Skip to main content

ChainStaff

ChainStaff embraces the past to fuel its patently insane premise, execution, and creature design. This is one weird game that, through its minor annoyances, should delight retro fans seeking an 2D shooter that frequently surprises.
ChainStaff Game Cover
80%Game Brain Score
music, graphics
story
97% User Score Based on 34 reviews
Critic Score 80%Based on 5 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCXbox OneXboxSteam DeckWindowsNintendo Switch 2
Buy Nowfrom €13.31
Buy NowGet on Steam €13.31Buy NowGet on Xbox Games Store
ChainStaff Game Cover

About

ChainStaff is a single player platformer game with violence and science fiction themes. It was developed by Mommy's Best Games and was released on April 7, 2026. It received positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Our planet is under attack from the Star Spores, and they've warped life on Earth into ferocious uber-bugs. Even worse, a nasty alien has made its new home directly attached to your head. But it's not all bad news - your new best friend has provided both the strength to fight back against the mutated horde, and control over a weapon that can tip the balance of the battle in humanity's favor: the…

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
ChainStaff screenshot
ChainStaff screenshot
ChainStaff screenshot
ChainStaff screenshot
ChainStaff screenshot
ChainStaff screenshot
ChainStaff screenshot
ChainStaff screenshot
ChainStaff screenshot
ChainStaff screenshot
ChainStaff screenshot
+8
Skip User Reviews

97%
Audience ScoreBased on 34 reviews
music10 positive mentions
  • ChainStaff features a unique and versatile ChainStaff weapon that serves multiple roles such as grappling hook, shield, platform, and spear, adding depth to gameplay.
  • The game boasts stunning, surreal, hand-drawn art visuals inspired by 70s and 80s aesthetics combined with a killer heavy metal soundtrack, creating a distinct atmosphere.
  • Boss fights are a standout element, requiring pattern recognition and clever use of the ChainStaff, offering challenging and memorable encounters with high replay value.
  • Some players experienced occasional technical issues such as collision bugs and camera problems, though they were generally minor and fixable.
  • While the game offers a challenging experience, certain surprise enemy attacks and some boss difficulties can feel frustrating or maddening.
  • The story and cutscenes are simple, low budget, and intentionally B-movie style, which may not appeal to all players looking for a deeper narrative.
  • music
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in Chainstaff is widely praised for its exceptional quality, variety, and intensity, blending both intense and relaxed tracks that enhance the psychedelic and action-packed gameplay. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, often describing it as killer, amazing, and reminiscent of classic 80's cartoons, significantly enriching the overall game experience.

    • “Chainstaff looks great, plays well, and the soundtrack is straight aces.”
    • “It’s fun, action-packed, psychedelic, soaked with goofy violence, offers a fresh take on the action / run-and-gun platform genre…oh, and it’s backed by an amazing soundtrack.”
    • “Music is killer, and even the menus are fun, overall this is way more than I expected especially with the low price tag, and without spoiling anything it has one of the coolest boss fights I've encountered in about 40 years of gaming!”
  • graphics
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics are widely praised for their unique, bizarre, and trippy art style that combines elements of body horror, animals, and psychedelic visuals, reminiscent of classic 70s prog rock album covers. The hand-drawn, vibrant visuals stand out especially on OLED screens and evoke nostalgic, otherworldly vibes, making the game visually captivating and distinctive in the indie scene. Some users noted the graphics as phenomenal and integral to the game's mystical atmosphere, though a rare comment called them awful.

    • “The graphics and the art are absolutely phenomenal, resembling a living version of the best covers of 70s prog rock albums.”
    • “The art style and colours really pop on the Steam Deck OLED screen.”
    • “Insanely beautiful, crusty, trippy hand-drawn graphics.”
    • “Graphics are awful.”
    • “The art style is so unique combining body horror and recognizable animals and bugs, like some of those 'speculative evolution' but more bizarre and with humor.”
    • “The art style and colors really pop on that Steam Deck OLED screen.”
  • gameplay
    13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is widely praised for its fun, fast-paced run-and-gun platforming enhanced by the unique and versatile chainstaff mechanic, which adds depth and variety through grappling, swinging, and platforming elements. Players appreciate the clever level design, multiple endings, upgrades, and replay value, with only minor technical issues that do not significantly impact the experience. Overall, the gameplay strikes a balance between classic intensity and accessibility, delivering a fresh and enjoyable twist on the genre.

    • “A run&gun action platformer by someone who clearly loves the genre and wanted to add a unique twist with its chainstaff mechanic.”
    • “The gameplay is so cool and fun, with multiple endings for the levels and upgrades/soldiers to find, offering choices that unlock very different playstyles and builds. The chainstaff as a grappling hook is incredible, and you can also use it as a mobile platform.”
    • “Gameplay is fast and the chainstaff adds so much to the standard platformer formula.”
    • “Gameplay is trash and overcomplicated.”
    • “There were a few collision issues with offscreen enemies teleporting into me, and me getting pushed through a solid wall by the chainstaff one time, but it didn't really affect my gameplay too much.”
    • “A run & gun action platformer by someone who clearly loves the genre and wanted to add a unique twist with its chainstaff mechanic.”
  • story
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story is intentionally B-movie-esque, featuring quirky, humorous, and light-hearted dialogue that fits well with the game’s tone. While the cutscenes are simple and low-budget, they add charm and keep the narrative engaging without overstaying its welcome. Overall, the narrative serves as a fun and entertaining backdrop rather than a deeply serious plot.

    • “The story scenes were pleasant and interesting enough to drive you forward, but short and never dragged.”
    • “The cutscenes are fairly simple due to the low budget and small team size, but they are charming with b-movie dialogues and a plot that is light and funny, fitting well with the game.”
    • “The whole plot of the story starts as a crazy idea that evolves into a good video game story with a b-movie-esque humor and simple cutscenes.”
    • “The story is shlocky and awful but is really just there so you can have a centipede on your head.”
    • “And 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...'”
    • “Story is very intentionally B-movie-esque with humor and even some simple cutscenes.”
  • humor
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's humor is characterized by a unique, bizarre art style blending body horror with recognizable animals, delivering a distinctive comedic tone reminiscent of speculative evolution. Its light, b-movie-style dialogues and plot add charm and humor, especially within simple yet fitting cutscenes, contributing to an overall hilarious and original experience.

    • “What a hilarious and original game.”
    • “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.”
    • “Story is very intentionally B-movie-esque with humor and even some simple cutscenes.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers high replayability through features like New Game Plus with upgrades, branching paths, secret collectibles, and varied gameplay mechanics such as the chainstaff. Playthroughs are relatively short (~6 hours) but encourage multiple runs to discover missed content and enjoy the dynamic gameplay. Overall, exploration and clever mechanics significantly enhance the incentive to replay.

    • “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 the replay value is high as the chainstaff makes the gameplay very varied.”
  • optimization
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game is exceptionally well optimized, efficiently handling complex physics calculations while using only a fraction of a modern desktop's power. This high level of optimization significantly enhances gameplay performance.

    • “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 the physics are literally a game-changer.”
Skip Critic Reviews

80%Critics’ scoreBased on 5 critic reviews
Skip Game Offers

Buy ChainStaff

Skip Videos

Videos

Skip Games Like ChainStaff

Games Like ChainStaff

Axiom Verge Image
87%7.4kreviews

Axiom Verge

2015Platformer
Nintendo SwitchPlaystation 5Playstation 4+12
Games like Axiom Verge
Valfaris Image
83%1.4kreviews

Valfaris

2019Arcade Hack and Slash
Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPC+9
Games like Valfaris
The Messenger Image
90%8.1kreviews

The Messenger

2018Arcade Platformer
Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPC+7
Games like The Messenger
Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo Image
99%928reviews

Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo

2025Platformer
Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPC+5
Games like Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo
Guns of Fury Image
89%466reviews

Guns of Fury

2025Arcade Platformer
Nintendo SwitchPCSteam Deck+1
Games like Guns of Fury
More games like ChainStaff
Skip Game News

Trippy, psychedelic alien shooter ChainStaff shows there are still new ways for games to be 'retro'

April 8 on pcgamer.com
Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

ChainStaff is a platformer game with violence and science fiction themes.

ChainStaff is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Xbox One and others.

ChainStaff was released on April 7, 2026.

ChainStaff was developed by Mommy's Best Games.

ChainStaff has received positive reviews from players and positive reviews from critics. Most players liked ChainStaff for its music but disliked it for its story.

ChainStaff is a single player game.

Similar games include Axiom Verge, Valfaris, The Messenger, Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo, Guns of Fury and others.