Tuesday, October 13, 2026
Tech

Haunted Chocolatier is an action RPG, Stardew Valley creator reveals: combat, boss fights

Rive News Research Desk

Published · 5 min read

Key takeaways

  • Eric Barone, known as ConcernedApe, told GQ that Haunted Chocolatier is "more of an action RPG" than a farming sim.
  • The core loop is adventuring, finding equipment, and growing stronger while fighting monsters and bosses.
  • There is still no release date. The game keeps its cozy heart: a chocolate shop in a haunted castle.
Pixel-art style game scenery
File photo: pixel-art style game scenery, like the visual style Haunted Chocolatier will usePhotograph: Fahmirayan, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Image: Wikimedia Commons

Haunted Chocolatier will be an action RPG, not a farming game. Stardew Valley creator Eric Barone, who goes by ConcernedApe, confirmed this in a new GQ interview. The focus will be adventuring, fighting monsters, and growing stronger.

What happened

Barone shared the new details in an interview with GQ, published on October 12, 2026. Polygon covered the interview the same day. He called it a "town game," then added the key line: "it is more of an action RPG".

An action RPG is a game where you fight enemies in real time. You press buttons to attack, dodge, and use skills. Your character also grows stronger over time.

Think of it as fighting plus leveling up.

"The main focus is more about adventuring, finding equipment and getting more powerful. There are monsters, there are boss fights," Barone told GQ. "It is for the people in Stardew Valley that go into the mines," he said.

"That is what I do, honestly."

That line matters. In Stardew Valley, the mines were an optional side activity. You could fight monsters down there, but you could also ignore them and just farm.

In Haunted Chocolatier, that side activity becomes the main event.

What is Haunted Chocolatier, for beginners

If you have never heard of this game, here is the simple version. You play as a chocolatier, a person who makes chocolate. You live and work in a haunted castle.

Ghosts and strange creatures share the place with you.

Your daily life sounds cozy. You gather ingredients. You make chocolate.

You run your own chocolate shop and sell your treats. You get to know the people and spirits in town, much like the friendship system in Stardew Valley.

But the world is dangerous. You explore strange areas to find rare ingredients. Monsters get in your way.

You fight them, sometimes in boss fights against big, tough enemies. Winning gives you better equipment and new areas to explore.

The art style stays close to Stardew Valley. Both games use pixel art, where characters and scenes are built from small colored squares. It looks old-school on purpose, and fans love it.

Barone has worked on the game alone, just like he did with Stardew Valley. He first announced it in 2021, so it has been over five years in the making. In an August blog post, he apologized for the slow pace.

He said he does not want to rush the game, because rushing could hurt its quality.

How it differs from Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley, which launched in 2016, is mostly a farming and life sim. You inherit a run-down farm. You grow crops, raise animals, and build friendships in the town of Pelican Town.

Combat exists, but it is a small slice of the game.

Haunted Chocolatier flips that balance. Fighting and exploring move to the center. Farming-style calm moves to the edges.

The shop, the cooking, and the town friendships keep the cozy feel, but the action comes first.

This is not a sequel. You do not need to have played Stardew Valley to understand the new game. The stories and characters are separate.

What carries over is the mood: warm, hand-crafted, and full of small details.

A real-life chocolate shop exterior
File photo: a real-life chocolate shop exterior. In the game, you will run your own chocolate business from a haunted castlePhotograph: Hirho, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Image: Wikimedia Commons

Why it matters

Fans have waited years for real gameplay details, and this is the clearest picture yet. The game is no longer "Stardew Valley but with chocolate." It is its own thing with a real combat core.

It also explains the long wait. Building a whole action system with equipment, monsters, and boss fights takes more work than a farming sim. A solo developer doing everything by hand needs time.

Barone said no one else has even played the game yet. He wants it finished before he shows it.

The news is big for a certain kind of player. If your favorite part of Stardew Valley was the mines, this game is built for you. If you loved only the farming, the cozy shop life should still feel familiar.

What happens next

There is no release date, and Barone gave no hint of one. Anyone claiming a date is guessing. The honest answer is that the game will arrive when he says it is ready.

Barone compared finishing the game to cooking a turkey. You do not pull it out halfway to let guests taste it. "It needs to be done," he told GQ.

Fans should expect more small updates like this one, not a launch announcement.

Haunted Chocolatier now sits beside Grand Theft Auto 6 on the list of most-watched unreleased games. Both have huge fan bases and long waits. The difference is that Barone keeps sharing real details, one interview at a time.

When the game finally lands, your accounts will matter more than ever. Cloud saves, wishlists, and store logins all sit behind passwords. Read how passkeys work in plain English so your gaming accounts stay safe when launch day comes.

For now, the plan is simple. Watch for the next update. Replay Stardew Valley if you miss the world.

And remember the turkey. It is still in the oven.

Taggedgaminghaunted chocolatierconcernedapeaction rpgindie games

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