Summary
Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone is hard at work on his next game,Haunted Chocolatier.The enigmatic solo developer is notoriously secretiveabout his work and has been very selective about what he has revealed about the upcoming game. As a result, fans are left to wildly speculate each time he shares new details about his new project.
The burningquestion that often pops up wheneverHaunted Chocolatieris discussedis whether it has any connection to Barone’s previous work, the smash-hit farming simulatorStardew Valley. It is probably safest to assume that the two games only bear superficial similarities such as the pixel art style, relationship mechanics, and mysterious yet cozy atmosphere. With that said, new information has revealed that there may be more of a connection betweenStardew ValleyandHaunted Chocolatierthan previously thought.
RELATED:Stardew Valley Creator ConcernedApe Shows Off New Haunted Chocolatier Screenshots
ConcernedApe Stirs The Pot With A Screenshot
As already mentioned, Barone is careful not to divulge more information than absolutely necessary. This is true for bothHaunted Chocolatierand any updates he is working on forStardew Valley.He sometimes shares new information via Twitter where he seems to enjoy teasing and interacting with fans.The latestHaunted Chocolatierinformationis a screenshot that reveals an unnamed character that looks almost exactly like Grandpa fromStardew Valleyright down to the long nightcap he is wearing.
When asked how he decides when to sharenew information aboutHaunted Chocolatier, ConcernedApe responded saying “I just feel like it somedays.” Many responses to the post immediately recognized the similarity between Grandpa and thisHaunted Chocolatiercharacter, but ConcernedApe chose not to respond to any of them.
First and foremost, the Grandpa doppelganger could simply be a new character that hasno relation toStardew Valleywhatsoever. One key difference is the color of the characters outfit. In theStardew Valleyintroduction Grandpa is wearing green pajamas, while the character in the newHaunted Chocolatierscreenshot has blue attire. The character portrait also has some differences to that of Grandpa’s fromStardew: Grandpa’s beard is smooth, while the new character’s beard is somewhat scruffy.
Exploring The Possibilities of Haunted Chocolatier’s Old Man
If the unnamed Grandpa-like character fromHaunted Chocolatieris, in fact, Grandpa fromStardew Valley,Haunted Chocolatierwould have to take place beforeStardew Valley. This is unlikely sinceGrandpa fromStardew Valleylived on his farm near Pelican Town for a long time as evidenced by the letter he writes to the player. The letter clearly says that Grandpa moved to the place he “truly belongs” long before the events of the game, and while he doesn’t explicitly mention the farm in the letter, his ghost’s dialogue implies that he was an avid farmer when the player gets his highest approval.
Another possibility is that the character revealed in the latestHaunted Chocolatierscreenshot is an older version ofthe Wizard fromStardew Valley. This might be something of a stretch for a number of reasons. The Wizard has a surly expression unlike the kind-faced old man from theHaunted Chocolatierscreenshot, but perhaps the wizard grew kinder in his old age.
There is also no evidence that the old man in theHaunted Chocolatierscreenshot practices magic. The room is littered with books, but they may just be regular books. However, The Wizard fromStardewdoes have bushy eyebrows and spiky hair that resembles the mysterious old man. Books can also be seen litteringthe Wizard’s residence inStardew Valley, albeit not to the extent of the room in the newHaunted Chocolatierscreenshot.
The Far-Reaching Implications For Stardew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier
If the old man in theHaunted Chocolatierscreenshot turns out to be the wizard, this raises some interesting possibilities. His likeness to Grandpa fromStardewcould then imply that they are somehow related, but this is pure conjecture. It stands to reason that Grandpa had children, but it is never revealed who his partner was. The only definitive fact that can be gleaned from Grandpa’s limited dialogue is that he has other grandchildren. Grandpa will say “maybe I should’ve left the farm to one of the other grandkids…” if the player gets the lowest approval in his evaluation of their progress with the farm.
It is possible that Grandpa had multiple children. The Wizard could potentially be theStardewplayer character’s uncle if this is the case. This isone area whereStardewshines; it can be brilliantly ambiguous about how some of the characters are related. For example, a popular fan theory is that Abigail is the Wizard’s daughter. This is supported by some of Caroline and Pierre’s dialogue, with the former telling the player that they took secret walks to the Wizard’s tower and the latter wondering if he is really Abigail’s father. The Wizard himself has dialogue where he wonders if he has a child in Pelican Town.
RELATED:Stardew Valley Dev Reveals New Haunted Chocolatier Screenshot
Stardew Valley’s Afterlife Theory
There is yet another possibility based on yetanotherStardew Valleyfan theory. Perhaps the events ofHaunted Chocolatiertake place in the afterlife, with all the townsfolk being stuck in a kind of purgatory. Even if this is the case, it is difficult to place Grandpa in this town since it seems like he spent most of his life at his farm. It is more likely that this is an entirely separate character, or thatHaunted Chocolatiertakes place in alternate universe of sorts.
While there are many possibilities as to the identity of the old man fromHaunted Chocolatierthat could connect the upcoming game toStardew Valley, fans of ConcernedApe’s work will likely have towait untilHaunted Chocolatiereventually releasesto get any definitive answers. Even then, the character’s identity might be left in the limbo of ambiguity, much like the existence and identity of the Wizard’s daughter.
Haunted Chocolatieris in development.
MORE:Haunted Chocolatier Has a High Bar to Clear With One Stardew Valley Mystery
