Haunted Chocolatier

 
Haunted Chocolatier is an upcoming action RPG and life simulation game developed and published by ConcernedApe, the creator of Stardew Valley. The game is currently in development for PC with no official release date announced. You play as a chocolatier living in a haunted castle, gathering ingredients, crafting chocolate, and building relationships with the townspeople of a remote, snowy town.
About the Game
Haunted Chocolatier takes the beloved life-sim formula of Stardew Valley and gives it a darker, more fantastical twist. Instead of running a farm, you run a confectionery shop inside a haunted castle, gathering rare ingredients from the surrounding world and turning them into chocolate to sell. Furthermore, the game is set in the same universe as Stardew Valley, but in a remote, perpetually cold and snowy town with a more mysterious atmosphere. Eric Barone has described the tone as more “dark and mysterious” than his previous work.
Unlike Stardew Valley’s farming focus, Haunted Chocolatier leans more heavily into action RPG combat, with the player using weapons and shields to block and deflect attacks from ghosts and other supernatural enemies. Additionally, the game retains familiar life-sim elements such as romanceable NPCs, customizable shop layouts, and a strong sense of place within its town. It is a single-player-only experience, with no multiplayer currently planned. Barone has repeatedly emphasized that the game will release only when it’s ready, without committing to a fixed date.
Key Features
Chocolate Shop Simulation
The core gameplay loop involves gathering ingredients, crafting chocolate confections, and selling them in your own shop. You can customize your store’s layout to suit your style. Furthermore, running the shop ties together exploration, crafting, and commerce into one cohesive loop, much like farming did in Stardew Valley.
Action RPG Combat
Combat plays a larger role than in Stardew Valley, with weapons and shields used to block and deflect enemy attacks. Barone has described the game as more of an action RPG in comparison to his farming sim. As a result, exploring the world around the castle carries real risk alongside the reward of rare ingredients.
Haunted Castle Setting
You live and work inside a haunted castle, surrounded by ghosts and supernatural elements. That setting gives the game a spookier, more atmospheric identity than typical cozy life sims. Moreover, the remote, snowy town setting reinforces the isolated, mysterious tone the game is going for.
Town Life and Relationships
Like Stardew Valley, Haunted Chocolatier lets you build relationships with townspeople, including the possibility of pursuing romance. The town is full of shops and NPCs with their own stories to discover over time. In addition, this social layer keeps the game rooted in the same comforting town-life fantasy that made Stardew Valley so beloved, even within a darker setting.
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Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley focuses on farming and a sunnier, more grounded tone. Haunted Chocolatier replaces farming with chocolate-making and adds a darker, action-RPG combat layer.
Fans of ConcernedApe’s previous work looking for a spookier evolution of the formula.


Potion Permit
Potion Permit blends life-sim shop management with light action elements in a village setting. Haunted Chocolatier leans further into combat and a gothic, haunted atmosphere.
Players who enjoy shopkeeping sims combined with adventure and combat.


Moonlighter
Moonlighter combines dungeon-crawling combat with shop management during the day. Haunted Chocolatier merges those ideas with deeper town-life and relationship systems.
Players who want a mix of combat, gathering, and running their own business.



Game Details

Developer: ConcernedApe (Eric Barone)
Publisher: ConcernedApe
Platforms: PC confirmed at launch; console versions (Switch, PlayStation, Xbox) intended to follow eventually; mobile undecided
Release Date: Not yet announced. No early access and no pre-orders planned
Genre: Action RPG, Life Simulation
Multiplayer: Single-player only, no multiplayer planned
Announced: October 2021

System Requirements
No official PC system requirements have been published, since the game does not yet have a release date or public build. Given that Stardew Valley ran on very light hardware, Haunted Chocolatier is expected to have similarly modest requirements, but this cannot be confirmed until closer to release.