For Stardew Valley players, the shift has a familiar anchor. Combat exists in that game, but it is mostly confined to the mines, where rare materials are guarded by monsters. "[The new game] is for the people in Stardew Valley that go into the mines. That's what I do, honestly," Barone said. He also described Haunted Chocolatier as a more "metaphysical" experience than Stardew Valley, fitting its world of ghosts and spirits.

Anyone hoping to plan ahead will be disappointed: there is still no release date. Barone said "no one's playing the game until I'm ready to show it", and his last public update, back in January, was simply that the game remained in development. At that time he also stated: "The bottom line is, I don't want to give a release date. The game will come out when it's done."