A new game from a beloved creator is always a big deal, which is why Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone’s upcoming Haunted Chocolatier is so enticing. The first gameplay trailer showcases more combat-heavy approach than Stardew Valley. In a recent blog post, Barone revealed that the title has been in the works for “over a year” and offered some more details on the combat (along with a short GIF).
“Haunted Chocolatier has a greater focus on combat, so it needs to be very fun, satisfying, and engaging, while also appropriately fitting into the big picture. You can rest assured that I’m not ‘copying and pasting’ Stardew’s combat. On the contrary, almost everything in Haunted Chocolatier, including the combat, is completely coded (and drawn) from scratch.” Shields are also confirmed to be in the game with players capable of blocking “many” attacks and stunning enemies. Even better, a stunned enemy can be attacked “must faster.”
Of course, if you prefer to just go in swinging, then that’s also an option since. Those who are successfully will take down enemies faster and there will be other off-hand items aside from shields that will “compliment different play styles.” Barone also noted that the sword swinging animation in the GIF looks different from the recent trailer. “That’s because I’m still working on everything, and it’s all a work in progress. Everything seen so far could still change before the game is finished. If you followed the development of Stardew Valley, this will be familiar.”
This also means that there will be lots of things that players will discover by themselves in the game. However, it may be a while before it releases. “The bottom line, is that I won’t rest, or release this game, until I am personally satisfied that it’s very fun and compelling, in every aspect. If it never gets there, I’ll just never release it. But don’t worry, I have 100 percent faith that I’ll get it there. Everything is on the right track so far, I have the complete vision for the game in my head, and it’s just a matter of “grinding it out”, which is what I’m doing every day!”
Haunted Chocolatier has only been confirmed for PC thus far. Stay tuned for details in the coming months.