CHOO CHOO CHARLES
Developer/publisher Two Star Games Format PC Release 2022
Remember those Skyrim and Resident Evil mods where, instead of dragons or a fedora-wearing tyrant, you’re pursued by Thomas the Tank Engine? Two Star Games clearly does, having spun the concept out into a survival horror game in which you are pursued by the eponymous engine, equipped like all good forms of public transit with spider legs and more sharklike teeth than can fit into its mouth. Initially it takes the form of a rail shooter, in the most literal sense, as you ride around in a heavily armed train emptying belts of ammunition to keep the beast at bay – but in order to defeat it for good, you’ll need to collect artefacts from parts of the open world not served by this particular line. Cue a lot of running through the misty darkness, hoping against hope that Charles isn’t one of those rare trains that runs on time.