A game by Mommy's Best Games for PC, PS5, Xbox X/S, Switch, and Switch 2, originally released in 2026.
ChainStaff marks a return to the gooey alien-blasting action that Mommy’s Best Games is known for, having started their foray into the monster busting business in 2008 with the release of
Weapon of Choice… and also the
reason this whole dang website exists. You take on the role of Sergeant Jesse “Varl” Varlette who is on a mission to save the world from nasty aliens, and push back The Encroachment that threatens to cover the entirety of our favorite planet with a veritable plague of mutant monstrosities. Unfortunately, things didn’t go well during one of Varl’s early missions. His squad came under attack by alien bugs, and he was the only one to make it back to base. But one of the bugs attached itself to Varl’s head, supplanting his life support systems while simultaneously granting him incredible strength and speed, and the ability to control a piece of alien technology known as the chainstaff (hey that’s the name of the game!).
Because of Varl’s enhanced abilities, his commanding officer keeps sending him back to the front lines, but his sister – and chief medical officer – is doing everything she can to figure out how to remove the alien bug… which seems to be impossible to do without killing him, as the creature is stimulating his heart and lungs. As you explore a series of large branching levels, you uncover other mysterious lifeforms, some of which seem sentient, others may help you discover new areas to explore, and still others may grant you secondary abilities that open new paths forward.
After the opening cutscene, you’re dropped into a tutorial area. The tutorial is technically skippable, but if this is your first time here, you’re definitely gonna want to learn how the chainstaff works because it’s the primary way that you’ll be interacting with the environment… and dealing with some enemies. You have a snappy 2x variable jump and a rapid-fire rifle that shoots in 360 degrees, plus the ability to plant your feet and shoot in any direction. The chainstaff can be used as a spear to impale enemies, which can kill a lot of baddies in a single hit that would otherwise soak up a lot of bullets, but it takes a few seconds to wind up a throw.
But you don’t have to throw the chainstaff at full force to make use of it. If you just toss it onto the ground in front of you or stick into a wall or ceiling, it can block enemy fire, prevent most enemies from passing through, and be used as a transportation system to move you to higher or lower platforms, as you can move it freely by locking your position and aiming. It can also be used in a few instances to keep enemies or obstacles from crushing you, and the staff is automatically recalled to you if it takes too much damage. You can hang from the chainstaff and shoot enemies, stand on it and use it as a platform, or disable its rigidity to swing back and forth while hanging from almost any point (or enemy).
When jumping, the chainstaff automatically goes into grapple mode, so pressing the button will connect you to nearby objects and let you swing back and forth, and you can also press a button to turn it rigid again. Grapple movement is very fast and bouncy, and it gives you the ability to reel in, reel out, and swing faster or slower. It’s possible to fling yourself high into the air, ascend vertical surfaces, cross gaps, and smash yourself face first into an enemy if you’re not careful. An indicator shows what points are grappleable, and where the chainstaff will land when thrown, and you can press a button to recall it to yourself at any time. You can also line up a spear throw while hanging, and the game goes into slow motion during this time so you can wind up a full-strength shot.
Early into the game, you’ll encounter your first injured soldier, and this is when you get to make a choice: You can rescue the solder, eat the soldier’s heart, or suck the soldier’s brains out. Since you have an alien creature latched onto your primo cabeza, it has certain desires and will reward you for fulfilling them. Sucking brains gives your weapon more power, while eating hearts increases your maximum health, and super-spearing enemies drops pickups that restore weapon power and health. If you choose to rescue a fallen soldier, your friends in the military will grant you access to new weapons technology in the form of secondary weapons, explosives, and shields. Betraying the human race also has some consequences, as soldiers will turn their weapons on you, and your friends in the military will be less friendly. Could your actions affect the course of the narrative? Try eating a few brains to find out!
The pause menu shows some helpful stats, such as how far away you are from the next soldier (on the X axis only), whether or not you have killed the boss, and how many pickups you’ve collected in the level vs the total number. Among these pickups are chainstaff segments that can extend the length of the staff, make it charge more quickly, or make it more powerful. There’s also a map of the area, with pixilation showing areas yet to be explored, but it’s handy for determining where side paths may be located, which can lead to powerups that grant new abilities and allow further exploration. Among these powerups is a flamethrower that can do heavy damage to enemies while also burning vines and melting ice, and another lets you hover when you’re standing next to certain flying creatures.
Checkpoints appear as beacons – although there are some invisible checkpoints as well – and you can use them to upgrade your tech. You can also warp to these beacons when returning to a level, or from within a level, at any time. This makes it easier to go back and hunt for soldiers you may have missed, or to find side paths. As you locate pollen pickups within levels, entirely new levels become available to you, and you are free to travel to any of them at will. Each level has a different theme and a few unique enemy types and obstacles, offering variety as you progress.
While some enemies are simple and just eat bullets until they explode, others require more advanced techniques. For instance, some shielded enemies can’t be attacked head-on, so you can run around behind them… or use a fully-powered chainstaff toss to flip them over so you can hit their weak points while they’re stunned. Some enemies have barriers that can be stripped away with the chainstaff, others require you to strategically hang from a platform so you can reach them, while others fling body their body parts at you when they come under attack. Some enemies die in splashes of blood, while others gush green or purple goo… and you yourself unleash sprays of claret as you are skewered and occasionally sliced in half.
Boss battles are more complex, as showcased in the very first encounter. Here, you face a creature with a huge mouth and sharp teeth, and the only weak point is in the back of its throat. You can use your rifle to blast away the teeth, but they absorb a lot of hits and grow back after a few seconds. If you charge up a chainstaff throw and line up your shot, you can smash out a whole row of teeth in one toss. You can also throw your chainstaff onto the creature’s jaw to keep it from closing its mouth on you… just be sure you’re standing in front of it because it’ll block your shots too. Any strategy will work to a greater or lesser degree, and even wearing down the monster will work, since there’s a limit to how many teeth it can regrow.
Other boss battles will have you dashing around the room, grappling away from danger, spearing weak points, and firing wildly as you run away. There’s even a boss that you defeat while slowly disemboweling it as the room crumbles around you and fills with acid. And there are plenty of minibosses to be found as well. Heck, the second level starts off with a pretty intense boss fight, and hopefully you’ve learned to use that chainstaff by then or you’ll be taking weak potshots while cowering in a corner and weeping (probably).
Aesthetically, the game looks like a surreal 1970’s rock album come to life with wild colors and intentionally grainy gradients, and the game leans into this with its vinyl cover art level intros and guitar riff that stars sneaking up on you. Music for the game was composed by Deon van Heerden (
Broforce,
Warhammer 40,000: Shootas, Blood & Teef), with a level of exuberant guitar wailing you probably haven’t heard since 1983, mixed in with some punchy synth, and balanced by chiller tracks played in the rare moments between bullet bonanzas.
2D CRED
Mommy's Best Games is headed by Nathan Fouts, industy veteran and co-creator if the website you're scrolling through right now (spooky). The studio's previous relesaes include
Weapon of Choice,
Shoot 1UP,
Explosionade,
Serious Sam: Double D XXL, and
Pig Eat Ball. That's a whole mess of games where you save the world by blowing up aliens, and one game where you save your space station by eating and regurgitating tennis balls. If you made it all the way down to the 2D CRED section, then chances are that's what you're here for.
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