Stardew Valley Conquered the World; What are Gamer Expectations From Eric Barone's New Work?
Eric Barone, known as ConcernedApe, rarely shares information about his new game, Haunted Chocolatier. Here's what players expect from this title.
Stardew Valley is one of the most talked about games in recent years. The pixelart game has attracted not only young players, but also adults who already have their own families.
As you may know, the developer Eric Barone, also known by the handle ConcernedApe, has been working for quite some time on a new title - Haunted Chocolatier.
Player expectations of this game are high. Suffice it to mention that they regularly fill Reddit with ideas about what should be included in it, also proving that the community focused around Barone is one of the best in the world of video games.
Revised in-game time mechanics
Haunted Chocolatier will not escape comparisons with Stardew Valley, which is why players often refer to this game in their comments. One of the changes that some of them expect is a different time mechanic.
In Stardew Valley we woke up in the morning, and time passed inexorably. We could plan whether to spend the day tending the farm, visiting NPCs, shopping, etc. At midnight, our character would get tired, and if we didn't make it to bed by 2:00 a.m., we would fall to the ground and fall asleep as we stood. The next day we could read a message that informed us that we had been found and carried home (a bit creepy), and a fee was charged for this service.
Not everyone likes such a mechanic, and there are voices among player opinions that it should be changed a bit. For example, so that we wake up in the morning and can collect ingredients for as long as we want. The time would only change when you return to your residence and start making sweets..
"I don't want a continuous clock. I want the day to be structured like this: you wake up, it's morning, it's time to collect ingredients. You can spend as much time as you want exploring. Once you've done everything you want to do, you go back to the residence and start making chocolate, which moves the day into the evening," suggests Bonesnapcall
Personally, I have to admit that I'm not a fan of this solution. The constantly flowing time in Stardew Valley made it worthwhile to meticulously plan what we were going to do the next day.
Romance
The ability to romance certain characters is one of the favorite options offered by Stardew Valley. It starts innocently enough - with a simple conversation, and then come the more and less apt gifts, until finally we find our virtual half, with whom, after fulfilling certain conditions, we can get married and even live to see offspring.
It is hard to imagine that ConcernedApe did not decide to implement romance options in Haunted Chocolatier, especially since an important part of this game will be specifically the interactions with NPCs. In addition, the ability to make sweet gifts opens up a potentially huge potential for giving gifts to our love interest. I can already see myself spending hours tweaking recipes to please a character that caught my eye.
Collectibles
Stardew Valley did not hold us by the hand, telling us what we absolutely must do at any given moment. Undoubtedly, this proved to be one of the reasons why this title gained such popularity. Haunted Chocolatier will probably be similar, and here, too, we will be able to focus on running a chocolate factory, getting to know NPCs or fighting (this mechanic is supposed to be even more important than in Stardew Valley). Some players are also counting on the fact that in their travels around the game world they will be able to collect collectible items and place them in their home..
"I would like to see collectible items available. I like having extra activities in the game," notes BloodyBladeKane
References to Stardew Valley
What else do players expect in Haunted Chocolatier? They want references to Stardew Valley. Some would probably be very happy to be able to return to Pelican Town and visit the old NPC acquaintences. We probably shouldn't count on that, but it is very possible that Eric Barone will add some references to the well-known game, if only in the form of easter eggs.
"I hope there will be some references to Pelican Town from Stardew Valley," hopes DrCrazyCurious
Exemplary community
When reviewing player statements about what they would like to see in Haunted Chocolatier, I repeatedly came across comments that made it clear that the community revolving around ConcernedApe's work is very understanding and patient. Yes, fans would like to play Haunted Chocolatier as soon as possible, but in the comments no one complained about the long development time.
On the contrary, very many people wrote directly that "genius is not rushed" or "Barone should have as much time to create the game as he wants. He will surely deliver an exceptional work." I do not hide the fact that such statements are very encouraging and I fully agree with them.
