Screenshots & trailers
Review sentiment over time
Weekly positive-review rate (green) and review volume (bars). Dashed lines mark significant patches; the amber line is the start of the current scoring window. Hover the dots to see what drove a dip or a jump.
How this score was computed
The VGC Score is a weighted blend on a press-comparable 0-100 quality scale. Steam approval rates are first calibrated (95% positive on Steam ≈ 89.5 quality, since Steam approval skews high). Press and tracked creator reviews each count ~2x a player review and share one cap against player evidence (creator buy/skip calls pool into an approval rate, calibrated like Steam approval); all-time sentiment is capped and halved (it's context, not verdict); reviews of the current build carry the most weight when a fresh patch anchors the window; and a 'typical game' prior keeps small samples from pegging the scale. Because press reviews and Metacritic user aggregates describe the launch build, their weight decays as the game ages (3-year half-life after a 1-year grace). That's how a game that launched rough can outgrow its old reception once updates win players over. Reviews under 2h playtime (the refund window), non-Steam activations, and free copies are downweighted.
| Component | Positive | Quality (0-100) | Weight (pseudo-reviews) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Press reviews (OpenCritic) | – | 57 | 22 |
| Creator reviews (2 tracked) | – | 63 | 2 |
| All-time Steam reviews | 91% | 85 | 1000 |
| Metacritic user ratings | – | – | 0 |
| Post-patch Steam reviews (trust-weighted) | 89% | 83 | 3000 |
| Calibration prior (typical game) | – | 72 | 50 |
Scoring window: since the last significant patch (Oct 26, 2023) · 300 reviews sampled · 5620 total reviews in window · weighted 142.7 up / 8.5 down · computed 2h ago · full methodology →
Press & Creators reviews (21)
Individual verdicts from outlets we track: scored reviews first, most trusted outlets first among them. The small badge is each outlet's trust score: how well its scoring history aligns with players.
- 50
“Choo Choo Charles reminds me of a movie by Full Moon Studios - like Demonic Toys, Hideous, or Head of the Family, it’s an entertaining “what if?” concept that just isn’t enough to support an entire piece of media. With basic gameplay comparable to any number of low budget horror titles, it’s a fun idea and absolutely nothing besides. I wish it had more to offer, but like so many joke games before it, we already got the punchline when we saw the trailer and there’s nothing the gameplay adds on top of it. To be brutally honest, Choo Choo Charles would have been better as a fake game, or at the very least nothing would have changed if it was.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“Choo-Choo Charles is a brilliant proof of concept and a unique twist on the horror market. It tapped into the Thomas the Tank Engine horror games and creepypastas fairly decently, got something good out of it, and molded it into a standalone game with a (technically) original villain.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Choo-Choo Charles is undoubtedly an amusing concept. But it feels more like a semi-polished tech demo than a retail experience, which isn't helped by the awful enemy logic.”
read full review ↗ - 70
“It might not be the most refined title out there, but "Choo-Choo Charles" continues Two Star Games' trend of creating "artistic, atmospheric horror games."”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Undoubtedly fun for a fright night with friends or a YouTube reaction video, Choo-Choo Charles will find its place comfortably as a not-so-serious meme game with some good horror ideas. There's a charm to the whole experience supported by the fact that its short runtime means it never overstays its welcome. However, the game's shortcomings are simply too obvious to overlook. Requiring more polish, depth, and variety, Choo-Choo Charles doesn't have the longevity needed to be anything more than a fleeting piece of sharable internet entertainment.”
read full review ↗ - 65
“Choo-Choo Charles will offer temporary thrills to meme-lovers or horror-fans, but doesn't do anything particularly groundbreaking.”
read full review ↗ - 60
“Choo-Choo Charles is the antithesis of a game that wears its silly nature on its sleeve, it hinges on the wacky premise of running from a spider-train to draw people in, but fails to deliver on anything to keep people thanks in large part due to its lackluster story, forgettable characters, shoddy design, and buggy experience.”
read full review ↗ - 90
“For what it is, you couldn’t ask a whole lot more from Choo-Choo Charles. It is a game that wants to lure you in with its silly premise and keeps you playing based on solid gameplay and good tension. You won’t get 60 hours of enjoyment out of Choo-Choo Charles, but you don’t need to. It is a good time that doesn’t pretend to be anything but.”
read full review ↗ - 40
“Choo-Choo Charles is a haphazardly assembled meme-come-to-life that’s short, silly, and exceedingly dull.”
read full review ↗ - 55
“Choo-Choo Charles is a hard one to review since everything but Charles is lacking that polish in design, animation, and certain mechanics. However, it is still done well enough to stay engaging to get you to the fun moments. There aren’t any performance issues or glitches I ran into either. With its bad character models and some silly side missions, Choo-Choo Charles is simultaneously silly and scary. At one point you’ll be collecting pickles, and the next you’ll be in a heart pounding fight with a demon train engine with spider legs.”
read full review ↗ - 75
- 65
“Slightly above average or simply inoffensive. Fans of the genre should enjoy them a bit, but a fair few will be left unfulfilled.”
read full review ↗
The Jimquisition
Prima Games
PC Invasion
SVG
Checkpoint Gaming
TechRaptor
Smash Jump
Try Hard Guides
IGN
WayTooManyGames
GameXplain
Destructoid…and 9 more tracked reviews.
Patch history
- New Hardcore Gamemode Update!Oct 26, 2023significant · resets scoring window
- 1.0.3 Patch NotesJan 10, 2023
- 1.0.2 Patch NotesDec 21, 2022
- 1.0.1 Patch NotesDec 15, 2022significant · resets scoring window