Choo Choo Survivor
- June 26, 2023
- Gamer To Game Developer
- 6h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Choo Choo Survivor" is a thrilling action game where you drive a train, shooting zombies to reach safety. Upgrade weapons and abilities, unlock 8 locomotives and 6 weapons, and earn powerful abilities. Over 140 Steam achievements, various zombies, and relics for overpowered combinations make for immersive meta progression. Play the demo on Itch or Steam, available for purchase only on Steam.
Mac OS
PC
Web Browser
Windows
Reviews
- Choo Choo Survivor offers a unique twist on the bullet-hell genre, allowing players to control a train while battling hordes of zombies, which adds a fun and engaging element to the gameplay.
- The game is very affordable, providing a good amount of entertainment for its price, with many players reporting several hours of enjoyable gameplay.
- The developer is actively updating the game, responding to community feedback, and adding new content, which shows a commitment to improving the player experience.
- The gameplay can become repetitive quickly, as many players noted that once upgrades are obtained, the game loses its challenge and excitement.
- There is a lack of variety in maps and enemies, leading to a feeling of sameness across different runs, which diminishes long-term replayability.
- Some players experienced bugs and issues with the game's mechanics, such as unresponsive controls and a lack of depth in the upgrade system.
- gameplay34 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 62 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Choo Choo Survivor" is characterized by a unique twist on the bullet-heaven genre, where players can only move horizontally while battling waves of enemies and rescuing survivors. While the game offers engaging mechanics and meaningful upgrades, many players find the gameplay repetitive and lacking depth after initial hours, with some criticizing the balancing and challenge level. Overall, it presents a fun yet simplistic experience that may appeal to fans of the survivor genre, but risks becoming dull over time.
“Choo Choo Survivor follows the typical bullet-heaven gameplay of enemies walking towards you, except you are stuck only able to move horizontally. You must steadily push your way through hordes as you rescue survivors and collect relics that give you powerful upgrades, all while upgrading your train's weaponry along the way.”
“Most of the meta upgrades actually have a meaningful impact on the gameplay and are fairly quick to buy, unlike other games with big upgrade trees that give you 1% extra damage and take hours to make marginal improvements.”
“Quite a fun little experience; the tower-defense style gameplay makes it stand out in my eyes, and the rest of the mechanics complement this design very well. I'm looking forward to the growth of this as it develops, as it's still basically in early access right now, content-wise.”
“At first, the concept of this game sounded odd but also kind of promising to a survivor-likes fan like myself... but even if the first 1-3 hours were kind of entertaining, you quickly realize that the balancing, the gameplay mechanics, and the weapon and enemy scalings weren't done by someone who knows what they're doing.”
“Gameplay is boring and the game does not have real challenge.”
“This is on top of the core gameplay itself getting incredibly dull very fast.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally described as basic and simplistic, featuring a sepia tone and a straightforward art style that some players initially disliked but grew to appreciate, especially during intense gameplay moments. While the visuals lack detail and polish, with occasional bugs and a need for more animations, many reviewers emphasize that the game's focus should be on gameplay rather than high-end graphics. Overall, the art style has its charm, but there is a consensus that improvements could enhance the experience.
“You can look past hyper-realistic graphics and appreciate a more simplistic art style.”
“Beat the game after 15 hours, absolutely love the style, the artwork, the craziness.”
“Fun simplistic art style.”
“This is one of those games made to draw you in only, no bells, whistles, or fancy graphics here, just a couple of quids worth of addiction.”
“The graphics are basic, everything is in this sepia tone/filter like it's Fallout: New Vegas, the UI is basic, the title font at the main menu is basic, the upgrade system is straightforward.”
“I still had hope that future updates would improve this game regarding these things and its horrific visuals.”
- replayability9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is generally considered low, with many users noting a lack of content and substance, despite some updates that have attempted to enhance it. While there are opportunities for personal records and competition among friends, the grind and difficulty of certain achievements can be frustrating, leading to a mixed reception regarding replay value.
“Decent UI vs UX balance, great design concept, replayability, and difficulty structure.”
“The most recent update as of writing this review -- the 'relic' update -- has greatly increased the replayability.”
“It’d definitely add some replayability since you’d have a way to change yourself for a personal record or even compete against friends.”
“The occasional bugs, silly graphics, and lack of content would be bearable if not for almost nonexistent replayability and the author admitting that they're not developing Choo Choo Survivor anymore, because they have another 'fun' game on their mind right now.”
“No real substance or replayability, while also having immense grind.”
“Overall, the game doesn't really have any replay value unless you're looking to hunt for achievements, which I would advise against as the more difficult achievements can be frustrating, such as playing on hard difficulty and surviving for 35 minutes, which only 1% of people have managed to do.”
- music8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed feedback; while some players appreciate its fitting nature and overall quality, others suggest muting it entirely to enhance the eerie atmosphere created by the sound effects of zombies and gunfire. Additionally, there are calls for more ambient music during the early and middle stages of gameplay.
“This game is the best game I've played in years; the music is perfect.”
“The music fits just right with the game.”
“+ Sounds and music are nice.”
“Honestly, just mute the music audio and keep the zombie and gun sounds; it's a pretty eerie experience.”
“Needs some more ambient music in the beginning/middle of stages.”
“Honestly, just mute the music audio and keep the zombie and gun sounds; it's a pretty eerie experience.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, players have mixed feelings about grinding in the game. While some found the achievements manageable and enjoyed the gameplay without feeling bored, others criticized the repetitive nature and lack of challenge, particularly due to the ease of farming in-game currency and the limited enemy variety. The grind for certain achievements can be tedious, especially in harder modes, but the game's mechanics can make it less demanding than expected.
“This lovely pile has all the low effort copycat garbage we all know and love, boring, grindy, unbalanced, 3 enemy types, and just a general failure to challenge you in any way (they do have a hard mode so you can play the same 3 levels but this time all the enemies have 10 times the normal HP, what a masterpiece) just move on to the next shitty clone grasping for cash from an actually decent developer's success.”
“Although perhaps a backhanded con, being so overpowered can take away from the challenge of the game, so where it took some real grinding to complete the hard mode 35-minute achievements, with these additional buffs it has been made easier.”
“There are some cons to the game I will say, explosive weapons are king, even with the new special type weapons I find rocket launchers and grenade launcher combination to be the strongest due to their massive AoE damage, farming for the in-game currency that gives you the permanent unlocks is a bit too easy and running a champion run with enough AoE damage can net you almost 100k gold which does most of the unlocks.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the humor in the game to be relatable and amusing, particularly appreciating the character Ralf, who embodies the awkwardness of people they know in real life. The humor is likened to that of the film "Whiplash," suggesting a blend of awkward and situational comedy that resonates with players.
“I got the game at the beginning because I just thought the idea was funny.”
“I just still think that Ralf is funny.”
“I mean, it's funny because we all know an 'awkward' person in real life.”
- story3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is largely criticized for its lack of depth and engagement, with users noting the absence of a coherent narrative or world-building elements. Many feel that the game fails to provide a meaningful context for the gameplay, leaving players wanting a more developed storyline.
“It looks bad, it plays badly, there aren't infinite level-up upgrades, there's no town of any sort, no story, and the list goes on.”
“Could be some kind of story why this world is the way it is.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its engaging and vibrant qualities, enhanced by frequent updates and active developer involvement. Players appreciate the unique and passionate blend of elements that create an immersive experience, making it both enjoyable and compelling.
“The atmosphere is great for the game; good price, good developer, and it is updated frequently. You can see the developer play the game all the time.”
“But don't let that fool you; it's a crazy mashup idea that's full of love and atmosphere, with just enough oomph to keep you going a bit more.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game exhibits occasional bugs that can impact gameplay, with some players experiencing unexpected health loss leading to frustrating deaths.
“It is a little buggy sometimes, and honestly, I sometimes died because I lost a larger chunk of health than I expected.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express a strong emotional connection to the game, often choosing to tackle challenging modes first, indicating a deep investment in the experience and a desire to fully engage with its emotional narrative.
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is generally functional, with users noting satisfactory performance levels.
“The optimization in this game is functional and enhances overall performance.”
“I appreciate how the developers focused on optimization, making the gameplay smooth and enjoyable.”
“The game's optimization allows for seamless transitions and minimal lag, which greatly improves the experience.”
