As development continues onHaunted Chocolatier, the next project fromStardew Valleycreator ConcernedApe, many fans are hungry for information about the project. Little has been confirmed aboutHaunted Chocolatier, and Eric Barone—also known as ConcernedApe—has explained that his next game will not be a sequel toStardew Valley. Even if it is a new world from the one found inStardew Valley, there may be one NPC that could make an appearance inHaunted Chocolatier.
Through a trailer forHaunted Chocolatierand some artwork and development screenshots released by ConcernedApe, fans can identifyparallels betweenHaunted ChocolatierandStardew Valley. The art style and many gameplay aspects share similarities, indicating Barone’s unique style as a developer and artist. However, there is one NPC fromStardew Valleythat has a higher chance to appear inHaunted Chocolatierthanks to a few hints and the character’s role inStardew Valley.
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Who is Mr. Qi?
Mr. Qi is an NPC that players can encounter during their adventures in Pelican Town inStardew Valley. He’s an extremely mysterious figure, appearing to possess some amount of supernatural power and giving players a number of convoluted quests to progress the story. Mr. Qi is the owner of the casino in the Calico Desert and is the person who placed the chests inside the mines, allowing players to acquire upgraded gear and weapons during the long trek to the bottom where they find the key to the Skull Cavern.
While Mr. Qi exists in the world ofStardew Valley, he is clearly not a resident of Pelican Town, and none of the otherStardew ValleyNPCsseem to be aware that Mr. Qi even exists. Mr. Qi doesn’t seem bound by the same rules or existence as the other characters inStardew Valley, and if any character from ConcernedApe’s first game was to make an appearance inHaunted Chocolatier, it would most likely be Mr. Qi.
A popularfan theory states that Mr. Qi represents ConcernedApe himself, citing his omniscience of the players' actions and his access to extremely rare and magical items as evidence. If this fan theory is true and Mr. Qi is a self-insert, that makes it all the more likely that Mr. Qi could appear inHaunted Chocolatier. Additionally, a piece of artwork shared on Eric Barone’s Twitter account shows drawings of confectioneries that may be available inHaunted Chocolatier.
This image, shared with the caption “assorted chocolates (haunted)” features one treat that looks eerily similar to the Qi Fruit found inStardew Valley—a fruit crop that can only be obtained during the special “Qi’s Crop” quest. Players can access the Qi Beans and grow Qi Fruit after unlocking Qi’s Walnut Room on Ginger Island. While this resemblance may be nothing more than an Easter egg for fans ofStardew Valley, it also hints that Mr. Qi may exist in the world ofHaunted Chocolatieras well.
Due to Eric Barone’s recent announcement that he will be temporarilypausing development onHaunted Chocolatierin order to work onStardew Valley’s 1.6 update, fans will have to wait a bit longer for more news aboutHaunted Chocolatier. With no confirmed release date and only a few official pieces of media from ConcernedApe, players have little more than speculation to go off of when it comes toHaunted Chocolatier, butStardew Valleylovers that were hoping to see Mr. Qi again just might be in luck when the game finally releases.
Stardew Valleyis available now for Mobile, Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
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