ChainStaff Review

I love a “bad” B-movie. Therefore, when I was offered ChainStaff to review, I couldn’t resist. This old-school-inspired, satirical sci-fi romp tests your reactions, patience, and skills from the opening moment. However, it is the interesting mechanics, alien worlds, and crazy aliens that’ll keep you coming back for more.

Mommy’s Best Games has developed this action-platformer. It is a single-player game that uses an old-school style. Moreover, it has a heavy, dramatic soundtrack that knits together the outlandish and occasionally brutal gameplay. Consequently, it is a bit of a handful, but getting everything right is unbelievably rewarding.

Despite its dated design, the core mechanics and controls are wonderfully modern. Everything feels smooth, and working your way across each side-scrolling stage was enthralling. Although I died and failed repeatedly, I couldn’t help but smile and laugh as I traversed chasms, killed aliens, and took down some massive creatures.

ChainStaff has an underbudget feel and a sci-fi plot.

If you love B-movies and the silliness that goes with them, you’ll adore the madness of ChainStaff. This brilliant sci-fi experience tells the tale of a human hero and the alien that has latched onto their brain. This evil being leads to moments of harsh morality as you must choose to consume or save fallen soldiers en route.

You play the role of Sergeant Varlette. He is a futuristic hero with a small issue. The small issue is a parasitic alien that wishes to take over its host. Thankfully, the warrior withstands its advances as he pushes through every stage to find a way to remove the life-sucking beast.

Classic mechanics.

ChainStaff incorporates some classical mechanics alongside some fresh ideas. There is versatile combat, an upgrade system, climbing, jumping, and grappling for the ultimate in parkour excitement. Furthermore, your staff evolves as you find new pieces on your journey.

This key tool can be used to attack your foes, block their advances, and reach otherwise unobtainable platforms. Furthermore, you can overcome lava and other nasty obstacles as you traverse the strangest of alien worlds.

Each core element is well-considered. Although there are difficulty spikes along the way, the action is reasonably balanced, and the learning curve is gentle enough to keep everyone focused. Yes, you’ll fail and die, but this is par for the course. Subsequently, you’ll have to suck it up as you tackle every obstacle you encounter.

ChainStaff looks amazing.

Retro-inspired action doesn’t usually lead to impressive visuals. The dated approach can be tough to look at on larger screens. Fortunately, ChainStaff offers polished old-school graphics that are easy on the eye. Furthermore, the animation is smooth, and there were no frame rate problems or glitches. The audio will blow your mind. The heavy metal soundtrack is aggressive and in your face. Moreover, the sound effects have a futuristic edge that adds energy and drama to every level.

The control system is complicated but easy to understand. There is one button shooting if you hate mashing your controller. Furthermore, every input is responsive and mastering the controls takes some patience and a little practice. The morality system changes your upgrades and the story. This offers plenty of endings and loads of replay value.

ChainStaff is a fantastic indie game.

The run-and-gun madness and lineup of impressive aliens make ChainStaff a fantastic indie game. It is vibrant, loud, and great to play. Although there are moments that’ll test your resolve, patience, and hard work, make this a phenomenal platform experience. Accordingly, I think it’s amazing, and I recommend grabbing a copy from the Xbox store!