Battle a Monstrous Steamboat Willie Spider in ‘Choo-Choo Charles’-Inspired ‘Whistle Willie’ [Trailer]

If you enjoyed Two Star Games’ Choo-Choo Charles, Swedish indie developers KasperDev, CANCAT Games, and Go Go Galago Games have their own twist with Whistle Willie. Initially conceived at Spelkollektivet, Sweden’s unique game developer hotel, Whistle Willie utilizes the Steamboat Willie character, mashed up with DREDGE and the aforementioned spider monstrosity. The result is a mobile base Survival Horror title currently in development for release on Steam.

Set in a haunting black-and-white world two decades after the events of the original Steamboat Willie cartoon, Whistle Willie has players captaining a creaky steamboat, fishing and sailing between eerie islands harboring hidden dangers and scarce resources. Unfortunately for you, Steamboat Willie is still around, having ravaged the world with his cruelty as a monstrous steamboat spider. And he has you in his sights, both on land and at sea. You must uncover the chilling secrets needed to free the islands’ inhabitants from Willie’s relentless attacks.

“We thoroughly enjoyed playing Choo-Choo Charles,” said Dani, Co-Founder of Go Go Galago Games. “During Spelkollektivet’s Halloween Jam, we experimented with replacing the train with a boat, opening exciting new gameplay possibilities. After the jam, we loved the concept and collaboration so much that we decided to make Whistle Willie a full Steam release. It’s become a shared passion side project ever since.”

Unlike many other mobile base horror games, Whistle Willie introduces a survivor island similar to the mechanic used in DREDGE, where players can return to said island in between journeys. There, players can upgrade their steamboat with weapons and fishing gear, as well as collaborate with with survivors of Steamboat Willie.

“One thing we wanted to do differently was to create a stronger bond with the survivors. Since we’re not limited by rails, we introduced a central hub where survivors gather and players return – making the fight against Willie feel truly collaborative. Both players and survivors rely on each other, so losing anyone has real consequences.”

As for why the team went with Steamboat Willie for the antagonist, Dani says that the character was a “natural choice” for the game. “People often forget that in the original cartoon, Willie is quite cruel. Exploring what 20 years of that cruelty could lead to was creatively engaging. Because of the cartoon setting, it allowed us to add uniquely shocking moments to the game, satirizing the over-the-top harm cartoon characters endure in classic animation.”

While no release date has been set for Whistle Willie, the teams aim to deliver a full Steam release “as soon as possible.”