The most painful part of ConcernedApe's sophomore project Haunted Chocolatier is the lack of information regarding a release date. The game is expected to build off the foundations laid by its predecessor, the massively popular Stardew Valley, by adhering to its various aesthetic and gameplay facets while incorporating bold new narrative and mechanical elements.
This is a naturally compelling prospect for Stardew Valley fans, especially those who have exhausted the game's content in the eight years since its release. Indeed, the low-stakes, micromanaging gameplay of Stardew essentially set a new gold standard for the cozy and life simulation genres, so Haunted Chocolatier has some big shoes to fill. With a number of indie games, including high-profile ones like Hades 2, launching into early access ahead of their full release, some may be getting their hopes up for Haunted Chocolatier to follow suit, thus alleviating the excruciating wait for the Stardew successor. But while anything is possible, the chances of this happening seem relatively low.
ConcernedApe Wasn't Keen On Early Access Ahead of Stardew Valley's Launch
In a now-archived interview with MVC/Develop, Eric Barone AKA ConcernedApe touches on the history of Stardew Valley's development. He expresses his relief at connecting with indie publisher Chucklefish, specifically because it helped him move forward without falling back on early access.
Barone says "it seemed like nearly every indie game was doing Early Access at the time," but that the strategy didn't seem like the right fit for Stardew Valley, which was less of an open-ended sandbox experience and more of a curated life sim with limited freedom and progression elements. On this subject, Barone also conveys that he didn't want Stardew to feel like an unfinished product, saying that he could sense a growing mistrust from consumers at the time who were becoming disillusioned with the early access model.
Based on these statements, it's fair to say that Barone holds his games to a high standard—something that should be obvious to anyone following Stardew Valley's substantial post-launch updates. With this attention to detail and emphasis on quality, regardless of the time it takes to achieve it, it makes sense that Barone would shy away from something like early access or an open beta, as it would mean showing the public an imperfect version of his project.
Plenty of indie games that succeed in early access, but it's definitely not the right route for every developer.
Haunted Chocolatier Skipping Early Access Could Be Bittersweet
Assuming that Barone still feels the same way he did when developing Stardew Valley, it seems improbable that Haunted Chocolatier will enjoy an early access period. This may be disappointing for the less patient gamers out there, especially since it's still unclear when Chocolatier will actually launch, but there are a lot of advantages to waiting for a full, feature-complete release as well.
To Barone's point, a game like Stardew Valley may not have worked well in early access, as a lot of that game's magic comes down to the richness and variety of its features, especially as they pertain to narrative and NPC development, which requires playing for long periods of time. Since Haunted Chocolatier will have at least a bit in common with Stardew, it could run the risk of feeling underwhelming in early access, potentially dampening the impact of its full, 1.0 reveal.
Then again, Barone could have changed his tune on early access, especially after supporting Stardew Valley with so much post-launch support. In other words, his notion of what a "complete" game looks like could be different now. Plus, the game would certainly be able to get a lot of funding in early access, considering Stardew's prestige, so anything is possible.
- Developer(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Publisher(s)
- ConcernedApe
- Engine
- MonoGame
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.
- Platform(s)
- Microsoft Windows
- Developer
- Eric Barone, ConcernedApe LLC
- Publisher
- ConcernedApe LLC
- Genre(s)
- Adventure, Simulation
