Choo-Choo Charles

Lore & Background

Choo-Choo Charles was developed by Gavin Eisenbeisz using Unreal Engine 4's Blueprint visual script. Eisenbeisz stated that while the corruption of childhood joy is a popular horror theme, he wanted the game to be unique by basing it on the children's TV show Thomas & Friends. The game was largely inspired by the 3D horror animation Thomas Feeds by Tom Coben, which depicts Thomas the Tank Engine as a monstrous spider-train hybrid. Inspiration was also likely drawn from Charlie the Choo-Choo, a 2016 children's book by Stephen King (under the pseudonym Beryl Evans) as part of The Dark Tower series.

The game's plot follows an unnamed archivist and monster hunter called 'the Archivist,' summoned to the island of Aranearum by their friend Eugene to deal with Charles. Upon arrival, Charles attacks and kills Eugene, who tells the Archivist to find Charles' eggs to summon and fight him. The Archivist traverses the island by train, completing tasks for NPCs, collecting scraps to upgrade the train, and obtaining weapons such as a flamethrower, rocket launcher, and anti-tank cannon. The Archivist learns that cultists led by mining company owner Warren Charles III are responsible for Charles' awakening after discovering his eggs during a mining operation. After collecting three glowing eggs, the Archivist summons Charles, who transforms into 'Hell Charles' and devours Warren. The Archivist lures Charles onto a bridge rigged with explosives and detonates it, killing him. A post-credits scene reveals hundreds of Charles' eggs in a cavern, suggesting he may return.

Reader's Guide

Choo-Choo Charles received mixed reviews from critics, with a Metacritic score of 56/100 indicating 'mixed or average reviews.' Steve Hogarty of Rock Paper Shotgun described the game as 'shonky, very short and frustrating to play for any length of time,' noting that the concept was stretched too thinly. Zack Zwiezen of Kotaku praised the originality and ideas but criticized the game for its reliance on 'bad stealth sections,' lack of scares, and short length. Travis Northup from IGN gave the game a score of 4/10, calling it 'janky,' 'barebones,' and 'more dull than [he] thought possible,' and described the on-foot stealth sections as 'aggressively not fun.' Zoey Handley from Destructoid scored the game 6.5/10, describing it as 'alright.' On October 26, 2023, Eisenbeisz updated the game with a 'Nightmare Mode,' which adds permadeath, buffs enemies, and includes a new soundtrack. The game's significance lies in its viral marketing success and its unusual premise of a spider-train monster inspired by Thomas the Tank Engine, though critical reception was divided on its execution.

Did You Know?

• The game was developed by a single person, Gavin Eisenbeisz, using Unreal Engine 4's Blueprint visual script.
• The monster Charles is based on Thomas the Tank Engine from the children's TV show Thomas & Friends.
• The game was updated with a 'Nightmare Mode' on October 26, 2023, adding permadeath and a new soundtrack.

Gameplay & Core Loop

Players navigate the island of Aranearum aboard a train that travels along a network of interconnected railway tracks, visiting various locations to complete quests for non-player characters. The core loop revolves around gathering loot and scraps to reinforce the train's defenses, since Charles periodically stalks the player and can be repelled with the vehicle's mounted weaponry. The overarching objective is to locate three glowing eggs hidden in mines guarded by armed cultists; collecting all three summons Charles for a final boss encounter. The game offers two approaches to dealing with these guards: stealthily sneaking past them to steal the eggs undetected, or simply running them down with the train or mowing them down with its guns. Four principal NPCs drive the main storyline forward, while optional side quests involve fetching objects in exchange for new armaments such as a flamethrower, rocket launcher, or anti-tank cannon. A full playthrough takes roughly three to five hours.

Plot & Narrative

The story follows an unnamed monster-hunting archivist summoned to the island of Aranearum by a friend named Eugene to help deal with Charles, a man-eating locomotive-spider hybrid terrorizing the population. Upon arrival, Charles attacks and kills Eugene, who in his final moments tells the Archivist to find Charles' eggs to summon and defeat the creature, and gives them a machine-gun-armed train. Eugene's son Paul and the island's inhabitants have a broader plan requiring the Archivist's execution. Along the way, the Archivist encounters a cult led by mining magnate Warren Charles III, who harbor world-domination ambitions and are responsible for awakening Charles after a mining operation dug too deep and uncovered his eggs. After collecting all three eggs, Charles transforms into Hell Charles, devours Warren, and pursues the Archivist in a desperate battle. The Archivist lures Charles onto a bridge rigged with explosives and detonates it, sending the creature crashing face-first onto a wooden support beam and killing it instantly. A post-credits scene reveals hundreds of additional eggs in a cavern, hinting at a possible return.

Development & Creative Origins

Choo-Choo Charles was developed by Gavin Eisenbeisz using Unreal Engine 4's Blueprint visual scripting system, and he documented the entire process through a series of YouTube development blogs. Eisenbeisz has explained that while the corruption of childhood innocence is a well-trodden horror theme, he wanted his game to stand out by being directly inspired by a specific children's television show: Thomas & Friends, which was his favorite kids' program growing up. The most direct creative wellspring was Thomas Feeds, a 3D horror animation by Tom Coben published in November 2020 that reimagined Thomas the Tank Engine as a monstrous spider-train hybrid. Additional inspiration likely came from Charlie the Choo-Choo, a 2016 children's book penned by Stephen King under the pseudonym Beryl Evans as part of The Dark Tower series. The game launched on Windows under the Two Star Games label on December 9, 2022, with Eisenbeisz expressing plans for console ports. Those materialized on December 21, 2023, when the title arrived on Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. On October 26, 2023, an update introduced Nightmare Mode, a significantly harder difficulty featuring permadeath, buffed enemies, and a newly composed soundtrack.

Reception & Cultural Impact

The game's first trailer, released in 2021, struck a nerve online and spread rapidly across social platforms including Twitter and Reddit, generating widespread buzz. The viral moment earned Choo-Choo Charles a place on Time's list of most anticipated 2022 video games, a notable achievement for a solo-developed title. However, the critical reception upon the December 2022 launch was decidedly mixed, with the game scoring 56 out of 100 on Metacritic. Steve Hogarty of Rock Paper Shotgun acknowledged the strong concept but called the execution shonky, very short, and frustrating, feeling the idea was stretched too thinly. Zack Zwiezen of Kotaku appreciated the originality yet criticized the poor stealth sections, the absence of genuine scares, and the brief runtime. Travis Northup of IGN gave it a 4 out of 10, using words like janky and barebones, and described the on-foot stealth as aggressively not fun. Zoey Handley of Destructoid was somewhat more forgiving, awarding a 6.5 out of 10 and calling the experience alright. The consensus pointed to a promising premise undermined by technical roughness and a lack of depth.