Summary
Expectations are running high forHaunted Chocolatierafter the runaway success of its developer’s previous game,Stardew Valley. Several gameplay elements are expected to carry over along with the overall visual aesthetic which is already known to have a strong resemblance toStardew Valley. One of these elements is the seasonal holidays, and at least one of them can have some in-game plot or lore relevance.
As of writing,little is known aboutHaunted Chocolatierbeyond what has been gleaned from the developer’s cryptic clues and occasional sharing of artwork and screenshots. Their inclusion seems likely, butHaunted Chocolatierneeds to lean hard into a particular holiday and make it as interesting as possible.
Haunted Chocolatier Could Be A Big Halloween Game
Ghosts are going to be heavily featured inHaunted Chocolatier, and this is naturally Halloween territory.Haunted Chocolatiernot going all out for Halloweenwill be something of a missed opportunity, subverting the expectations of many would-be players.
Halloween is known in the real world as a day celebrated in various cultures that generally has some association with frights, sweets, and otherworldly spirits. It would be interesting if the holiday, or whatever its in-game equivalent might be, had some major relevance to the plot. It could be analogous to the annual Grandpa’s rating system inStardew Valley,or something to that effect.
Haunted Chocolatier Could Also Be A Christmas Game
Somescreenshots ofHaunted Chocolatierseem to point to Christmas being somewhat important in the game; the setting appears to be very snowy, and other elements typically associated with Christmas like gifts and lights, are also seen in the currently available screenshots. PerhapsThe Haunted Chocolatiercould take some or other inspiration from the Charles Dickens classic,A Christmas Carol,since there are spirits present in this story, too, albeit those of Christmas rather than Halloween.
It is difficult to say what kind of plot relevance Halloween could have. At best, there are educated guesses about the story ofHaunted Chocolatier, mostly based on ConcernedApe’s screenshots and the assumption that the game will have the bones ofStardew Valleyto some extent. There is also thepossibility ofStardew Valleycharacter cameos inHaunted Chocolatier, and these could come as part of special seasonal events.
Anything Is Possible For Haunted Chocolatier
Nonetheless, it will be disappointing if Halloween does not have at least some significance. There arearguments for and againstHaunted Chocolatierleaning into the horror elements, which it doesn’t necessarily have to do to make an in-game Halloween event memorable and distinct.
Perhaps a Halloween plot event could help explain how and why the chocolate shop is haunted. It could also be an opportunity to highlight special and unique character interactions or set up a subtle connection toStardew Valley. There has been speculation about whether the games are somehow related, but it is stillunknown ifStardew ValleyandHaunted Chocolatiershare a universe.
It’s important to remember thatHaunted Chocolatieris notStardew Valley 2.It is already known to differ in various ways, but its similarities could also be more than superficial. For example,the combat inHaunted Chocolatierlooks to be a different creature entirely when compared toStardew Valley. The game may end up not having any holidays at all for players to anticipate and celebrate, butHaunted Chocolatiercould also make Halloween incredibly special given its atmosphere and premise.
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.
