A surreal, amusing and twisted grappling hook shooter.
It's not very much like contra, but it's gorgeous, bizarre and the music is incredible.
What started off feeling a little jank turned out to be a really cool game, and i do recommend it, especially for the price.

A game this cool needs more eyes on it. Just get it, and give it a bit.

Also, maybe choose heart or brain, my gun has felt pretty underpowered the whole game because i keep saving these stranded losers.

What in the world is this game that dropped out of nowhere in the middle of the week looking like a cross between the Amiga's Shadow of the Beast and a Yes album cover?! You can find a lot of interesting artwork in the indie scene if you have the patience to dig through the stacks, but games that look like this aren't very common. It's also uncommon that the game turned out to not only meet my lofty expectations but surpass them by a good distance!

Speaking of Amiga games, it's actually Turrican that ChainStaff reminds me of the most and its side scrolling run & gun mixed with a sizable dose of exploration, verticality, powerups, secrets hiding in plain sight, and all sorts of gooey aliens and floating eyeballs and flying bug monsters and cliff edges overlooking the void. I'd still love it if ChainStaff were just an imitation of some classic games in a Roger Dean art style, but that it brings a classic feel while managing to be its own thing entirely really makes it special.

The titular ChainStaff weapon is what really makes things unique here, it's an odd and powerful tool that is frustrating until you get the hang of it, but once you do the game really opens up. You can shoot it like a arrow, or use it as a bridge, or as a shield to block enemy bullets, or as a platform you can ride and control, or as a prop to keep things from falling on you, or as a grapple and swing, and so on. And you will need to. Like I mentioned above when talking about Turrican, ChainStaff is fairly exploration heavy. Not only are there secrets and powerups and other things to find way up there or way down there, the path to other levels (of 9 total) are often hidden. You sometimes... most times don't unlock the next level by just beating the boss but you have to explore and find the hidden path that will take you there. Yet another aspect that plays into the spacey, mystical vibe of the artwork. Seek and you shall find.

It plays the way it looks, like a double LP gatefold prog rock record. Complex and deep and heady and it might take a few spins to get the hang of, but once you do it feels like a nearly bottomless well of discovery and creativity. Fantastic game.

Might be one of the most interesting run n' gun on recent years, with one of the best grappling hooks ever, love it.
The art style is so unique combining body horror and reconocible animals and bugs, like some of those "speculative evolution" but more bizarre and with humor. The gameplay is so cool and fun, there are multiple ends for the levels and upgrades/soldiers to find, with choices that unlock very different playstyles and builds, and again the ChainStaff as a grappling hook is incredible, as you can also use it as a mobile platform. The best part are the bosses, extremely unique with their own way to fight them, including using the staff on different ways. Also the soundtrack is awesome with good variety.

Absolutely recommended for anyone, might be a bit "grotesque" in some parts but is really fun with neat ideas, and the dev is pretty responsive with any bugs you might find, very worth your time.


Esp: Puede que sea uno de los run n' gun más interesantes recientemente, con uno de los mejores grappling hook que vi en mi vida, me encanta.
El estilo artístico es único, ya que combina el body horror con animales e insectos reconocibles, como en esas "evoluciones especulativas", pero más bizarro y con humor. La jugabilidad es tremenda y divertida, hay múltiples finales para los niveles y mejoras/soldados para encontrar, con elecciones que desbloquean estilos de juego y builds muy diferentes, y, de nuevo, el chainstaff como gancho es una maravilla, ya que también se puede usar como plataforma móvil. Lo mejor son los jefes, extremadamente únicos con su propia forma de matarlos, incluyendo el uso del chainstaff de diferentes maneras. Además, el soundtrack es impresionante y con mucha variedad.

Totalmente recomendado para cualquiera, puede que sea un poco "grotesco" en algunas partes, pero es re entretenido y con ideas originales, y el desarrollador responde rápido a cualquier bug que puedas encontrar, merece un montón la pena