Haunted Chocolatier Shouldn't Imitate Stardew Valley's Story

Important takeaways

• Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon rely heavily on the legacy premise.
• Haunted Chocolatier could provide a unique story by avoiding the farm heritage trope.
• Haunted Chocolatier's dark and mysterious premise could justify a unique plot departure.

For decades, farm life sims have leaned heavily on a familiar narrative trope, where the player inherits a farm or business that must be restored to its former glory. From Harvest Moon to Stardew Valleythe premise has become a fairly convenient narrative strategy and risks feeling repetitive if it's kept up — assuming it's not already seen as such. Now, the upcoming release of Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone's Haunted Chocolates has a chance to turn that trope on its head by offering something the genre isn't known for.

Despite having similar gameplay elements, there is enough that is unique Haunted Chocolates that it could go in a different direction with its story than life-sim games like Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon have. Of course, Haunted Chocolates already stands out with its promise of running a chocolate shop haunted by friendly spirits, mixing cozy gameplay with supernatural mystery. However, that's arguably why it should also explore an “origin” story that sets it even more apart from the games it shares a genre with.

Haunted Chocolatier should avoid Stardew Valley's Inheritance Trope

Stardew Valley begins as a legacy story

Just as the case is with Harvest Moonwhich Stardew Valley based on, Stardew Valley is a legacy story in its premise. The game's story begins with the player inheriting his grandfather's old farm in the countryside of Pelican Town, after which the players are basically set free and allowed to play the game as they wish. The legacy of the farm acts as the catalyst for the player to leave behind a monotonous corporate job to start a new life focused on farming, community building and personal growth.

Again, while the legacy is setting up Stardew Valleys story, the story is less about the legacy of the farm itself and more about how the player chooses to shape his life and relationships in the city. The freedom to customize and develop the farm, build relationships and explore the world is what drives the overall experience of Stardew Valleyrather than focusing on the legacy itself. In its earliest days, the Harvest Moon franchise required players to restore their farm to a certain point within a certain time period, which is why Stardew Valleys freer form has been met with praise.

Despite its willingness to allow players to play the game as they see fit, as opposed to being bound by its legacy premise,
Stardew Valley
has nevertheless preserved the heritage story tradition that the Farm Sims have been doing for decades now, so
Haunted Chocolates
might be better to avoid it to give players something more unique.

Haunted Chocolatier's story should be as dark and mysterious as its premise

Given Haunted Chocolatess premise, perhaps its story and player character introduction should be just as dark and mysterious. Specifically, rather than seeing the player character simply inherit a chocolate factory from his late grandfather, Haunted Chocolates could set up the story in a way that could be considered “off brand” for a farm sim.

Perhaps the player character is a chocolate producer from another world, and when they step into a mysterious portal, they find themselves in the deprived environment of Haunted Chocolateswhere the only thing they have to offer the quaint town is their expertise in making chocolate. The player then brings prosperity to the once dilapidated city by drawing people from the surrounding area, where news of the player's chocolate has spread.

Instead of seeing the player character simply inherit a chocolate factory from his late grandfather,
Haunted Chocolates
could set up the story in a way that could be considered “off brand” for a farm life sim.

On the other hand, maybe Haunted Chocolates could make the inheritance story work, but not from a relative. Perhaps the player character stumbles upon the chocolate confectionery shop during a stormy night in an unfamiliar town and is forced to stop by the spirits that inhabit it. These spirits then guide the player, sharing cryptic stories about their past lives and why they are bound to the shop. From there, the player's journey involves building relationships with the ghosts within Haunted Chocolates to reveal their story and help them find peace by creating unique chocolate for them.

There are many different directions Haunted Chocolates could go with its story, especially given its unique premise in the life sim genre. While it can certainly make the legacy story work, it might be better to avoid that trope, as it's been repeated far too many times to count. Instead, Haunted Chocolates could make waves by having a story as amazing as its premise.