Summary
Stardew ValleyandHaunted Chocolatierdeveloper Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone sat down recently to discuss the upcoming game, and how its development is going. While his fans still adoreStardew Valley, there are many who are more excited to see howHaunted Chocolatieris coming along and what the game will eventually turn into.
Stardew Valleyis one of the greatest indie game success stories around these days, with ConcernedApe creating the outrageously popular game all by himself. He now has a small team assisting with things, and it’s clear that he’s still passionate aboutStardew Valley, as he has returned to the title multiple times to release patches and updates, despite simultaneously voicing his intention tofocus onHaunted Chocolatier.
Now, in adiscussion with PC Gamer, Eric Barone has talked about howHaunted Chocolatier’s development is progressing, and what his path is going forward. Barone says that with regard to the game, he’s still tweaking the vertical slice, but he’s also worked on content for the title. He describes himself as being “knee-deep” in development, and that he’s trying to take it gradually without stressing himself out. He also acknowledged thatStardew Valleyis at something of a settled place, and that he’s committed to not working on the game until he’s done withHaunted Chocolatier. However, he added that he won’t say thathe’s ever going to completely cut offStardew Valley, as he’s repeatedly returned to the game despite saying he was going to focus onHaunted Chocolatierin the past.
Haunted Chocolatier Is Still a Long Way Out
Barone added that it’s going to “be a while” still untilHaunted Chocolatieris ready. With that said, he’s still involved inhow the fans are enjoyingStardew Valley, and it pulls him away from focusing onHaunted Chocolatier. He added that he feels that at some point he needs to cut off “everything else” and even mused about living in a cabin in the woods with no internet to completeHaunted Chocolatier. He joked that he’d tell his fans “I’ll see you in two years” and that he wouldn’t be heard from at all while he’s working on the game.
Barone also went into a little more detail onHaunted Chocolatierand how it differs fromStardew Valley. He notes that it is a life sim, and that there are certainly similarities between the two, but that he’s trying to increase the imagination and creativity inHaunted Chocolatier, with “weird, interesting things” and memorable experiences. He notes that some element of that went intoStardew, pointing to a specifictrippy scene with the wizard Rasmodius, as wanting more of that. He wants to create “interesting, mysterious atmospheres” inHaunted Chocolatier, as opposed toStardew, which he calls “sunny, bright, and lush.”
From the sounds of it, fans should enjoyStardew Valleyfor now, and not focus too much on howHaunted Chocolatieris progressing. Thankfully, the vast majority of fans have been extremely supportive of the dev and have encouraged him to take his time.
