ChainStaff

“The action platforming and shooting feels great, and utilizing the chainstaff's abilities for platforming, as well as charging it and throwing as a spear are both very satisfying mechanics.”

“The gameplay is so cool and fun, there are multiple ends for the levels and upgrades/soldiers to find, with choices that unlock very different playstyles and builds, and the chainstaff as a grappling hook is incredible, as you can also use it as a mobile platform.”

“Gameplay is fast, tight, and the chainstaff adds so much to the standard platformer formula.”

“The graphics and the art are absolutely phenomenal, resembling a living version of the best covers of 70s prog rock albums.”

“Insanely beautiful crusty trippy hand-drawn graphics.”

“The art style and colors really pop on the Steam Deck OLED screen.”

“The story scenes were pleasant and interesting enough to drive you forward, but short and never dragged.”

“The only not-so-stellar bit is perhaps represented by the cutscenes which are fairly simple instead, due to the nature of the low budget and the small size of the team; however, I found them quite charming and I liked the B-movie dialogues and plot a lot - it was light, funny at times even, and fit well with the game, so the more I kept playing the more I didn't mind them.”

“The whole plot of the story is definitely the sort of thing that starts as a crazy idea, you keep riffing on it, and eventually decide 'you know what... that would make for a good video game story...'”

“Add in a rockin' soundtrack, a consistently campy sense of humor, and a variety of playstyle options, and you have a real winner.”

“The only not-so-stellar bit is perhaps represented by the cutscenes which are fairly simple instead, due to the nature of the low budget and the small size of the team, however, I found them quite charming and I liked the B-movie dialogues and plot a lot - it was light, funny at times even, and fit well with the game.”

“Story is very intentionally B-movie-esque with humor and even some simple cutscenes.”

“Playing in NG++ with all the upgrades added to the replay value.”

“Branching paths and secret collectibles also add a lot of replay value to go back and find things you missed on your first playthrough.”

“A playthrough takes around 6 hours, but I think the replay value is high as the chainstaff makes the gameplay very varied.”

“It also runs great on the Steam Deck.”

“The physics calculations that govern its movement would have made an old arcade cab go on fire, but with a modern desktop computer only use a fraction of the total power. The game is very well optimized in general and is literally a game-changer.”