Stardew Valley developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has given an update on his next game, Haunted Chocolatier. While it sounds like the game is still a long way from release, the solo dev gave some insight on his approach to designing the game with a focus on whimsy, mystery, and even spirituality.
Talking to PC Gamer, Barone says he wants to explore more metaphysical modes of creation in Haunted Chocolatier. "You have the left brain, which is the mechanical, engineering thing, and then you have this intuitive, psychic, paranormal side," he explained. "I feel like games are often very left-brain focused like: 'Here's your ingredients--now engineer the perfect chocolate.'"
"Instead I'm thinking, what if you do intuitive chocolate-making?" Barone continued. "What if it's not such a mechanical process? You have to let go of your desire to engineer the perfect chocolate and maybe just accept that there's a mystery and a whimsy, and maybe that's an important part of being human that needs to be explored a little bit more."
Just how that will come across in-game has yet to be seen, and Barone says elsewhere in the interview that he's still mainly working on the vertical slice for Haunted Chocolatier--essentially a proof-of-concept demo that will showcase the game's core mechanics and gameplay.
"In my game you might make ghost chocolates; you might make paranormal chocolates," Barone added, and then went on to compare his approach to how he designed his previous game. "Stardew Valley was a very grounded game: You're growing things in the earth--these are the basics ... the fundamentals of human sustenance. With Haunted Chocolatier I wanted to explore like, what next? We have our basic needs met with Stardew Valley. Now let's take it beyond into the realm of the ethereal and the creative."
Despite wanting Haunted Chocolatier to be an elevation of what he did with Stardew Valley, Barone has said that Stardew's ongoing maintenance is the main obstacle keeping him from working on the new game. "I'm always concerned with Stardew Valley and making sure that it's doing well, and that pulls me away from devoting all my time to Haunted Chocolatier."
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Talking to PC Gamer, Barone says he wants to explore more metaphysical modes of creation in Haunted Chocolatier. "You have the left brain, which is the mechanical, engineering thing, and then you have this intuitive, psychic, paranormal side," he explained. "I feel like games are often very left-brain focused like: 'Here's your ingredients--now engineer the perfect chocolate.'"
"Instead I'm thinking, what if you do intuitive chocolate-making?" Barone continued. "What if it's not such a mechanical process? You have to let go of your desire to engineer the perfect chocolate and maybe just accept that there's a mystery and a whimsy, and maybe that's an important part of being human that needs to be explored a little bit more."
Just how that will come across in-game has yet to be seen, and Barone says elsewhere in the interview that he's still mainly working on the vertical slice for Haunted Chocolatier--essentially a proof-of-concept demo that will showcase the game's core mechanics and gameplay.
"In my game you might make ghost chocolates; you might make paranormal chocolates," Barone added, and then went on to compare his approach to how he designed his previous game. "Stardew Valley was a very grounded game: You're growing things in the earth--these are the basics ... the fundamentals of human sustenance. With Haunted Chocolatier I wanted to explore like, what next? We have our basic needs met with Stardew Valley. Now let's take it beyond into the realm of the ethereal and the creative."
Despite wanting Haunted Chocolatier to be an elevation of what he did with Stardew Valley, Barone has said that Stardew's ongoing maintenance is the main obstacle keeping him from working on the new game. "I'm always concerned with Stardew Valley and making sure that it's doing well, and that pulls me away from devoting all my time to Haunted Chocolatier."
Source