Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has confirmed his upcoming recreation, Haunted Chocolatier, is “bigger” than the already sizeable Stardew Valley.
How a lot larger, or through which approach it is larger? Sorry — Barone did not elaborate. “The world of Haunted Chocolatier is bigger than Stardew Valley” is the full extent of his message. If he is referring to the size of the recreation, nonetheless, How Long to Beat? has the common Stardew Valley playtime listed as over 50 hours for simply the fundamental story, and round 168 hours for a completionist run.
Maybe unsurprisingly, then, these 10 phrases despatched a ripple of pleasure via his fan communities, with one exclaiming: “[Concerned Ape] STOP TEASING. I MEAN- DONT STOP TEASING. I MEAN- IDK IM SO EXCITED BUT I DONT WANT U TO RUSH TAKE UR SWEET ASS TIME WE LOVE U.”
Final month, Barone admitted that he “did not wish to simply be the Stardew Valley man,” explaining that was why he is presently engaged on Haunted Chocolatier. We should not count on a launch date anytime quickly, although — there’s “nonetheless lots to be performed,” Barone not too long ago admitted, significantly as he feels it is “bought to be higher” than Stardew Valley.
Nevertheless, he additionally advised that he could “finally make a Stardew Valley 2.” Earlier than you get too excited, nonetheless, the developer additionally stated it is “a lot simpler to simply add extra stuff to Stardew Valley than to make a complete new recreation from scratch.”
“It is all the methods — all the main methods — are already all performed. That’s the stuff that’s not enjoyable to do. After I make an replace [for Stardew Valley now], it’s like, you realize, oh, throw on this, throw in that. Let’s add inexperienced rain — like, these random, whimsical concepts.”
Barone introduced Haunted Chocolatier again in 2021. Very similar to Stardew Valley, it is going to be a top-down pixel-based sim, and it appears to be like to have a lot the identical taste as ConcernedApe’s earlier work.
Vikki Blake is a reporter for IGN, in addition to a critic, columnist, and advisor with 15+ years expertise working with some of the world’s largest gaming websites and publications. She’s additionally a Guardian, Spartan, Silent Hillian, Legend, and perpetually Excessive Chaos. Discover her at BlueSky.