ConcernedApe worked on Stardew valley for ten years of his career and has since then moved on to a new installment named Haunted Chocolatier.
Not much has been discussed about Haunted Chocolatier as Concerned ape is wanting players to experience as much as possible when they load it up for the first time.
Let’s find out what we know already
Youtube Coverage
On the 21st of October 2021, ConcernedApe released a video of early gameplay to the official youtube channel. Describing it as the newest game they were working on but with no release date. They described it as a game that would not be out for a while.
As it stands this is the only video that has been published on ConcernedApes youtube at this time.
The video is currently sitting at 1,852,721 views as of the 22nd of January 2022. Personally, I have rewatched it several times trying to gauge as much as I can from the 2 minutes and 24-second clip. I have included the video below.
HauntedChocolatier.net Coverage
HauntedChocolatier.net seems to have a lot more in-depth coverage than youtube. The game was first announced by ConcernedApe on the website on the 8th October 2021 along with the same early gameplay trailer uploaded to Youtube.
ConcernedApe speaks briefly about how they are creating a new focus for this game in comparison to the previous game he created StarDewValley.
They discuss how StarDew Valley focussed on elements of being a farming sim, in-depth stories of characters, and was a more humble gaming experience. When describing their new installment they state:
” However, with my next game, I wanted to explore more fantastical possibilities… experiences that take you beyond the ordinary. That’s where magical haunted ghost chocolate comes in.”
ConcernedApe (2021): https://www.hauntedchocolatier.net/
ConcernedApe then went on to discuss and emphasize that the game is in an early stage of development and there will be some time before a release.
The next update on their personal blog for the game discussed was the combat for the game. I think a lot of ConcernedApe fans believed the combat would be similar to StarDew Valley. However, Concerned Ape has reassured the fandom that the combat is being built from the ground up for Haunted Chocolatier.
The last update from the blog was on Christmas day and featured a very minimal straight-to-the-point message to reassure fans that the game is still in development but ConcernedApe didn’t want to share too much content from it at this time.
Overall, the blog is your best shot at keeping up to date with anything about the game. The blog has a media section with live screenshots by ConcernedApe. This has been quite a good tool to judge the sort of themes and gameplay we can anticipate, without giving too much away. Below is the link to the media section for readers to browse and make their own judgments about the game.
https://www.hauntedchocolatier.net/media/
Twitter Coverage
ConcernedApe can be followed on Twitter for updates regarding StarDew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier. Whilst browsing his Twitter the most recent update for Haunted Chocolatier was some screenshots and the promise of new images in the coming year.
The screenshots as shown below feature small images from the game and are both have stark differences when compared. One shows a mysterious building with the backdrop of a graphically colorful dark sky and the other is a stereotypical American school bus with plants growing out of the top.
No context is given and leaves us hanging on waiting for more.
Prior to this the aforementioned Combat Gameplay clip was featured on Twitter on Halloween 2021. I have included this below to allow readers to have a look.
Best Sources
Overall, the best plan of action for sourcing updates for this game is to follow the blog, Youtube, Twitter, and us here on Vibe. It’s definitely a game worth checking out and being part of the journey whilst it develops.
Hang in there
If you’re anything like me, you will be excited about this new installment from ConcernedApe.
However, I’m happy to wait until they see fit to tell us more. Until then I plan to revisit my farm in StarDew Valley! Don’t forget to check out the blog and Twitter featured and leave some comments to start discussions below!
26, Indie Game connoisseur. Also a hamster mum, fiancée & working in the addiction field. Gaming and writing are my escape and comfort for when the world gets too much!
