- Shooter, Platform, Adventure, Action
ChainStaff is a brutal action-platformer with a transforming spear and grappling hook, blazing weapon upgrades, and a rocking soundtrack. Aliens have taken over the Earth! Swing, shoot, and spear your way through hordes of mutating monstrosities and bone-shaking boss fights.
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Character
Plot-driven, unpretentious, grave and relentless.
- character-ledplot-driven
- unpretentiousprestige
- gravecomic
- contemplativerelentless
- contemporarynostalgic
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Reviews
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From the critics
A few lines from each review; the whole review is on the critic's site. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
Gaming FureverSean PhillipsApr 20265/5I played many games that had crazy premises for alien invasion, but I don’t think I played any with a concept as wild and out there as ChainStaff, from developer Mommy’s Best Games (the same guys behind the seriously under-rated Serious Sam Double D XXL), and I mean that in a good way: This game is insane, wild, disgusting, beautiful, and I just couldn’t stop playing.
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NintendoWorldReportNeal RonaghanApr 20269/10This is just a cool video game with novel gameplay mechanics and a consistently heavy metal style. If you came in here wanting another stellar Mommy's Best Games distillation of classic 2D tropes, you'll be satisfied. If you've never heard of Mommy's Best Games before, sign up here for an incredible action platformer that will feel like a long-lost retro classic.
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ImpulsegamerNay ClarkApr 20264.1/5ChainStaff is the kind of game that sticks with you because of how confidently it commits to its ideas. It takes a single mechanic and builds an entire experience around it without losing momentum or focus. The combination of strange storytelling, flexible gameplay, and striking visuals makes it feel distinct in a crowded genre. Even with some rough edges, there's a lot here to enjoy, especially if you like mastering systems and finding your own rhythm within them. It's also easy to see the appeal for speedrunning with how fluid movement can become. If it catches your interest even a little, it's worth stepping into, because there's not much else that plays quite like it.
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Nindie SpotlightJustin NationApr 20266.4/10While it has some cool ideas and style to spare, a combination of stiff and sometimes awkward controls, as well as level design that tends to exacerbate those problems, keeps it from reaching it potential
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Cloud DosageJon ScarrMay 20263.5/5 starsChainStaff is a genuinely clever, uncompromising action platformer. The chain weapon is inventive and fun to master, the moral choice paths give you real reasons to play again, and the retro sci-fi look hits exactly the right notes.
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Snippets via OpenCritic, where 67% of critics recommend it.
About the game
- Platforms
- Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
- Developer
- Mommy's Best Games
- Publisher
- Mommy's Best Games
- Released
- April 8, 2026
- Modes
- Single player
- Perspective
- Side view
- Engine
- Unity
IGDB rating 8.1/10 from 3 ratings.
Screenshots
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