I suppose it was inevitable really.

For years, modding communities of many games have joked about the TTT (Time-Till-Thomas). Release any game, give it even the slightest amount of moddability and eventually, inevitably, inescapably, someone will put Thomas the Tank Engine in it. Skyrim, Resident Evil, Among Us, Fallout and may more have experienced the appearance of the friendly blue engine, often in a twisted and terrifying way, so it’s no great surprise that finally someone’s decided to make a horror game about a train.

Choo-Choo Charles is a recently announced horror game in which you drive an old, rusty yellow train around a island. As you travel, you’ll collect scrap by completing missions and general rummaging to upgrade your train into a heavily armoured and armed death-machine. The motivation for your scrap-heap challenge comes in the form of ‘Choo-Choo Charles’, a sentient demonic train that’s out to hunt you down.

But wait! I hear you cry, Surely escaping from an evil train is as easy as just taking several paces back from the lines? Did I not mention the fact that Choo-Choo Charles has enormous spider’s legs that allow him to travel anywhere he pleases? Sorry, probably should have brought that up. Hearing the distant train horn and seeing the iron beast scuttling along the top of a ridge looks to make for an absolutely terrifying experience.

Choo-Choo Charles is in development by Two Star Games and is expected to release in Q1 2022. Here’s hoping it’s not delayed. You know, like a train…ahh forget it.