The haunted chocolate developer may have teased the return of the beloved Stardew Valley character

Stardew Valley creator Eric “ConcernedApe” Barone has unveiled a new screenshot from his upcoming game The Haunted Chocolatier, which has convinced some fans that the beloved Stardew Valley character is set to appear in the highly anticipated sweet shop simulation.

the scene in question An old man with a white beard appears in bed, with an unnamed companion standing by the bed. The darkened room filled with books about the couple and the clothes of the awakened man both seem to make a plain appearance. sorcerer vital, with the only other information coming in a mysterious text box containing eight simple words: “…I had the most terrible dream.”

Here is the haunted chocolate screen pic.twitter.com/bCVy3NJaMS

Concerned (@ConcernedApe) September 5, 2023

And ardent fans were quick to point out in the comments that the man in the photo looks a lot like the lovable Grandpa from Stardew Valley, who presents the player with his farm at the start of the game, appears on his deathbed, and returns periodically to rule. Your achievements in ethereal form.

Grandpa gets up

– 🪐Kit 🪐 (@QubitKitt) September 5, 2023

is he alive???

– Rebecca Stone (Taylor version) (@Forestminish) September 5, 2023

Grandpa? Is this you

– Al-Zaydiyah (@Zaydiiem) September 5, 2023

While it’s possible that the Awakened Man may be a different person than the grandfather we know who presents the ranch, one fan had a particularly interesting theory that potentially ties the worlds of Stardew Valley and Haunted Chocolatier together through this bearded puzzle.

“Okay, listen to me,” the X Startupwithmads user began. The Haunted Chocolate Maker is in sync with Stardew Valley – Grandpa gives one of his grandsons the farm and the other the chocolate shop (grandfather is a multi-industry tycoon). The Stardew Valley character we all play has a brother who lives in another town, and runs another family business.

Well, hear me out: The Haunted Chocolate Maker is in sync with Stardew Valley – Grandpa gives one of his grandsons the farm and the other the chocolate shop (grandpa is a multi-industry mogul) 👩🏻‍🌾👩🏻‍🍳, the Stardew Valley character we all play has a brother in another town, and he runs another . ..

– Mads (@startupwithmads) September 5, 2023

Elsewhere in the comments, fans have begun to speculate about the dream itself, suggesting it involved the events of the previous game, while others have suggested that Grandpa’s appearance could mean The Haunted Chocolatier is a precursor to Stardew Valley.

Of course, ConcernedApe fails to clarify the identity of the man or his mysterious companion, or the meaning behind the bad dream. However, the developer did reveal that there is “a lot” yet to be revealed, and that he’s been sitting on a slew of Haunted Chocolatier images that the creator of Stardew Valley could release, if the mood calls for it.

The developer replied to a nosy fan: “I’m working on the (Stardew Valley) 1.6 update right now, but just wanted to share a screenshot of HC.” “I’m sitting in front of so many screenshots to share, I just felt like it.” ConcernedApe also recently revealed that it’s creating a cookbook of 50 Stardew Valley recipes, including Strange Bun, Survival Burger, and Pink Cake, which goes on sale spring 2024.

Anthony is a freelance contributor covering science and video game news for IGN. He has over eight years of experience covering breaking developments in multiple scientific fields and has absolutely no time to fool you. Follow him on Twitter @BeardConGamer