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Austin Manchester is a writer and editor living in New York City. At Polygon, he covers gaming and entertainment news, reviews new video games, interviews behind-the-scenes talent, and more. He enjoys discovering hidden gems and sharing them with Polygon's audience. Previously, he was the gaming editor for AIPT Comics and has written for other outlets like XDA, How-To Geek, and The List.
He enjoys soulslikes, character-driven RPGs, and third-person shooters plucked straight out of the Xbox 360 era. He also likes to flex his non-video game nerdy knowledge sometimes, whether that's explaining who's who in the new Wolverine game or recommending a comic book series about a sentient sword.
ConcernedApe confirms new game is an action RPG (but still cozy)
Stardew Valley creator's Haunted Chocolatier shows new signs of life
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Stardew Valley fans have been waiting a while for the next game from developer Eric Barone, who also goes by ConcernedApe. In an August blog post about Haunted Chocolatier, he apologized for the length of development while also saying he "[doesn't] stress too much about how long it’s taking" because he doesn't want to rush the process and, in turn, hurt the game.
Barone is still hard at work on Haunted Chocolatier, and in a new interview with GQ, he gave fans some ideas of what to expect from his next game. While Stardew Valley had some action in it, expect even more in Haunted Chocolatier. "It is still what I call a town game, but it’s more of an action RPG," Barone told GQ.
"The main focus is more about adventuring, finding equipment and getting more powerful. There are monsters, there are boss fights. It's for the people in Stardew Valley that go into the mines. That's what I do, honestly," Barone said. While Stardew Valley does feature some areas where players can fight monsters, like in the mines, it's mostly a farming and life sim. By the sound of things, Haunted Chocolatier will feature more action, but it will still be cozy like Stardew Valley, as you'll run a chocolate business and get to know the locals.
Haunted Chocolatier is still without a release date
Barone kicked off the year by acknowledging he announced the game a wee bit too early. He revealed Haunted Chocolatier back in 2021 and has been chipping away at it since. Like Stardew Valley, it's been a solo endeavor for Barone, and he hasn't even let anyone else play Haunted Chocolatier yet.
"No one's playing the game until I'm ready to show it," Barone told GQ. "If you have a turkey in the oven. You're not going to pull it out halfway and have the guests taste it, right? It needs to be done."
Barone will be done cooking his turkey, Haunted Chocolatier, when he says he's done, and not a moment sooner.