Not even Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone’s partner Amber gets to play his new game Haunted Chocolatier yet. That’s because the Stardew Valley creator doesn’t feel like his sophomore effort is finished yet, and if you’ve ever eaten a Thanksgiving day turkey that needed more time in the oven, you’ll vividly remember how terrible it is serving half-baked anything.
Talking to GQ, Barone says he’s intent on making Haunted Chocolatier all by himself, with the exception of external marketing teams, just like he did with Stardew Valley. Barone has occasionally hired outside help to work on non-creative tasks over the years, but working largely in isolation means he’s the only one actually playing these games while they’re in development, and that’s exactly how he wants it.
“No one’s playing the game until I’m ready to show it,” he says, adding a metaphor that makes me want to come to every Thanksgiving gathering with a digital meat thermometer. “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.”
It does need to be done, yes. Butterball, the foremost authority on turkey as a food product, recommends cooking your turkeys to 170°F in the thigh and breast areas, and 165°F in turkey-based stuffings. I can’t tell you what that looks like in Haunted Chocolatier, but I do know melted chocolate is the best chocolate.
In the same interview, Barone once again describes Haunted Chocolatier as “more of an action RPG” than Stardew Valley, this time adding that it’s for players who like to “go into the mines” to grind and grow more powerful.