ChainStaff Xbox Review
- XPN Network
- May 29
- 2 min read
ChainStaff doesn’t bother with subtlety. It opens by killing you, resurrecting you with a parasitic alien, and then shoving you straight into a world that looks like a stack of 70s metal album covers melted together. It’s loud, grotesque, stylish, and proudly strange and it's the kind of game that feels like it crawled out of a sketchbook full of riffs and nightmares.
The art direction is the first thing that grabs you. Every environment feels like it was illustrated by someone who listens to doom metal at unsafe volumes: jagged cliffs, icy wastelands, fungal caverns, and cosmic backdrops that feel both ancient and alien. It’s all hand‑drawn, all moody, and all dripping with personality.
Cutscenes, on the other hand, have a stiff, puppet‑like quality that’s more uncanny than atmospheric. They don’t ruin anything, but they definitely stand out against the otherwise striking visual style.
The game’s namesake weapon is the real star. The ChainStaff is a transforming spear‑on‑a‑chain that doubles as a traversal tool, a shield, a grappling hook, and a physics toy. You can:
Swing across gaps like a deranged medieval Spider‑Man
Pin enemies to walls
Slam it into the ground to block attacks
Hang from ceilings
Hold collapsing terrain in place
Improvise solutions to platforming puzzles that feel almost like speedrunner tech
It’s one of those rare weapons that feels genuinely multi‑purpose and not a gimmick, but the core of the game’s identity.
Your alien parasite keeps you alive, but it also whispers temptations. Throughout your journey, you encounter wounded soldiers. You can:
Save them for upgrade materials
Eat their organs for raw stat boosts
Eat too many, and the world reacts. Characters judge you. Some become hostile. It’s a simple system, but it adds a surprising amount of flavour and tension, making every encounter feel like a small moral crossroads.
ChainStaff is not an easy game. It expects you to experiment, die, learn, and try again. Boss fights in particular are chaotic physics‑driven puzzles where you’re constantly improvising with your ChainStaff’s movement tech. When it clicks, it feels incredible, fast, fluid, and creative.
But the difficulty can spike hard. Some mechanics are under‑explained, and a few platforming sections feel like they were designed by someone who resents human thumbs. Still, the challenge rarely feels unfair; it’s more like the game is daring you to master its strange little toolkit.
The music is a mix of metal riffs, pounding percussion, and retro synths. It’s indulgent, dramatic, and perfectly matched to the game’s aesthetic. Even when you’re dying repeatedly, the soundtrack keeps the energy high.
Pros
Brilliantly versatile ChainStaff weapon
Gorgeous hand‑drawn environments
Creative traversal and combat mechanics
Atmospheric, heavy‑metal‑infused soundtrack
Fun moral system with meaningful consequences
Cons
Cutscenes feel stiff and uncanny
No voice acting
Difficulty spikes can be harsh
Some mechanics are under‑explained
ChainStaff is rough around the edges, occasionally frustrating, and unapologetically bizarre but that’s exactly what makes it memorable. It’s a game with a clear identity, a brilliant central mechanic, and a world that feels like nothing else on Xbox right now. If you enjoy challenging action‑platformers with a strong artistic voice, this one’s absolutely worth diving into.
XPN Rating: 4 out of 5 (GOLD)
ChainStaff is available now!
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