An oddity that took the internet by storm, Choo-Choo Charles is a fun, short, indie game that took a simple concept of being chased by a demonic Thomas The Tank Engine and turned it into a full game. The story is a pretty simple one that’s easy to overlook when you’re constantly watching over your shoulder for an ambush by a big evil steam engine on legs.
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These tips and tricks will help you defeat Choo-Choo Charles.
Artifacts are dug out of the ground, a big demon appears, and terror ensues. It’s all fed out through notes found around the world, and the handful of NPCs encountered on the forsaken isle that Charles calls home. So to make sure you don’t miss a beat, here’s the entire story of Choo-Choo Charles explained.
Updated December 11, 2023 By Matthew Mckeown: Choo-Choo Charles made quite the impact when it exploded onto the Indie scene. A surprisingly solid horror game from a solo developer with some issues of its own but an interesting hook and solid mechanics. Though the developers moved onto a new multiplayer project there are still some fun free updates for Charles.
The most recent of which was a new Nightmare Mode for the hardcore difficulty enthusiasts that the dev has said is designed to make you rage quit. Featuring a scarier atmosphere, a new soundtrack, and a much more aggressive Charles, it’s a substantial challenge. Before diving back into the nightmare, here’s a refresher on the story of Choo-Choo Charles.
What Is Charles?
Part Train, part Demon Spider, and all aggression. Known only as Charles, this behemoth is a nightmarish monster that can easily chase his victims down both on and off the rails. He’s the main antagonist of this indie horror and is extremely territorial. Charles considers the entire island his own personal hunting grounds. So anyone that dares set foot upon Aranearum is quickly put on the menu.
He has a never-ending hunger for flesh constantly driving him, is seemingly unstoppable without sustained damage from heavy weapons, and is more than capable of catching up to anyone and anything that tries to outrun him. But he is not some natural occurrence or odd evolution of nature, Charles is a demonic entity with a surprising man-made origin binding him to his current form.
You may think this creature is more meme than monster, but don’t let that fool you. He’s persistent and deadly.
The Origin Of The Demon Train
Charles was originally a spider-shaped demon that was discovered by the Charles Mining Company (no relation). He was encountered after a crew from the company unearthed strange eggs deep beneath the island. These odd objects housed vast amounts of energy and as the mining crew harvested this power they awoke an ancient and hungry entity.
Drawn to the energy being released, this monster attacked the crew, but it seems the owner of the Charles Mining Company, one Warren Charles III, decided that this new creature was a boon. This entity was to fulfill his dream of having the island completely to himself and his acolytes, then the world would be next.
With help from some scientists, Warren was able to bind the demon’s soul into the engine through a ritual, trapping it in this new and weaker form. Unfortunately, as Charles was being contained, he broke free. Over time, the clanking train from Hell decimated the animal population of Aranearum before turning on what little civilian life it had left.
Some fled, others stayed and hid behind sturdy walls and strong weapons whilst just as many were eaten alive. By the time we get to the events of the game, the population that’s left alive has managed to survive in any way they can, whilst others joined the mask-wearing mob now-turned Cult to their demonic wandering overlord.
The AI of the Cult is not particularly bright, so you can just hide or sprint away from them easily.
The Island
The location where all the carnage in Choo-Choo Charles takes place is an island known as Aranearum. It’s a fairly large location that’s located off some unnamed “mainland” and is home to a handful of special spots and people trying to survive the roaming Demon Train that plagues their home.
A railway line runs around and through the island, bisecting it in the middle, and it doesn’t take long for your Old Train to complete a loop around its entire circumference. All the notable locations are located next to or near the railway line and most of, if not all of them, will be visited as you progress through the story.
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The Story
The story of Choo-Choo Charles is fairly straightforward to explain, but there are some beats to hit in a certain order as we lay it all out. The game itself begins as you play a character known as the Archivist or the Monster Hunter, and you’re revealed to be the owner of a Museum.
The items and attractions within the Museum are unfortunately old, musty, and kind of boring, and so traffic through the doors has been at an all-time low. This in turn means income is spiraling downwards so a new big earner is needed to keep the lights on. After hearing from Eugene about the Charles problem, you set off to Aranearum Island to kill Charles, taxidermy his corpse, and put the Demon Train on display in the Museum for all to see, for an admission price of course.
The Arrival Of The Hunter
When the main story of Choo-Choo Charles picks up, the protagonist is heading to the island at the request of their old friend. After arriving and repairing the Old Train, the two set off. Unfortunately, the resident demon attacks, and Eugene is thrown off the escape vehicle and violently killed by Charles.
From there, the goal is to talk to the residents, help these new friends and upgrade the Old Train. It’s a fairly straightforward process as each quest-related NPC is next to the tracks and their requests range from collecting things or retrieving eggs. Each goal will either reward a new weapon, paint for the train, a big pile of Scrap that can be spent on additional upgrades, or it will open up the next story beat.
It’s recommended to take every opportunity to gather scrap for upgrades, you’re going to need it. Especially for the final confrontation.
The Gathering Of Eggs
In order to defeat Charles, three eggs must be gathered. These have been scattered around the island in three mines that each require a key to enter. They’re found in the North Mine, the South Mine, and Central Mine.
The eggs are guarded by Cultists and stealth is required to get past them in order to take the eggs and leave alive. No easy task as the path to each one becomes progressively more complicated as the game goes on.
Green:
Found inside the South Mine, the key to the entrance can be retrieved by speaking to Helen. Since this is normally the first egg, the mine is small and guarded by a very small number of Cultists.
Blue:
Located in the North Mine, the key for this one is given to the protagonist by Greg. There are more Cultists than before and the egg itself is hidden behind a gate that can be opened by pulling a lever. However, it will close again pretty quickly so a fast dash, grab and exit are required.
Red:
The final egg is found within Central Mine, also known in-game rather ominously as The Tomb. This mine is a multi-level maze that’s filled with a lot of Cultists. After the egg is taken, the final ritual can begin.
For those struggling to get the eggs, many have found simply sprinting past the Cultists to be the most efficient method. They don’t react well to someone going fast, so use this to your advantage.
The Final Showdown
Once the eggs have been “liberated”, they’re taken to a huge structure on the island known as The Temple. Like other locations that are linked to Charles, it’s guarded by Cultists and entry requires a key. To gain access, you have to speak to Paul. He is Eguene’s son and will provide you with the Temple Key.
This is then inserted into the huge doors which allow entry and access to The Prism, an odd occult device that will channel the power of the three eggs into a beam of eldritch energy. This in turn draws in Charles like a Shark to a feeding frenzy and the penultimate battle begins.
Hell Charles Cometh
Arriving at the temple, Charles places himself in the beam and uses the energy to transform himself into Hell-Charles, a much larger, stronger, faster, and meaner version of himself. However, he’s now mortal and is able to be killed. What follows is a breakneck race around the island as you use what weapons and means of defense you have to keep Charles at bay.
After reaching the Old Bridge, Hell-Charles crosses over it after you, but Paul detonates explosives placed at the base of the structure earlier by your character. The bridge explodes in a splinter-filled spectacle as Hell-Charles plummets to his doom, impaling his massive bulk on a bridge support that breaks into a sharp giant spear.
The final explosion won’t trigger until you wear Charles’s health bar all the way down. So make sure your Train is tough enough to take him on.
As the Demon Engine wails and dies, the game ends and the credits roll, Choo-Choo Charles is defeated and the inhabitants of the island are seemingly free of his curse.
However, a post-credits cutscene reveals that underneath the island are thousands of eggs, which all begin to ominously glow as a small spider leg hatches out of one of them. It seems the monster problem is only just beginning.
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