Haunted Chocolatier has been one of the most hush, hush indie projects at the moment. As the follow-up to the beloved Stardew Valley, solo-developer Eric Barone has high expectations to meet. The anticipation for Haunted Chocolatier is palpable, but it’s currently unclear when the candy-making cozy life sim will be ready for audiences to get a taste of.
Announced back in 2021, Haunted Chocolatier promises the same aesthetic and charm as its hit predecessor with a chocolate-focused twist instead of a farm simulation. Barone’s commitment to Stardew Valley has made development on Haunted Chocolatier slower than hoped for, but he’s confirmed to have made a significant amount of progress since announcing the project. While many of the game’s finer details are mysterious, Haunted Chocolatier will find itself in a very different landscape within the industry compared to Stardew Valley‘s trailblazing launch.
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Haunted Chocolatier will almost certainly have a romance system similar to Stardew Valley’s, but it should look past its predecessor for inspiration.
Stardew Valley Kickstarted a Cozy Sim Renaissance, Putting Haunted Chocolatier in a Fascinating Position
Life Sims Have Embraced Niche Stories Outside of Farming
- Cozy Grove
- Lake
- Potion Craft: Alchemist Simulator
- Spiritfarer
- Strange Horticulture
- Spirittea
- Duck Detective: The Secret Salami
Since the game’s launch back in 2016, Stardew Valley has made way for the cozy life sim genre to become a great avenue for fun, relaxing storytelling. The success of Stardew Valley put a larger spotlight on indie game development, which has continued to inspire cozy-focused games. This puts Haunted Chocolatier in an interesting position, because the life-sim genre has already explored many different non-farming avenues at this point.
This isn’t to say that Haunted Chocolatier isn’t unique, though. Taking on the role of a candy maker who also happens to live in a haunted ghost-infested castle is definitely its own special premise, but Eric Barone now has years of other Stardew Valley-inspired projects to inform his work, turning the tables. This time around, instead of being the trailblazer, Haunted Chocolatier will be launched among a sea of other strong non-farming offerings.
By the end of 2024, Stardew Valley had officially sold an estimated 41 million copies around the world.
Haunted Chocolatier is unlikely to be foundational, but this is actually more exciting than it sounds. It will be interesting to see if any other major life-sim hits have influenced Barone over the years, which could actually help Haunted Chocolatier stand on its own. Because of Stardew Valley‘s massive success, stepping out of its shadow is no easy task, but Haunted Chocolatier potentially having more influence behind its development could be incredibly beneficial.
Haunted Chocolatier promises the same aesthetic and charm as its hit predecessor with a chocolate-focused twist instead of farm simulation.
Haunted Chocolatier Continues to Hide in the Shadows
Thankfully, Barone has stated in the past that he had a solid skeleton built for the game, but it’s still unknown just how far along he is in crafting Haunted Chocolatier. With the 1.6 update for Stardew Valley launching last year, he likely has greater freedom to continue work on the project. Because of the game’s secretive nature, Haunted Chocolatier could drop in a few months or even years from now. Only time will tell, but the promise of a Barone-made title after nearly a decade of Stardew Valley‘s influence on the life sim genre is thrilling.
While a spiritual successor, it’s unclear if the worlds of Haunted Chocolatier and Stardew Valley will be connected in any deeper way.
As the year continues, more details will hopefully come to light on how far along Haunted Chocolatier is, but until then, the project is fertile soil for speculation. It will be exciting to see how Haunted Chocolatier differs from Stardew Valley, and it will be even more intriguing to see if Barone is the one being inspired by other titles this time around.
Haunted Chocolatier