Choo-Choo Charles

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Ride an old engine around a foggy island hunted by a spider-legged train.

Platforms: PC, Mac, PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, iPhone
Price: Paid
Rated: Very Positive on Steam (91% of 18,050 reviews)
Length: 2 to 3 hours
Players: 1
Made by: Two Star Games
Released: 2022

Get it on Steam PlayStation Store Xbox Nintendo eShop App Store

What frightens A huge spider with a grinning train for a body hunts you across a foggy island, screeching as it charges down the rails or scuttles after you on foot, and it eats people alive.
Content: jumpscares, gore, loud sounds, spiders.

An open-world horror game by Gavin Eisenbeisz's Two Star Games in which a monstrous spider train called Charles terrorises an island. You drive your own old locomotive along the rails, gather scrap, upgrade its guns and armour, and help the locals until you are strong enough to face Charles. Leave the cab and Charles may already be coming for you.

About Choo-Choo Charles

Choo-Choo Charles came out on PC in December 2022 from Two Star Games, the studio of developer Gavin Eisenbeisz. It reached PlayStation, Xbox and Switch a year later and later came to iPhone.

You arrive on an island where the rail network is the only safe way around, and something lives on those rails: Charles, a red engine with a grinning, toothed face and long spider legs. Your own yellow locomotive is your base. You drive it from station to station, get off to search camps, mines and houses for scrap, and run errands for the islanders in exchange for better weapons.

The horror is Charles himself. You hear him before you see him, a screeching whistle and the clatter of legs, and then he is behind you on the track or crawling over the hill toward you while you are on foot. Each fight is a race to turn your engine and get its guns on him before he tears through your hull. Locals in strange masks and creepy cults add to the unease between his attacks.

It is lighter and shorter than slow-burn story horror: a creature feature with a sense of humour, built around one memorable monster. It suits players who enjoy jumpscares and a big creature to beat, and it works as an easy first step into horror for teenagers who can take some blood.

How to play Choo-Choo Charles

Board your locomotive and drive the tracks toward a marked mission or station.
Get off to search buildings and camps for scrap and to talk with the islanders.
Spend scrap at the train to upgrade its speed, armour and guns.
When you hear Charles, get back to the engine and face him with the guns, or keep moving if you are not ready.
Collect the eggs the main quest asks for, then summon Charles for the final fight.

Screenshots

Choo-Choo Charles screenshot: the spider train looms over the player's yellow engine as its gun fires

Choo-Choo Charles screenshot: the upgraded yellow locomotive in a shed beside an islander named Eugene

Choo-Choo Charles screenshot: a masked figure in a dark camp under a full moon

Tips

Upgrade armour early; Charles hits hard in the first fights.
Switch track junctions with care: you must get off to do it, and that is when Charles likes to arrive.
Use the map to plan routes along tracks you have already opened.
Side quests are worth it for the stronger weapons they give.