Stardew Valley experience).
Another common reason fans seem to think the chocolate-making RPG is a direct Stardew sequel is the two titles' similar look. Both games feature this stunning modern pixel art look that harkens back to 16-bit classics like Chrono Trigger, the original Harvest Moon, and Earthbound.
This is simply the result of the game being worked on by the same person, using similar tools and skills to craft both titles. However, despite the similar look, both games (perhaps surprisingly) do not use the same engine under the hood.
Barone wrote in that same Q&A that Haunted Chocolatier is using "a new engine" from Stardew Valley, but it does use some of the same code:
Q: "Is it the same engine as 'Stardew Valley?'"
A: "No, it’s a new engine written in C#/Monogame… however there are some areas where I can reuse code from 'Stardew Valley,' so that is nice."
Sadly, it still may be some time before fans get the chance to experience these differences first-hand.
Despite the game being first revealed back in 2021, there still seems to be plenty of work left to be done. Barone himself recently talked about taking a break on development, meaning the can will be kept getting kicked down the road for whatever eventual release he may have planned.
In a December 2024 blog post on the game's website, Barone shared, "I haven’t been able to work on Haunted Chocolatier in a while," as he had shifted his focus to the massive 1.6 update to Stardew Valley:
"I know it's been a while since I last posted here. As you may already know, I haven't been able to work on 'Haunted Chocolatier' in a while. This is because I started working on new stuff for the 'Stardew Valley' 1.6 update. The 1.6 update was originally planned to be a technical, 'under the hood' update to expand 'Stardew's' modding capabilities, done by others so that I could focus on 'Haunted Chocolatier.' But then I got involved, adding a little bit of new content to the update, and it kind of snowballed into a pretty substantial amount of new content. And even after 1.6 came out on PC, I have been heavily involved with bug fixing, porting, and more. This has all pulled me away from 'Haunted Chocolatier' development."
Hopefully, this back-and-forth development between Stardew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier will benefit both games, as Barone can take what he has learned from each to make the other better.
Haunted Chocolatier has no known public release date.
