Haunted Chocolatier 'More of an Action RPG' Compared to Stardew Valley, ConcernedApe Says

Eric Barone, aka ConcernedApe, has briefly discussed the difference between his all-conquering indie game Stardew Valley and his hotly anticipated follow-up, Haunted Chocolatier.

Barone announced Haunted Chocolatier back in 2021, but amid ongoing work on his phenomenally successful Stardew Valley, progress on the follow-up has been slow going. Indeed, in June, Barone admitted to feeling somewhat embarrassed to have to keep on saying he was still working away on the game. “Feels kinda dumb posting this same thing over and over, but that’s the reality,” he said at the time.

In a new interview with GQ (thanks, Eurogamer), Barone touched on what to expect from Haunted Chocolatier when it eventually comes out, and it sounds more different from Stardew Valley than I had expected. It’s set in a more “metaphysical” locale, for a start, and in terms of gameplay it’s more of an action RPG.

“It is still what I call a town game,” Barone said, “But it’s more of …