Highlights
- Haunted Chocolatier will have a different tone than Stardew Valley, potentially leaning towards a darker and more mysterious experience.
- Adding horror elements to Haunted Chocolatier could enhance the gameplay, but too much horror may hinder its replayability and make it less engaging.
- While Haunted Chocolatier should bring something new, it doesn't need to replace Stardew Valley entirely, and the addition of darker themes could complement its new direction.
Stardew Valley is one of the biggest successes in the indie scene of gaming, providing a shocking amount of value. It was made by one person, but provides dozens of hours of entertainment by tasking players with running a farm and making a home in the charming town. Haunted Chocolatier is the next project for Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone, and has some recognizable elements, but promises to be a different experience.
As the developer revealed when Haunted Chocolatier was revealed, the game will juxtapose Stardew Valley with the tone it will deploy. In a blog post, the developer said Haunted Chocolatier will 'channel the energy of the moon', whereas Stardew Valley was a lighter affair. It's an interesting comment, but a cryptic one, that perhaps implies it will be a darker experience, be it tonally or aesthetically.
Horror Could Work Against Haunted Chocolatier
Regular updates have provided Stardew Valley with more content, constant patches, and evolutions that have made it a different game than the one that launched in 2016 that's easy to play and replay endlessly. Horror elements in ConcernedApe's next game might be a fun change to the formula, but could also hurt the replayability of Haunted Chocolatier, as it might feel like it gets old quickly. Players can only be scared or spooked by something new once, and so more emphasis on horror could prevent Haunted Chocolatier from being engaging for hours on end. Stardew Valley's more light-hearted tone worked wonders, so it can be argued that it doesn't make sense to fix what isn't broken.
Stardew Valley is Scary When it Needs to Be
Horror is limited in Stardew Valley, but exploring deep in the mines or the Skull Cavern is genuinely tense, and returning to the safety of the farm is a rewarding feeling. Haunted Chocolatier could use horror sporadically instead of constantly to make some scenes and moments exciting for players. Submerging the game in the atmosphere entirely could remove the feeling of comfort when the player is back home, making it harder to get excited to go back to it after each play session.
Haunted Chocolatier May Need Horror to Contrast with Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley enjoys so much success because it's easy to pick up, fun to learn, and comfortable to exist in. Pelican Town is a lighthearted take on a rural town, with charming architecture littering the cobbled streets, and wonderfully crafted characters going about their day in meticulously made cycles. Rearing livestock, cultivating and harvesting crops, and selling goods to bolster the coffers fun, and it's so repeatable because it takes place in a jovial setting where players feel like they are contributing to something nice.
Stardew Valley 's 1.6 update will introduce new late-game content, as well as new festivals, larger item storage capacity, new farm types, secrets, and crafting recipes.
Haunted Chocolatier can still adopt that philosophy, but using more horror-inspired themes would make it fundamentally different, and fresh. There's a risk that Haunted Chocolatier will be too similar to Stardew Valley considering the familiar art and mechanics, but as the 2016 game was something new, Haunted Chocolatier needs to be new too. More horror elements could be the best way to achieve that.
Haunted Chocolatier Doesn't Need to Replace Stardew Valley
It's hard to think that the upcoming project will be an all-out horror game given the developer's previous work, but to inject darker themes or ideas would serve to compliment what Stardew Valley does, rather than outright replace it. One could be a game perfect for summer, whereas the other could bring a vibe that would make it perfect for the fall and winter seasons.
Horror isn't Impossible in the Pixel Art Style
If Haunted Chocolatier does lean into mature horror themes, it could massively subvert expectations, and truly feel unique in the indie space as a whole. Other games like Mad Father and Omori have shown that the horror genre can work well with pixel graphics. None have had the backing of a developer as universally acclaimed as ConcernedApe, though, and a fully-realized and genuinely scary horror game could bring a niche, but fun genre to the masses.
