ChainStaff

ChainStaff is an action game set on an Earth under attack by the Star Spores, which have mutated its wildlife into ferocious alien creatures. An alien has attached itself to your head and gives you the strength to fight the mutated horde, along with control of the ChainStaff, a transforming weapon. Your first playthrough takes around 6 to 8 hours.

The ChainStaff

You can hurl the ChainStaff as a spear to slice aliens in half, throw it to the ground as a shield against incoming attacks, or grapple and swing from almost anything. It performs these actions and more with one button. The game’s dangers can all be avoided, though some require special strategies; deaths include being pounded to mush, stabbed through the heart or sheared in two.

Stranded soldiers

You encounter fellow soldiers stranded across harsh environments. You choose whether to rescue them or harvest their organs for upgrades. Each choice has unique benefits and leads to different endings, and your decisions may determine whether you can save everyone, including yourself.

Mutated Earth

The landscape includes rocky crags veiled in mist, icy hills lit by the moon and mossy cliffs crossed by streams. The aliens have transformed Earth’s creatures into dozens of unusual enemies, followed by screen-filling monstrosities. The world is rendered in fully hand-drawn art inspired by album covers from the 1970s and 1980s.

Metal soundtrack

The soundtrack features classic metal by composer Deon van Heerden, with driving beats, scorching riffs and thunder. Lighter interludes add 1970s synth, catchy melodies and cowbell.