The famous game designer, Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone, has been devoting most of his time to Stardew Valley updates in recent years, but he has also quietly been working on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier. Announced in October 2021, Haunted Chocolatier is an unconventional cross between an action RPG and a chocolate shop management sim, and it features a Stardew Valley-like art style. The game has been in development for quite some time, but is still years away from being released, and will probably launch as a PC exclusive when it eventually does come out.
Judging by the few snippets of Haunted Chocolatier gameplay that have been shown so far, it appears the game is going to feature a lot of characters that players can interact and converse with, much like Stardew Valley. In the trailers for the game, the player character can be seen discussing topics with NPCs and choosing between multiple dialogue options during conversations. ConcernedApe hasn’t revealed who most of these characters are and also hasn’t commented on whether Haunted Chocolatier will allow players to form bonds with them. However, if such a system is in the game, then maybe ConcernedApe should opt for a more Metaphor: ReFantazio-style approach to friendship gameplay mechanics rather than a Persona-inspired one.
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The Social Links in the Persona Series Use a Point-Based System
The Persona games don’t have a lot in common with ConcernedApe’s titles, but they do give players the option to befriend NPCs, just like in Stardew Valley. In the Persona series, players can complete what are known as Social Links by bonding with other party members and allies that they come across. These Social Links are typically divided into 10 ranks, with each of them featuring a unique event or dialogue sequence of some kind. Once players go through all 10 ranks in a character’s Social Link, they will be rewarded with a unique, ultimate Persona that can come in handy during combat.
The Social Links in the Persona series work using a point-based system. In order to gain enough points to level up one’s relationships, players must hang out with characters and complete certain actions, such as giving NPCs gifts or responding to correct dialogue options during conversations. Because spending free time with a character does not necessarily guarantee that players will earn enough points to move up a rank, completing all available Social Links in a mainline Persona game is often a long and arduous task, even in the series’ recent installments.
The Follower Bonds in Metaphor: ReFantazio Level Up Automatically
Metaphor: ReFantazio, on the other hand, has a different take on the friendship gameplay mechanics from the Persona series. Instead of having Social Links, Metaphor has something known as Follower Bonds. This feature is, in practice, very similar to the Social Links in the Persona games, but the one thing that makes it stand out is that it doesn’t use a point-based system. In Metaphor, every time players hang out with one of their allies, or Followers, their relationship levels up automatically. Players don’t have to revisit an NPC multiple times, like in the Persona series, in order to gain extra points to unlock the next relationship rank.
ConcernedApe Should Avoid Adding a Point-Based Relationship System to Haunted Chocolatier
If Haunted Chocolatier does allow players to befriend NPCs, like in Stardew Valley, ConcernedApe should strive to model the game’s bonding mechanics after Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s Follower Bonds instead of Persona‘s Social Links. The point-based relationship system found in both Stardew Valley and the Persona series can be beneficial in some instances, but it can artificially pad out a game’s length. Instead of forcing players to repeat certain actions over and over again to befriend NPCs, ConcernedApe could add a lot more character interactions and dialogue sequences to Haunted Chocolatier by allowing them to automatically level up relationships, like in Metaphor: ReFantazio.
