Haunted Chocolatier, the next game from Stardew Valley's creator ConcernedApe, is still a bit of a mystery. We've seen an early gameplay trailer and a handful of screenshots, but it hasn't given away much information about the game's shopkeeping simulation or its story. But we have seen a few characters we expect to meet along the way and we can deduce a little more about each of them from the screenshots and teasers that ConcernedApe has shared so far.
Currently, we've seen six named characters in the snowy village. The extent of how they will impact the story of Haunted Chocolatier still remains unclear since we're deriving a lot of information about their personalities from short interactions with the player. But some of the townsfolk already seem to play more of an integral role than others such as a blacksmith, or a mysterious invitation extended to the player.
ConcernedApe has confirmed that Haunted Chocolatier will have NPC relationships but we don't know how similar the system will be to Stardew Valley's. Going by character interactions as seen in the early gameplay trailer, there's no dot in the corner of character portraits that hints toward a relationship like you see in Stardew Valley, but we expect more information on characters and their relationships with the player to come out later down the line. For now, here's what we know about the characters in Haunted Chocolatier.
Which characters are confirmed to be in Haunted Chocolatier?
- Lily
- Burk
- Maddie
- Jett
- Dr. Tungsten
- Nigel
- Unnamed old man (???)
Lily
Lily is the first character we are introduced to within the early gameplay trailer, and while dialogue with her is pretty short we assume that she is going to play a big part in the story. She offers an invite of sorts to the player, which she addresses in her text box stating "So… You received my invitation?" But what exactly this is for is unknown. Her house has a very retrowave aesthetic but that's all we know about her so far.
Burk
Burk appears to be the blacksmith of Haunted Chocolatier, based on the dialogue stating that he's "been at the furnace all morning" and his house which has a huge furnace and tools as a workstation. We can assume that Burk will be the one-stop shop for all things tools and weapons and generally better equipment.
Maddie
Maddie is one of the many NPCs we expect to fill out the town of Haunted Chocolatier, but we don't know exactly what her role is. She appears to be quite a curious character, asking the player questions about what it's like to live in the big city, so maybe she's never left the small village around your chocolate shop before. Beyond that, her personal storyline is a mystery.
Jett
Unlike Maddie, Jett plays a more obvious role as he is introduced while using lab equipment for his own research. He asks the player to refrain from telling Dr. Tungsten, another character we are yet to meet, but you can see him wearing goggles nearby in the lab. From his spikey-haired, pale appearance it feels safe to assume that Jett is more of a rebellious character who might share his information or research later down the line.
Dr. Tungsten
Though we haven't seen any dialogue from Dr. Tungsten yet, you can spot him working in his lab while talking with Jett. The good doctor has spikey grey hair and goggles and his lab is full of screens, monitoring lights, and a huge telescope. We don't know what the heck he's working on yet though.
Nigel
From the early gameplay trailer, Nigel is the final character we are introduced to. He appears to be the local bartender, standing behind a bar with a very full liquor shelf, a pool table, and several local patrons. Due to his occupation, he could be a good source of information regarding other characters later down the line but he doesn't say much to the player, only stating "You must be our new chocolatier." He seems to be one of the oldest characters in Haunted Chocolatier as well, going off his character portrait, which once again helps us assume that he will know more than we think about the town and its inhabitants.
Unnamed old man (???)
Spotted only in a teaser screenshot, we don't even know the name of this old man lying in bed wearing a cap and robe. Is it possible that he's the same grandpa from Stardew Valley? Probably not, but all guesses are fair game right now. He's spotted lying in a room full of books and cobwebs saying to the player: "...I was just having the most terrible dream."
