As strange as it may sound, Haunted Chocolatier may have the tools to make a notoriously hated kind of video game quest work in its favor. After the success of Stardew Valley, it’s hard to underestimate what ConcernedApe may pull off with his next game. After all, Haunted Chocolatier will be far from a retread of old ground, even if it shares some of Stardew Valley‘s mechanics. In fact, it can feature one kind of challenge that Stardew Valley didn’t. Not only that, but it could take that same notorious gameplay twist and make it work in its favor.
While the gameplay of Haunted Chocolatier has only briefly been shown off so far, there is already good reason for fans to look forward to it. Early gameplay footage points towards a game with a similar sort of charm to Stardew Valley, which should not be much of a surprise. However, Haunted Chocolatier has its own vibe in a few different ways. Its chocolate shop is a big departure from Stardew Valley‘s farm, especially since the player is selling their creations themselves, and the ghosts add a good bit of supernatural intrigue. It should be interesting to see where else Haunted Chocolatier can go.
Related
If Haunted Chocolatier does have a friendship gameplay mechanic, it should take more inspiration from Metaphor: ReFantazio than Persona in one way.
Haunted Chocolatier Could Make Escort Quests Into a Valuable Asset
Escort Quests in Video Games Have a Notorious Reputation
Among the quests in Stardew Valley, one category that the game never went into was escort quests. Escort quests have existed in multiple genres, and involve the player having to guide a character through a typically dangerous area. Historically, escort quests have proven quite unpopular, with the character being escorted frequently being weak and requiring the player to be extremely vigilant when protecting them. It tends to throw a wrench in the gameplay formula that complicates things without adding much in the way of fun. Despite offering a gameplay change, most escort quests end up being quite disliked, even in generally good games.
The closest that Stardew Valley came to an escort quest was playing Journey of the Prairie King with Abigail in a Heart Event, which only required the player to beat the game’s first level.
Haunted Chocolatier’s Gameplay Design Could Make Escort Quests Manageable
Despite these issues, the mechanics of Haunted Chocolatier could give it a chance to make some good escort missions. Stardew Valley‘s combat was simple, but worked very well, perfectly fitting the game’s combat scenarios, and ConcernedApe confirmed a greater focus on combat and its related mechanics in Haunted Chocolatier. Its approachable style of combat could be a good fit for an escort quest, since Stardew Valley wasn’t the type of game to excessively swarm players with enemies, therefore making it less likely for players to get overwhelmed in escort missions. Any improvements that Haunted Chocolatier makes to the formula would presumably only help.
Escort Quests Could Help Build Relationships in Haunted Chocolatier
Escort missions could also be useful in forming relationships in Haunted Chocolatier. Since Stardew Valley already had missions offered by various characters, Haunted Chocolatier could occasionally mix escort missions into the mix. An NPC could need the player’s help warding off monsters in order to reach a specific place. Upon succeeding, the player would receive a boost in their relationship with the character in question as a reward. Of course, the escort mission itself would still need to be reasonably designed. However, if done well, it would be an excellent addition to Haunted Chocolatier‘s new array of quests.
While escort quests aren’t widely liked, Haunted Chocolatier may be able to make them work. Between upgraded combat mechanics in Haunted Chocolatier, good quest design and length, and meaningful rewards, they could be well worth the player’s effort. After all, with Haunted Chocolatier being developed by someone who made farming chores fun in Stardew Valley, making a notorious video game trope rewarding isn’t out of the question. Haunted Chocolatier could surprise players with some unexpectedly enjoyable escort quests.
Haunted Chocolatier
Haunted Chocolatier is an upcoming adventure game from Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe (Eric Barone). The game is currently set to feature a lush explorable world, chocolate making and cooking, a spooky theme, and more. There is currently no release date or time period for the game.
- Platform(s)
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Microsoft Windows
- Released
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2025
- Engine
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MonoGame
- ESRB
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e