It's "more of an action RPG," but Eric Barone says Haunted Chocolatier is still "a life sim" and "similar to Stardew Valley in many ways" but with more "dark and mysterious" vibes

Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone says Haunted Chocolatier should still generally be considered a life sim despite previously teasing more robust action-RPG elements.

Haunted Chocolatier has been something of a mystery since its reveal back in 2021, and not just because of its spooky, paranormal setting and story.

Although we know it's a fully new game independent from Stardew Valley, on the surface it looks like it could be a Halloween-themed Stardew DLC with the same mechanics and gameplay. However, in an FAQ page for Haunted Chocolatier that's been available for many months, it's described as "more of an action-RPG compared to Stardew Valley," and in a blog post from October 2021, Barone said it'll have "a greater focus on combat" with new mechanics "completely coded (and drawn) from scratch."

Barone also once said he was influenced by Diablo 2 when designing Haunted Chocolatier, which put even more distance between it and Stardew Valley. But in a new interview with PC Gamer, he closes the gap considerably.

"I will just say generally that it is a life sim game, and it is similar to Stardew Valley in many ways ... it's the kind of game I like making. I'm really interested in Haunted Chocolatier to really crank up the imagination and the creativity. I want to go all out with doing weird and interesting things. I love giving people memorable experiences."

From purely a gameplay perspective, it sounds like Haunted Chocolatier will be a blend of Stardew's cozy farming and the action-RPG genre's numbers-go-up dopamine chase. Personally, I'm most intrigued by what hides in the dark.

"I view [Stardew Valley] as sunny and bright and lush, and Haunted Chocolatier is more dark and mysterious. Not evil dark, but just like mysterious dark, and a little bit paranormal, you know, things that, you're not sure what this is all about."

Overall, this is probably mostly a reassurance to longtime Stardew fans that Haunted Chocolatier isn't completely ditching its predecessor's cozy vibes that make it one of the best farming sims of all time.

Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe worries follow-up Haunted Chocolatier might "ruin the teeth of a whole generation": "I'm thinking about doing it so you can only eat like two chocolates per day"