Indie horror hit Choo-Choo Charles is finally getting a physical edition over two years after its initial release. The game from Two Star Games quickly found an audience among gamers due to its odd premise, comedy, and intense action. All the attention resulted in big content creators like Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and CoryxKenshin playing it for their channels. Now that it’s going physical, the player base for Choo-Choo Charles might just keep chugging along.
All About Choo-Choo Charles
In Choo-Choo Charles, players take on the role of a monster-hunting archivist searching for something special to put in a museum. Thanks to a tip from Eugene, an NPC encountered at the beginning of the game, players venture to the island of Aranearum. He promises an addition to the museum unlike anything seen before, and he is correct about that. That promising addition is nothing other than the demonic spider train itself, Choo-Choo Charles. However, that’s not the only danger on the island, as a cult that worships the monster vows to destroy anything and anyone trying to put an end to it.
Throughout the game, players need to travel around the map thanks to the less demonic train that they get to be the conductor of. The main goal is to collect eggs and summon a much more hellish version of Charles to destroy it for good. They will also need to encounter some interesting NPCs, complete side quests, and gain pieces of scrap to upgrade their engine. These upgrades are a necessity, as Charles will try to eat the player alive if it ever encounters them on the tracks.
Going Physical Over Two Years After Release
CHOO-CHOO CHARLES PHYSICAL EDITION, COMING SOON TO A STORE NEAR YOU MAYBE PROBABLY pic.twitter.com/95O0ZNt8LL
— Two Star (@TwoStarGames) January 22, 2025
Since Choo-Choo Charles was released on December 9, 2022, one might wonder why Two Star Games created a physical edition now. This is especially true because the game already has a digital version available for current-generation consoles. However, even though it has been over two years since its release, there are still a couple of benefits to making the game physical now.
In the gaming community as a whole, it’s becoming common to refuse to buy any game without a physical edition. Video game conservation is a big part of this belief. This could expand the game’s player base to that crowd and give them the oddly exciting experience of being chased down by a demonic train. For all games, a bigger player base is almost always better.
What This Means for Other Indies
Yet another indie game getting a physical edition spells good news for the futures of small studios and solo developers who dream of making it big. Of course, Choo-Choo Charles is far from the first indie horror game to get a physical edition. Other popular games like The Mortuary Assistant and Dredge have taken their turns heading into the physical spotlight. Outside of horror, there is a bountiful amount of physical editions for other indie titles. This just shows that AAA games aren’t the only ones that are worthy of the production costs physical editions bring along with them.
Final Thoughts
As a fan of all things indie horror, I am extremely proud of everyone who worked on Choo-Choo Charles. I played the game when it was released, and I had an amazing time. I had such a good time that I made sure to finish it all in one sitting. While the game is odd and quite wacky, there’s a realm of polish to it that helps give it some charm. Even though a large part of that charm is a terrifying version of Thomas the Tank Engine, I still love the game all the same. I hope even more people will come to love it when the physical edition hits the shelves.
