Exactly how similar Haunted Chocolatier will be to its spiritual successor Stardew Valley remains to be seen, but it’s reasonable to assume that the two will share quite a bit of DNA. Based on what developer Eric Barone has revealed about Haunted Chocolatier, it appears to, at the very least, retain Stardew‘s wholesome pixelated art style and light life sim mechanics, alongside an apparent focus on customization.
This can only be a good thing, as Stardew Valley‘s well-wrought core systems are nothing if not easy to iterate upon—something that has been evidenced by countless Stardew-like indies over the past several years. At the same time, it would be rather disappointing if Haunted Chocolatier were to just be a spin-off of Stardew. Of course, Barone has made it clear that Chocolatier will be more of an action-RPG, with a greater emphasis on combat and progression, but the game’s slice-of-life elements should grow in accordance with this fundamentally new identity. As such, the way that Haunted Chocolatier handles its NPC-protagonist interactions and relationships may be vital for its success as a creative project, and there’s at least one fundamental change that could lead to meaningful growth.
Related
Haunted Chocolatier’s Latest Combat Teaser is Another Good Omen
While Stardew Valley fans remain starved for Haunted Chocolatier updates, the latter’s most recent sneak peek sends a promising message.
Haunted Chocolatier Should Give Relationships Room to Go South
Stardew Valley’s Relationships Can Only Improve
While players can technically lose friendship progress with NPCs in Stardew, either by neglecting them or through certain behaviors, the relationships can never truly be bad. Rather, the worst thing that can happen is that the connection can get closer to its baseline, which is essentially a neutral view of the player-character. This has its benefits, of course—players don’t have to worry about being punished too severely for their actions—but it also makes things a bit too simplistic, watering down the life simulation systems that are so central to the game.
In real life, relationships can and do sour. Of course, people generally don’t want these things to happen, but the fact that they can happen is a big part of what makes human relationships so beautiful: they are fickle and unpredictable, and can hurt just as much as help. Through the absence of “negative relationship points” or something similar, Stardew Valley winds up presenting an unfortunately dumbed-down rendition of human interaction, leading to a social sim sandbox that is shallower than it could be otherwise. Come Haunted Chocolatier, adding an edge to its various social systems could wind up being a boon.
How Bad Relationships Could Function in Haunted Chocolatier
The most obvious purpose that bad relationship scores could serve in Haunted Chocolatier is to be a punishment, incentivizing players to engage with its social simulation mechanics. This could work, but the concept could also be far more nuanced. For instance, if Haunted Chocolatier has a particularly unlikable NPC, players wouldn’t just be limited to bonding with them or ignoring them: they could also actively nurture animosity. It’s not the most wholesome way to engage with a cozy game, sure, but it would certainly lend Chocolatier a sense of freedom.
Negative character relationships could also deepen social interactions and role-playing systems by offering trade-offs. For instance, perhaps the game could introduce a particular piece of gear that can only be obtained by stealing it from a particular NPC, thereby decreasing their relationship status. This would force players to choose between having a good relationship with a character, reaping those benefits, and getting the gear that they want. Another example would be through quest design: players could choose to side with one NPC or another, strengthening one relationship to the detriment of another. However such a concept manifests, making room for “bad” character relationships could add more weight to Haunted Chocolatier‘s social simulation features, which would only be a good thing.
