‘Choo-Choo Charles’ – Chock Full of Chilling Train Chaos

Choo-Choo Charles makes it hard to customize and tweak your delightful little train since you keep getting attacked by a monstrous spider locomotive.

Without the prospect of being murdered by a multi-legged vehicle, this would be a nice little train customization game. You can drive around an island that’s wide open to you (so long as you follow the rails). Spread throughout it are lots of bits and bobs you can use to improve the train’s speed, armor, and the overall state of it. You’ll go from a fairly-basic looking train to a sharp piece of heavy machinery that will have you proudly blowing your whistle as you whip around the land. Unfortunately, there are several people and a train that are out to kill you, so you can’t just stop to savor your custom locomotive.

Our title monster doesn’t have to follow the same pesky rules about staying on the tracks as you do, though. This monstrous beast can come crawling out of nowhere to attack you. Well, that’s not entirely true. You’re free to hop out of the train and walk around on foot. You’ll need to if you’re going to find materials to improve your train or find some better weapons. However, there are lots of people out there who want you dead. There’s a killer train looking to chew on you. You’re very vulnerable outside your train, but you’ll definitely die without leaving the train to go get supplies. This makes you scared to leave, but frightened to stay. No matter what, you’ll have to face your fears and tackle the danger head-on. It’ll be worth it when you have the tools to improve your train and have a full-on showdown with that spider train, though. Trust me.

Choo-Choo Charles takes a wild concept and makes an impressive game out of it. Facing the spider train is always frightening and tense as it soaks up gunfire, but knowing you might run into it on foot is even scarier. You don’t have any choice but to charge head-on into that fear, praying you somehow survive it. It’s a delightfully tense experience, and features one of the more memorable horror monsters I’ve seen in years.

Choo-Choo Charles is available now on Steam.

Joel Couture

Joel has been covering indie games for various sites including IndieGames.com, Siliconera, Gamasutra, Warp Door, CG Magazine, and more over the past seven years, and has written book-length studies on Undertale and P.T.. Joel is constantly on the lookout for digital experiences that push the boundaries of what games can be, and seeks to delve into the creative process, meanings, and emotion labor that goes into the work of artists worldwide.