DaRmaZat If you were to latch an alien parasite onto Earthworm Jim, infuse him with the bio-organic upgrades of Axiom Verge, drop him into ten beautiful hand-drawn levels, and then cranked the speed and chaos up to eleven, you’d get something close to ChainStaff. Living up to its name, your primary tool is the ChainStaff—a versatile, transforming spear that seamlessly doubles as a grappling hook. Developed by Mommy’s Best Games, it’s a title that demands lightning-fast reflexes and a stomach for the grotesque, all set to a soundtrack that makes you want to headbang while you harvest alien organs.
The Soldier, the Star Spores, and the Stowaway
You play as Varlette—Varl for his friends, a super-soldier mutant resurrected by a twitchy alien critter currently latched onto his skull. This parasitic “best friend” provides the enhancements necessary to combat the Star Spores—an extraterrestrial plague mutating Earth’s biology into ferocious “uber-bugs” and contaminating the world with a mutation disease that distorts both natural life and even terrestrial physics.
The narrative setup is simple and not that relevant, since what counts is how to survive ten grueling missions, rescue (or consume) your stranded comrades, and find a way to get that horrendous thing off your head. After a brief tutorial guided by Captain Knox—covering jumping, aimed shooting, and the basics of using the enigmatic ChainStaff—you are dropped straight into the action. Thankfully, the Training Center is always available for a refresher once those initial lessons begin to fade. While there are distinct difficulty modes available, don’t let the labels fool you; ChainStaff is a stiff challenge from the very first drop, no matter which setting you choose.
Mastery of the Super Spear
It doesn’t take you long to realize that the titular ChainStaff is one of the most inventive tools in recent memory. Beyond the standard jumping and shooting, the staff can attach to almost anything. You can swing from ceilings, latch onto enemies, or plant it in the ground to create a makeshift platform or a bridge over environmental hazards. When placed vertically, it even acts as a kinetic shield to deflect incoming projectiles or protect you from crushing hazards.
Its most powerful move is the Super Spear charge. By holding the attack button—even mid-air, slowing movement slightly—you can hurl the staff with devastating force. It’s often the only way to pierce the hide of certain elite enemies. However, there’s a catch. Once thrown, you have to manually recall the staff to your hand while fending off enemies with your much weaker bullets from your blaster. When taking damage during already chaotic encounters, your shield also does not automatically recover—you must actively replenish it through pickups such as Shield Charge.
A Clash of Pacing
Admittedly, the execution of this ambitious combat concept feels a bit “crunchy” in places. You’ll quickly notice some control quirks; for instance, to hit small, ground-based enemies, you must stand perfectly still and crouch. You can’t crouch-walk or shoot while moving downward, which makes the combat feel occasionally stiff. In a game this fast, finding a “safe spot” to hunker down and fire is a luxury you’re rarely afforded.
Furthermore, the charging mechanic can feel at odds with the enemy AI. Flying enemies move with such erratic speed that holding a charge for several seconds often feels like a gamble. While falling from a great height triggers a slow-motion effect to aid your aim, this only properly activates when dropping from sufficient height, making mid-air charging less reliable in moment-to-moment combat. As a result, the sheer velocity of the swarms on-screen often renders the slower, more powerful attacks less viable than frantic, basic strikes. Interestingly, the game includes built-in cheat options for those who find certain segments too demanding.
Moral Dilemmas, Metroidvania Vibes, and Heavy Metal
As you explore the 2D side-scrolling world, you’ll frequently stumble upon stranded soldiers. Here, ChainStaff presents you each time with a grim choice: rescue or harvest them. You can save them for instant Tech Points—used for permanent upgrades to your spear, shields, and secondary weapons—or you can listen to the alien in your head. Devouring a soldier’s heart or brain can grant massive, temporary power boosts to your weaponry, though these reset upon death. ChainStaff also flirts with Metroidvania elements. The levels often feature verticality and branching paths that might be blocked off until you have the proper equipment. At times, progression even nudges you to move vertically instead of horizontally, as the required tools for certain paths are not yet available.
Personally, I consider the boss fights to be the undisputed highlights in ChainStaff, because they are always screen-filling monstrosities with multiple phases that require genuine pattern recognition and practice. Once defeated, you can revisit their areas later on without having to defeat them again, to find missed secrets, though figuring out where to go next can occasionally be a bit unclear.
The fully hand-drawn art style is fantastic and is matched perfectly by the soundtrack from Deon van Heerden (Broforce). It’s a relentless barrage of heavy and melodic metal, with scorching riffs that sound like an instrumental Iron Maiden tribute. The only minor gripe is that the same music tracks begin to repeat quite early across the different levels.
Final Thoughts
ChainStaff is a brutal, rewarding action-platformer built for those who miss the “sink or swim” difficulty of 16-bit classics. The movement provided by the staff offers incredible freedom, even if the charging mechanics occasionally feel a step too slow for the blistering pace of the enemies. It’s a chaotic mix that leans heavily into its aesthetic and its demanding gameplay loop. Mastery in ChainStaff doesn’t come quickly, and repeated failure is very much part of the process, but those willing to push through will find a deeply satisfying system underneath.
Additional Information
Release Date: Apr 8, 2026
Reviewed On: PC. Download code provided by the publisher and PR agency.
Developer: Mommy’s Best Games
Publisher: Mommy’s Best Games
Relevant links: Available on STEAM
