Barone Reveals Haunted Chocolatier Action RPG Direction

Eric Barone, creator of Stardew Valley, has revealed new details about Haunted Chocolatier in a GQ interview, explaining that his upcoming game will emphasize action RPG systems, exploration and combat rather than following the farming focus of his previous title.

The developer said Haunted Chocolatier remains a town-based game but will feature adventuring, equipment progression, monsters and boss fights. The game, first announced in 2021, still has no release date.

Barone previously acknowledged the lengthy development process and said he was still working on the project.

"Feels kinda dumb posting this same thing over and over, but that’s the reality," Barone said.

In the GQ interview, Barone described the gameplay shift from Stardew Valley while comparing it with the mining sections that some players enjoy.

"It is still what I call a town game," Barone said.

Barone explained that the new title will put more focus on progression and battles than Stardew Valley. He said the game is aimed at players who enjoyed combat-focused areas of his earlier work.

"But it’s more of an action RPG — the main focus is more about adventuring, finding equipment and getting more powerful. There are monsters, there are boss fights. It's for the people in Stardew Valley that go into the mines. That's what I do, honestly," Barone said.

He also discussed his approach to polishing the game, saying he carefully reviews many elements before release.

"I am being very thoughtful about every aspect of the game," Barone said.

Barone highlighted interface design as one area requiring repeated adjustments because players will frequently use systems such as the chocolate recipe book.

"perfect," Barone said.

He described the detailed process behind refining features that players interact with regularly.

"To me, it’s not a simple task, as I torture myself over every last detail," Barone said.

The developer said he has avoided showing too much of Haunted Chocolatier before it is ready because parts of the game may still change during development.

"Partly, it feels like I’m serving a half-baked bread. I would rather serve a fully baked bread," Barone said.

"Also, I know that many parts of the game will likely evolve and change before release, so if I reveal them early, I risk disappointing players if the final product does not match their expectation. Fortunately, I’m in a position where I don’t need to market the game, so I can take my preferred approach," Barone said.

Barone said his expanded team has allowed him to spend more time on Haunted Chocolatier while others help with Stardew Valley updates.

"Well, part of the reason why I've expanded my team a little bit is so that hopefully I can spend more time working on Haunted Chocolatier," Barone said.

He added that he expects to become more involved later in Stardew Valley 1.7 development to review and approve changes.

"At some point in 1.7's cycle, I will get heavily involved, because I feel like my hand needs to touch every part of the game, every aspect of the update. I need to go over it and adjust it or at least approve everything. So it will require a lot of my time anyway, but I think the balance has been a little bit more shifted, so that I can spend more time focused on Haunted Chocolatier.

And I think it's been working out pretty good. That's been a big change from the 1.3 update or 1.1 or something where it's completely me. I had no time to work on a new game.

So that has changed," Barone said.

Barone also described the challenge of moving between projects with different creative demands.

"It is difficult because it's hard to shift gears, I guess. If I'm thinking about Haunted Chocolatier, it's difficult to be like, 'Okay, I'm going to one day of the week or two days of the week work on Stardew Valley.' That's not how my brain works.

I'm all in one thing or the other. So I've been trying to work on that. I feel like it requires a lot of discipline, which I'm always working to improve on," Barone said.

Earlier updates from Barone confirmed that Haunted Chocolatier remains in development, with no announced launch date.

"I'm alive, the game is still in development," Barone said.

Barone has continued to avoid setting a deadline for release, saying development will continue until the project is complete.

"The game will come out when it's done," Barone said.