ConcernedApe Says Haunted Chocolatier Is 'More Than an Action RPG' Compared to Stardew Valley

Eric Barone, known as ConcernedApe, has spoken about the difference between the comprehensive indie game Stardew Valley and his next anticipated game, Haunted Chocolatier.

Eric Baron, aka ConcernedApe, has briefly discussed the differences between his standalone and immersive game Stardew Valley and his highly anticipated next game, Haunted Chocolatier.

Barron announced Haunted Chocolatier in 2021, but amid his ongoing work on the wildly successful Stardew Valley, progress continues to slow. In fact, back in June, Barron admitted that he felt somewhat embarrassed that he had to keep saying he was still working on the game. "It feels silly posting this over and over again, but it's the truth," he said at the time.

In a new interview with GQ (thanks, Eurogamer), Barron talked about what to expect from Haunted Chocolatier in the end, and what I expected was more different than Stardew Valley. For starters, it's set in a more "metaphysical" locale, and gameplay-wise, it's more of an action RPG.

"It's still what I'd call an urban game, but it's more of an action RPG — the focus is more on adventuring, finding gear, and getting stronger. There are monsters, there are boss fights. It's for the people in Stardio Valley who go mining. It's what I do honestly," Baron said.

In June, Baron admitted that he fussed over every last detail in an effort to make the haunted chocolates as perfect as possible. "I'm very thoughtful about all aspects of the game," he said at the time. Things in the game that the player will interact with or use often need to be "perfect". They must be integrated, clear, intuitive, satisfying, aesthetic."

She used the example of repetition in her chocolate recipe book, which seemed like an important challenge.

"For me, it's not easy because I torture myself over the last detail," he said. This is an interface that you will use often, so it should be complete. You should be able to reach your goal with minimum number of clicks. The player should be presented with just the right amount of data: not so much that it's overwhelming, but not so little that it's trivial or mundane. And the way that data is laid out on the page is very important... if all the data is stacked together, it would be disgusting to look at. Data should be grouped into groups that are compelling, intuitive and easy to read/understand. It should look attractive and appealing. And that's just the bare minimum that players are likely to take for granted. If all this is done, the player is now comfortable when reading the recipe book. But I want more than comfort. I want to make the player happy. "All of this usually requires me to iterate on something several times before I'm happy with it."

Baron also explained why he didn't want to overrepresent Haunted Chocolatier at this stage of development. “To some extent, it seems like I'm serving a half-baked bun. I prefer to serve a fully baked bun. I also know that many parts of the game will likely evolve and change before release, so if I reveal them too early, I risk disappointing players if the final product doesn't meet their expectations. Fortunately, I'm in a position where I don't need to market the game, so I can take my preferred approach."

Haunted Chocolatier is so far without a release date, there's also the Stardew Valley 1.7 update, which Barone isn't directly working on. Earlier this year, he explained his current modus operandi in an interview with IGN.

"Well, part of the reason I've expanded my team a little bit is that I hope to be able to spend more time working on Haunted Chocolatier," he told us in February. And I'd say it's been pretty good so far. In 1.7, the approach we've taken is that I'm like the creative director, you might say, and I'm involved with, "Okay, this is what we're going to do." Here are some ideas. Then I let the team work on it. And then in the meantime, I'm working on Haunted Chocolatier.

"At some point in the 1.7 cycle, I'm going to be heavily involved because I feel like my hand has to touch every part of the game, every aspect of the update. I have to check it and adjust it or at least approve everything. So it's going to take a lot of my time anyway, but I think the balance has changed a little bit, so I can focus on it and think about it more. It's a big change from a 1.3 or 1.1 update. Or is there something in it. I haven't had time to work on a new game. So that's changed.

"It's hard, I think, because it's hard to shift gears," he says. If I'm thinking about haunted chocolates, it's hard to say, "Okay, I'm working on Stardew Valley one day a week or two days a week." My brain doesn't work like that. I am all in one thing. So I tried to work on it. "I feel like it takes a lot of discipline that I'm always trying to improve."

We caught up with ConcernedApe and talked about things like the addition of two new marriage candidates with 1.7, one secret player still to be found, and why there isn't a Stardew Valley TV show yet. We also talked to the Stardew Valley community about what the game has meant to them over the years.

Wesley is the managing editor of IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. Wesley can be reached at @wesley_yinpoole or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.