Stardew Valley mastermind Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has been chipping away at his new game, Haunted Chocolatier, since 2020 – and even though he's aware it's taking a while, it's all with good reason.
The legendary indie developer shares as much in a new update on the official Haunted Chocolatier website, aptly dubbed: "Still here, still grinding." He explains that yes, he is still working on his upcoming sim – and yes, he's said that many times.
"I know it's taking a long time. A big part of that is that I am being very thoughtful about every aspect of the game," he admits – and, yeah, that makes sense. Plenty of us are fellow perfectionists.
As ConcernedApe writes, "The things in the game which the player will be interacting with or using very often need to be 'perfect.' They need to be seamless, clear, intuitive, satisfying, aesthetic." He looks to the game's chocolate recipe book, as he adds: "I torture myself over every last detail."
I get it. The standards that Stardew Valley set – or should I say, expectations – likely don't help here… neither does the size of Haunted Chocolatier. "It's a big game," after all. "So there are many things for me to fuss over."
That checks out – especially with what he's said in the past, that the "world of Haunted Chocolatier" will somehow be even "larger" than that of Stardew Valley and that "everything is cranked up" in the new sim.
All in all, it's a lot to work with, "but this is what it will take to make a game I'm satisfied with," as per ConcernedApe's own words. That's not to mention Stardew Valley's own 1.7 update, which I'm sure will be massive.
As for why the dev hasn't shared more sneak peeks at his game-in-progress, he simply doesn't want to. "I don't like to share too many screenshots," says ConcernedApe, "or even talk about the systems in too much detail, while the game is in development." I'm certainly fine with that.
I'd rather he feel comfortable when he does post screencaps or teasers, rather than "risk disappointing players," as he puts it himself.
Not that I think he'd ever disappoint us – heck, I'd be happy with pretty much anything after the gem that Stardew Valley was (and continues to be). I'm certain that Haunted Chocolatier will step up to the plate and impress just as much… whenever that may be.
Best controller: GameSir G7 Pro
Best headset: SteelSeries Arctis Nova Pro Wireless
Best monitor: LG UltraGear
Best laptop: Asus ROG Zephyrus G14
Best keyboard: Corsair Vanguard Pro 96
Best mouse: Razer DeathAdder V4 Pro
Best chair: Fractal Refine
