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ChainStaff Review
- Taylor Rioux
- 1 hour ago
- 5 min read
What is the value of doing hard things? I suppose in some sense it grants us (or perhaps tests) our resilience, showing us that we can do difficult things and survive. This is surely valuable in a broader sense of life, but I’m not certain it means much when talking about art. Some may argue that hardship is more about the sense of accomplishment we feel when a task is brought to completion; that the only means by which we can satiate our pride is through struggle. Or is it more important that we use these challenges to improve our skills and build confidence?
While there may be no single answer, I feel like I have done a hard thing by playing ChainStaff. This is admittedly less because Chainstaff is inherently more difficult than many games I’ve played in the past, and more because it is a genre I so rarely play.
Publisher: Mommy’s Best Games Developer: Mommy’s Best Games Platform: Played on PC Availability: Released April 8, 2026 for PC, PS4/5, Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X/S. |
There were no arcades where I lived when I was young; the only cabinets to be found were held at the resorts by the lake, at a local hotel, and most importantly, at the hockey arena across the street. None of the cabinets out at the resorts or at the local pool had the sort of 2D side-scrolling shooters that ChainStaff so deftly emulates. Instead, we got games like Tekken 2, The Punisher, and The Simpsons — this may explain my affinity for the Beat ‘em Up genre more than I realized.
But the local rink did have one such game: Metal Slug. I think it’s important to note that I sucked at these games then, too. I didn’t just lose my ability to navigate the sort of run-and-gun gameplay that Metal Slug and ChainStaff employ — I never had it. I don’t know how far I got on that old game, but I imagine it wasn't very far at all, given my poor handling and light pockets.
ChainStaff started out similarly for me. I haven’t played many Run’N’Gun games in my adult years, and I’ve finished exactly zero, so my first few hours with ChainStaff were quite a trial, with death after death via slow-moving alien projectiles. But I persevered. I persevered not because I thought I was becoming stronger, or to train my skills for other times I might play a game in the genre, but I persevered because I was having fun.
ChainStaff utilizes an expressive, prog-rock cover-esque visual style to capture the action.
There’s something immediately endearing about the way ChainStaff wastes no time in filling your speakers with its heavy metal soundtrack. It wears its inspirations on its sleeve visually, too, with an aesthetic that recalls the progressive rock covers of the 70s and 80s — like a mash of the art of Kim Poor and H.R. Giger brought to life.
These elements mesh well with the fast-paced action of each level, keeping every new enemy and stage fresh as Sergeant Jesse Varlette cuts a path through the gauntlet of alien foes, leaving only their bodies in his wake. Using the titular ChainStaff, you can swing through the levels by latching onto terrain and foes alike, or you can charge it to launch it into enemies for damage and to create a platform to stand on. This charged form also doubles as cover from enemy attacks, providing shelter when the terrain won't cut it.
There’s plenty of room for player expression here, as well. While players always have their gun and the chanstaff, gun upgrades allow for additional effects when shooting, like homing missiles or slow-moving rockets. The options are not endless, but there’s room to customize how you’d like to approach the combat. That goes for the ChainStaff as well, with players able to hang onto walls, create cover, or use it offensively. Most encounters don’t require any specific strategy when dealing with foes, so you can really approach each in any way you like.
It wears its inspirations on its sleeve visually, too, with an aesthetic that recalls the progressive rock covers of the 70s and 80s — like a mash of the art of Kim Poor and H.R. Giger brought to life.
This is less true of the boss fights, which push you toward employing specific, more effective strategies for each, but there’s still wiggle room for how you approach things. There were times when I opted to hang from the ceiling or walls when simply putting up a barrier would have done just as well. Part of the process of learning how to play the game came from recognizing when those strategies were best employed and not being so afraid to try them out.
That said, those opening levels felt brutal. Not just in the sense that I had difficulty adjusting to the mechanics of the game, though that was true, but from a visual and auditory perspective. Despite the levity with which the story and conversations are handled, the spectacle of the levels is one of blood, and guts, and gore.
Throwing your ChainStaff into an enemy welcomes a geyser of blood, and the sort of squelching and crunching noises beckoned forth when that projectile connects with an alien carapace is laughably grotesque. The juxtaposition of these levels with characters like Papa Choppa, a pilot with mutton chops who picks you up at the end of each level while wearing a pink cowboy hat and bathrobe, further feeds into the absurdity of it all.
Despite these oddities and seemingly incongruous elements, I consider ChainStaff a resounding success. It has a strong art direction, a fantastic soundtrack, and a perfectly eclectic cast of characters. The way it blends its frantic combat with engaging platforming is inventive, offering players separate pathways that allow for further exploration and engagement. It was all so charming — a testament to the love and care that went into crafting it.
And while those opening moments were hard going, the game wasn't much trouble as I became accustomed to the controls. I developed a comfort with the timing of swinging from the branches and became more cognizant of the multi-directional threats that accosted me. In sticking with it, I feel like I found an answer for this single hardship.
It wasn’t about resilience, or pride, or relief — it was about joy. The joy of doing. The joy of engaging with a work of art on its own terms, regardless of my own comfort level and familiarity. It was, at its core, an endeavor in finding that joy in something I may never have tried outside of the bounds of this profession, and for that I am grateful.
Verdict ChainStaff has a strong art direction, a fantastic soundtrack, and a perfectly eclectic cast of characters. The story is light-hearted, but the action is intense, with Sergeant Varlett blasting his way through numerous foes in a fashion that is both exciting and sometimes grotesque. The game is the total package, blending its visuals, audio, and gameplay to create a chimeric experience that sticks the landing. |
Image Credits: Mommy's Best Games
Disclaimer: We received a copy of this game from the publisher.
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