🩸 Derailed & Doomed – A Choo Choo Charles Survival Diary

“Some trains take you places. This one just takes your soul.”

Welcome to the Rails of Ruin

There’s something poetic about a horror game where your only friend is a half-broken locomotive and your worst enemy is… also a locomotive. Derailed & Doomed follows my permadeath run through Choo Choo Charles on Steam Deck, played under the Apex Predator Rule — the same standard used in Alien: Isolation and other series featuring unstoppable hunters. Because when the horror is on rails, it deserves rules of its own.

The Apex Predator Rule (Charles Edition)

Charles isn’t just a monster; he’s the ecosystem’s top predator. You don’t kill him — you survive him, until you can’t. Under this rule:

Three Strikes: Charles may kill me up to three times before the run ends. Each attack counts as a near-death escape — the survivor barely makes it back to the train in one piece.
Final Death: On the third defeat, the spider-train finally claims its prey. The diary ends there — derailed, permanently.
Egg Redemption: Collecting one of the three eggs restores a single lost chance against Charles — representing the survivor’s growing resolve and preparation for the final fight.
No Reloads, No Rewinds: Whatever happens on the rails stays on the rails. If I die, I document it. If I survive, I probably shouldn’t have.

This mirrors the Three Strikes Xenomorph Rule from Isolation Protocol — tension without cheap restarts, terror without RNG frustration.

If Charles Doesn’t Kill Me…

Not everything on this island has eight legs, but most of it still wants me dead. Cultists, gunfire, and general explosions — they all hurt, but they’re not the main act. Under this diary’s rules, only Charles decides when the story ends.

Non-Charles deaths count as injuries — moments where the survivor escapes with fewer resources, more trauma, and a strong desire to rethink their career choices. These setbacks are handled narratively: I’ll retreat, repair, and recover before continuing.

Reasoning: Cultists and hazards represent chaos, not closure. The diary focuses on surviving the island’s apex predator, not dying to his interns.

Train of Thought: My Survival Goals

Upgrade Order: Speed → Armor → Damage. Because running away gracefully is still running away.
Scrap Philosophy: Spend it before Charles steals it.
Exploration: Loot first, panic later.
Long-Term Goal: Confront Charles and see if I can make it to the final cutscene without becoming ballast.

Series Index

Entries will appear here as the journey continues. Each one documents a full day or major event in the run — every derailment, ambush, and lucky escape included.

🩸 Derailed & Doomed: A Choo Choo Survival Diary Epilogue: The Train That Didn’t

The Full Series

Need a guide? Explore every stop, scrap pile, and spider sighting with the Aranearum Island Map Guide — your unofficial atlas to surviving the rails.