Haunted Chocolatier is taking a much more action-focused approach compared to Stardew Valley, and we're now learning that the game will even include boss battles.
In an episode of Reason Livestream (via PC Gamer), Haunted Chocolatier and Stardew Valley developer Eric Barone showed off a new song from the game, titled "Bee Boss". The song is a catchy tune that definitely gives off beehive vibes, but the reveal also serves as the first confirmation we've seen that boss battles are coming to Haunted Chocolatier.
In addition to bosses seemingly being present, there is a larger emphasis overall on combat in Haunted Chocolatier. We previously learned that Haunted Chocolatier's combat is being remade from scratch compared to Stardew Valley's, with Barone saying, "Haunted Chocolatier has a greater focus on combat, so it needs to be very fun, satisfying, and engaging, while also appropriately fitting into the big picture."
In Stardew Valley, combat took place in the mines, where players would descend deeper into the mine to find tougher enemies and better rewards. However, there weren't many options for players to choose how they wanted to approach combat. Barone is working on upgrading the combat for Haunted Chocolatier, introducing a shield/stun mechanic, among other new gameplay features.
Haunted Chocolatier was revealed last October. The game is a top-down pixel-based simulation, with a focus on sweet treats as opposed to Stardew's farming and ranching. We don't know when the game is coming, as Barone has said "it will be a while" before the game is done. As of now, PC is the only confirmed platform. For comparison, Stardew Valley also initially launched on PC, before making it to consoles long after release.
Logan Plant is a freelance writer for IGN. You can find him on Twitter @LoganJPlant.