For years at this point, Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has been teasing an all-new game in the same vein as his hit farming RPG, but has nearly always remained secretive on the topic. However, as support on the flagship title winds down for the time being, a look at the mysterious project has now finally seen the light of day, announced as a new pixelated adventure called Haunted Chocolatier.

Featuring a similarly relaxed vibe to that of Stardew Valley, the reveal of Haunted Chocolatier shows a new spin on ConcernedApe’s distinct gameplay, following an aspiring chocolatier as they operate a ghost-populated confectionery. By the looks of things, this delicious endeavor involves hunting for ingredients in other realms, customizing the business’s interior, as well as, of course, interacting with others in varying platonic-to-romantic relationships.

Haunted Chocolatier is currently in the midst of development and therefore, outside of its Stardew Valley similarities, not too much else is known about how the game will play. In an accompanying blog post, ConcernedApe explained a bit about the game’s “magical haunted ghost chocolate” premise, intending to move away from sinister depictions of spirits for a “positive, uplifting and life-affirming” experience. As for the project’s status, the dev is only underway on the “meat and potatoes” at the moment, with more ambitious features coming as development progresses.

​”It’s evolving organically as I develop it, so I’m not sure where it will go,” the Stardew Valley developer said. “But at its core, the gameplay loop involves gathering ingredients, making chocolate, and running a chocolate shop. Of course, there’s a lot more to the game than that, but I don’t want to get too deep into at this early stage, partly because I don’t want to be tied down to any particular concept of what the game is.”

some screenshots pic.twitter.com/pJXurwwGXM

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) October 21, 2021

As ConcernedApe makes way on his exciting new game, future development on Stardew Valley is largely in question at this point. The game’s creator expressed as much last month, explaining that as focus shifts to the then-unannounced Haunted Chocolatier, further worthwhile updates may prove to be difficult to deliver. Even if Stardew is truly finished in its current form, there’s still a bit to expect before the end of 2021, with the title coming to Xbox Game Pass and the awaited 1.5 Update finally arriving for mobile devices.

Mobile players, nothing new but I just want say again that the 1.5 update port is actively in development by the porting team, and there is continuous progress being made. I remain fully committed to seeing the 1.5 update on mobile. I really appreciate your patience with this

— ConcernedApe (@ConcernedApe) October 20, 2021

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What do you think? Are you loving the first look at ConcernedApe’s Haunted Chocolatier, or are you bummed that the end could feasibly be nigh for Stardew Valley? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Don’t Feed the Gamers on Twitter and Facebook to be informed of the latest gaming and entertainment news 24 hours a day!​

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