The dev promised that Haunted Chocolatier has not been abandoned.
It’s been some time since fans have received updates on Haunted Chocolatier, the upcoming game from Stardew Valley creator Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone. However, fans now have reason to be excited as ConcernedApe shared new updates about the game, including screenshots of the game’s development so far, on Thursday (5 December).
The update was shared on the official Haunted Chocolatier blog site, where he acknowledged that he hasn’t been able to work on the title for a while and that it was “getting dusty on the shelf.”
ConcernedApe shared how in the last few years, he prioritised Stardew Valley’s 1.6 update—which was supposed to ba a “technical, ‘under the hood’ update" until he “got involved and added new content which snowballed into a substantial amount."
“Stardew Valley is a big and popular game, and I have a lot of attachment to it,” he added, saying he felt a “strong sense of duty and obligation to all the people who have bought Stardew Valley over the years.”
But he expressed that he still had “strong desire to make more games,” and that he had a lot more to give. Although he admitted that Haunted Chocolatier had taken a backseat to Stardew Valley, he shared that some progress has still been made on its development, having recently completed the game’s “skeleton.”
New screenshots of Haunted Chocolatier shared
ConcernedApe shared five new screenshots on the game’s progress. The first one featured a house and a field in a snow-covered location. It’s reminiscent of the snow-covered villages and forests that were previously shared in 2021.
There are also two new characters; a lady with long, wavy, black hair and a ruffled top, and a suave looking gentleman with pulled back dark blonde hair and a black jacket. We aren’t sure who these two are just yet, but fans on Reddit have already compared the male character to Albert Wesker of the Resident Evil series, while others drew connections with Stardrew Valley’s characters, like Hailey and Abigail.
Players were also treated to screenshots of a character fighting in a field full of slimes, and while that seems pretty similar to Stardew Valley, there was another screenshot of the character inventory list, which included clothes and tools which can be equipped to increase certain stats.
While ConcernedApe still hasn’t shared a release date for Haunted Chocolatier, he wanted to “re-affirm” the game’s development and that it’s not being abandoned. “I look forward to sharing this new world to you, when it’s ready,” he said in closing.
