Choo-Choo Charles Review

ign.com:

I have an affinity for the absurd, silly, and downright stupid (look no further than Goat Simulator 3 review as evidence), so when I heard about a game where you’re being stalked by the demonic equivalent of Thomas the Tank Engine, I was suitably excited. But while Choo-Choo Charles’ premise brings me no end of joy, the janky and barebones adventure itself is way more dull than I thought possible. Unfortunately, this comedy game disguised as a horror game manages to be devoid of humor and terror in equal measure, and even though the runtime is only about 90 minutes, I found myself looking for a way off this crazy train much sooner.

Choo-Choo Charles may present itself as nightmare fuel on the outside, but this whole game is actually just one prolonged joke. Your adventure begins with a bang when you board a train with a gun mounted on it and are immediately attacked by an evil railcar with spider legs, but since those opening moments are the best part of the whole thing, you’re in for a monotonous jaunt thereafter. In order to kill Charles, you’ll have to travel around an island completing quests for NPCs to upgrade your weapons and improve your train’s stats, until you face ol’ Choo-Choo himself in a final showdown. Its intentionally funny nature is apparent in everything from its ridiculous characters to the idiotic tasks they give you – which includes having you hunt down a jar of pickles for a woman who’s obsessed with the fermented delicacies – but most of those things aren’t particularly funny.

Choo-Choo Charles’ over-the-top story may seem like the perfect setup for a hilarious odyssey, but it almost always misses the comedic mark with dull writing and forgettable characters that don’t even try to take advantage of