No chain, no gain
By Paul Hunter
Mommy's Best Games has built a reputation for taking classic action genres and making them feel fresh again, and ChainStaff on Xbox Series X is the studio's best work yet. Veteran developer Nathan Fouts, who worked at Insomniac on Resistance: Fall of Man and Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, built his new indie action platformer around a transforming alien weapon and ten levels designed to push it to its limits.
The retro DNA is obvious. Contra and Bionic Commando are clear inspirations for ChainStaff, but this game builds something that completely stands on its own. Six possible endings and a blistering 28-track heavy metal soundtrack back the action from start to finish. Is ChainStaff the next alien-slaying run-and-gun game you should pick up? Let's find out!
The tone is the best part. ChainStaff plays the alien invasion like a 1960s B-movie that's self-aware and oozing charm. The animated cutscenes are full of that energy, and I found the writing funny and engaging in a way that most action games never bother with.
The story has a moral choice mechanic that gives it real depth. Across the levels you find wounded soldiers, and it's up to you to decide how to respond. Rescuing them gives you weapon and shield upgrade resources, and is the humane way to respond. But you can choose to eat their hearts for a health boost or consume their brains for a damage increase, but pile up too many of those dark choices and you may just get a bad ending.
All in all, ChainStaff's story packs more personality and replay value into its premise than most action games manage, giving you plenty of reasons to come back for more.
You also have a rifle with auto-fire and an aiming stance that lets you precisely aim at weakpoints. Regular enemy AI rewards spacing and timing over brute force, but the challenge ramps up fast with screen-filling boss fights that cap each stage and are seriously demanding.
The upgrade system is straightforward. Collect ChainStaff pieces during stages to extend its range and quicken its charge speed. Saving wounded soldiers lets you buy weapons upgrades, like adding a homing missile or orbs that circle you and explode on contact. You can also add shield charges to stay in the game longer. New Game+ lets you carry the full upgrade set into a repeat run for alternate ending hunters.
All considered, ChainStaff has one of the most satisfying combat systems I have played in a 2D combat game in years, and has a nice nostalgia feel for Bionic Commando and Contra fans.
The creature designs are exceptional. Dozens of unique enemy types spread across the ten levels, each with their own attack patterns, and each showing real-time damage states as you wound them. The bosses are especially eye-popping and fill the screen with detail and colour.
Turning to audio, Deon van Heerden, the Broforce composer, delivers 28 original heavy metal and classic rock tracks that match the game's energy at every turn. One of them is a full rock song with actual lyrics, and when it kicked in I immediately turned up my headphone volume. The music and the art direction push the same loud, alien, heavy metal identity, and the combination is excellent.
Xbox Series X performance stayed smooth the entire way through. No frame drops, no slowdowns. The game runs as well as it looks.
All in all, ChainStaff's exceptional art, animations, soundtrack, and smooth performance make it a polished package.
Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
Developer: Mommy’s Best Games
Publisher: Mommy’s Best Games
Genre: Action
Modes: Single-player
By Paul Hunter
Mommy's Best Games has built a reputation for taking classic action genres and making them feel fresh again, and ChainStaff on Xbox Series X is the studio's best work yet. Veteran developer Nathan Fouts, who worked at Insomniac on Resistance: Fall of Man and Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, built his new indie action platformer around a transforming alien weapon and ten levels designed to push it to its limits.
The retro DNA is obvious. Contra and Bionic Commando are clear inspirations for ChainStaff, but this game builds something that completely stands on its own. Six possible endings and a blistering 28-track heavy metal soundtrack back the action from start to finish. Is ChainStaff the next alien-slaying run-and-gun game you should pick up? Let's find out!
Story and Narrative
The story setup is fast and efficient. Star Spores have hit Earth, spreading a parasitic infection across the planet, and the military calls the whole crisis The Encroachment. Sgt. Jesse Varlette leads a squad into the fight, but it soon gets wiped out. He survives only because an alien parasite attaches itself to his head, and that parasite gives him a supernatural connection to the ChainStaff, a living alien weapon. His mission becomes stopping The Encroachment while fighting to hold onto his humanity, and the story delivers on that premise better than I expected.The tone is the best part. ChainStaff plays the alien invasion like a 1960s B-movie that's self-aware and oozing charm. The animated cutscenes are full of that energy, and I found the writing funny and engaging in a way that most action games never bother with.
The story has a moral choice mechanic that gives it real depth. Across the levels you find wounded soldiers, and it's up to you to decide how to respond. Rescuing them gives you weapon and shield upgrade resources, and is the humane way to respond. But you can choose to eat their hearts for a health boost or consume their brains for a damage increase, but pile up too many of those dark choices and you may just get a bad ending.
All in all, ChainStaff's story packs more personality and replay value into its premise than most action games manage, giving you plenty of reasons to come back for more.
Gameplay and Mechanics
The ChainStaff is the core mechanic of the game, a living alien weapon that works different ways. As a grappling hook, it latches to surfaces and enemies for fast movement and crossing gaps. Charge and throw it and it becomes a piercing spear that deals significant damage or breaks enemy shields. Slam it vertically into the ground and it blocks enemy bullets or pries open heavy barriers. Mastering all these functions is when the gameplay really opens up.You also have a rifle with auto-fire and an aiming stance that lets you precisely aim at weakpoints. Regular enemy AI rewards spacing and timing over brute force, but the challenge ramps up fast with screen-filling boss fights that cap each stage and are seriously demanding.
The upgrade system is straightforward. Collect ChainStaff pieces during stages to extend its range and quicken its charge speed. Saving wounded soldiers lets you buy weapons upgrades, like adding a homing missile or orbs that circle you and explode on contact. You can also add shield charges to stay in the game longer. New Game+ lets you carry the full upgrade set into a repeat run for alternate ending hunters.
All considered, ChainStaff has one of the most satisfying combat systems I have played in a 2D combat game in years, and has a nice nostalgia feel for Bionic Commando and Contra fans.
Presentation and Audio
ChainStaff's art direction goes all-in on a 1960s sci-fi aesthetic, with hand-drawn characters set against alien environments that pop with the kind of loud, over-saturated colour palettes seen in SNES games.The creature designs are exceptional. Dozens of unique enemy types spread across the ten levels, each with their own attack patterns, and each showing real-time damage states as you wound them. The bosses are especially eye-popping and fill the screen with detail and colour.
Turning to audio, Deon van Heerden, the Broforce composer, delivers 28 original heavy metal and classic rock tracks that match the game's energy at every turn. One of them is a full rock song with actual lyrics, and when it kicked in I immediately turned up my headphone volume. The music and the art direction push the same loud, alien, heavy metal identity, and the combination is excellent.
Xbox Series X performance stayed smooth the entire way through. No frame drops, no slowdowns. The game runs as well as it looks.
All in all, ChainStaff's exceptional art, animations, soundtrack, and smooth performance make it a polished package.
The Verdict
ChainStaff is an easy recommendation. The titular weapon is one of the most creative tools I have used in a run-and-gun in years. The throwback sci-fi art direction is wild and original. Deon van Heerden's heavy metal soundtrack keeps the energy high from the opening level to the last boss, and six possible endings along with New Game+ give reasons to go back for another run. Nathan Fouts and Mommy's Best Games have easily delivered one of the best indie games of 2026.Final Score: 7.5/10 - Good
ChainStaff details
Platform: PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, Nintendo SwitchDeveloper: Mommy’s Best Games
Publisher: Mommy’s Best Games
Genre: Action
Modes: Single-player