If your head were replaced by a massive parasitic bug, you probably wouldn’t rush into war against alien invaders. Fortunately, 2D platformer shoot ‘em up ChainStaff allows you to live out that fantasy in the comfort of your gaming space. Developed by Mommy’s Best Games and published by Null Games, my hands-on time with the game left a strong first impression, with action that’s as fun and gorey as it is outlandish.
Armed with an alien rifle and the titular ChainStaff, players must fight their way through all manner of hostile life. Inflatable lizards, weird upside-down scorpions, and leather-winged creatures all pose a threat to Sergeant Varlette. The level in the demo seems fairly straightforward at first: shoot things and move to the right.
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However, partway through the stage, players reach a chasm they can’t presently cross. At this point, they’re instructed to start climbing the environment to proceed. In addition to some checkpoints scattered throughout, this gives the impression that players can return to stages with new abilities to explore previously inaccessible areas.
The alien blaster functions as expected; players can run and gun or plant themselves firmly to aim in their desired direction. As you can probably guess, the real gem in your toolbox is the ChainStaff because of its versatility. Initially, it’s just used as a weapon, allowing players to charge it up before launching it at enemies, with a fully charged throw capable of piercing multiple foes. Shortly after, players are taught to use it as a platform, using the tool to lift them higher to climb a steep environment.
Its additional functions are introduced over time, such as a grappling hook, a shield, and a brace to save yourself from being crushed. While each new function takes some experimentation to learn, the device’s controls were intuitive, and by the end of the demo stage, they all felt like second nature.
The stage culminated with a boss fight against a giant alien head, in which I had to use the ChainStaff to shatter its teeth, then brace its mouth open so I could attack its weak point at the back of its throat. Together with the ability to use it as a shield, this encounter felt like a cohesive test of ChainStaff mastery.
In addition to the alien monsters, you’ll also occasionally encounter captive human soldiers. This presents the opportunity to save them — or you can harvest their brain or heart instead. While this can upgrade your stats, it also causes the other soldiers found throughout the stage to attack you in self-defense. While we don’t know how far-reaching the implications will be for attacking the people you’re meant to save, it’s a fun diversion to commit yourself to save humanity or embrace your parasitic nature.
The gameplay in ChainStaff felt fluid and extremely polished, and the art and music further elevated these aspects. Despite not using 16-bit art, the backgrounds, character sprites, and even the weapons all had a retro feel, bringing to mind other platform shooters from the ‘80s. The soundtrack for the stage I played further enhanced the illusion, with a thumping heavy metal track to complete the picture. ChainStaff is aiming for a very specific tone, and it certainly nails it.
The ChainStaff demo stage was a lot of fun, and the few story moments I saw fit perfectly into the gameplay. The introductory stage contained a lot of information and potential uses for the ChainStaff. I’m curious whether the novelty will wear off before the end of the 10-stage story, but for now, I’m excited to play more.
ChainStaff is coming soon to PC.
