Summary
While theHarvest Moonfranchise, now known asStory of Seasons, has been a rather beloved farming simulator game for decades, the genre fell into obscurity as many gamers felt like its base features weren’t what they wanted as the years went by. Manyfarming simulation gamestried to pick up the slack, but none garnered the same amount of attention untilStardew Valleywas released in 2016. While it faced some criticisms, such as being seen as “too needy” by some players, it ended up being the perfect relaxing game for fans of the genre at the time.
Stardew Valleywas the game that made ConcernedApe, the alias for the singular developer Eric Barone, a known name. As the years went by, Barone would continue to update his game set in Pelican Town, and at least one more major update is in the pipeline for the game as of now. However, what’s most surprising is that the next set of features coming toStardeware also in the works alongside Barone’s next game,Haunted Chocolatier. However, this update may be exactly what sets these games apart.
Haunted Chocolatier and Stardew Valley Are Completely Different Player Experiences
Stardew Valley is a Multiplayer Farming Simulator
ConcernedApe’s farming simulator originally launched as a single-player experience, but multiplayer features were always planned to be included. In fact, they were meant to be part of the package originally released in 2016, but the co-op parts ofStardewweren’t completed and launched until April 2018. The game can be played solo without issues, but for many, theidea of co-opHarvest Moon-like titlewas a big draw to the game that setStardew Valleyapart from its competition.
For the first time, players could work on and shape a farm together with dynamic rules they can set before the game begins that match their specific style, such as sharing a wallet or using personal ones among all the players. This, alongside the same-sex marriage options and open-ended nature,Stardew Valleywas practically handing everythingfans ofStory of Seasonswanted on a silver platter back when it first launched, helping bolster its popularity.
Stardew Valleyhas done such a great job at being a “Harvest Moonclone” for PC that the creator ofHarvest MoonakaStory of SeasonsYashuhiro Wada himself has praised the game for selling so well and managing to capture feelings someSoSgames lacked later down the line.
The Next ConcernedApe Game May Be More Self-Contained
It’s important to remember thatStardew Valleymay not have launched with multiplayer features, but it was always planned to have them, because Eric Barone’s next game might go the opposite direction. After it was announced, Barone explained that “ifStardew Valleyis the sun,Haunted Chocolatieris the moon.” While it isn’t known just how these two games differ just yet, this phrase may relate to how this chocolate shop simulation game seems to be designed to be a solo, single-player experience unlike its spiritual predecessor. It’s a rather interesting change compared toStardew, which thrives off of its multiplayer.
This difference is going to be made even more apparent soon, becauseStardew Valleyis adding 8-player multiplayer support in update 1.6. Going from an 8-player co-op experience straight to amore personal experience inHaunted Chocolatiermay be whiplash for most of ConcernedApe’s player base. It’s a specific change that many will feel at first, but it’ll be quite easy to get used to. Barone’s games have already proven themselves since 2016 to have an air of quality and specific tonal direction that’ll likely makeHaunted Chocolatierjust as easy to cozy up with asStardew Valleywas, which means it will likely leave a similar impact on players, no matter how different the two titles are.
