CHAINSPIRE
A downloadable game for Windows
★ WISHLIST CHAINSPIRE ON STEAM ★
[ Soulslike combat meets a chain that actually exists ]
Up to four players are locked to a single, fully simulated chain. It snags on geometry, goes taut, and drags back whoever wasn't paying attention. Playing alone? An AI companion holds the other end - same chain, same rules, no mercy.
✦ Controls ✦ (click to expand)
| Keyboard & Mouse | Action |
|---|---|
| WASD | Move |
| SPACE | Jump |
| LSHIFT | Sprint |
| LCTRL | Walk - slow and quiet |
| LALT | Dash - quick step to evade |
| LMB | Attack |
| RMB hold | Aim / Guard - draw a bow or raise a shield |
| RMB tap | Element - switch your chosen element on or off (costs mana on every hit) |
| MMB | Target lock |
| R | Draw / sheathe weapon |
| F | Switch stance - melee or ranged mode of the weapon in hand |
| 12 | Weapon slot 1 / 2 |
| 3 | Switch quick item |
| T | Use the quick item - drink the flask |
| E | Interact - doors, levers, pickups |
| I | Inventory - equipment screen |
| ESC | Pause |
XBOX CONTROLLER
PLAYSTATION CONTROLLER
Every action can be rebound in the settings, for both keyboard and controller.
✦ The Chain ✦
The chain is not a visual effect. It has mass, it has tension, and it collides with the level.
◆ It catches on pillars, railings and corpses - and stays caught until someone frees it.
◆ It goes taut and yanks a sprinting player back mid-jump.
◆ It transfers force: a teammate falling off a bridge is a teammate pulling you off with them.
◆ It saves you - one well-timed pull drags a friend back from the edge.
Climb together, cross together - and if one of you slips, you both find out.
Your friend becomes your enemy the moment they stop listening to you.
✦ Combat ✦
Lock on, dodge, raise a shield or draw a bow - and charge your weapon with an element. Every elemental hit costs mana.
Several bosses, each with a full moveset - and a castle that is not on your side either.
✦ Three Classes ✦
SWORDSMAN - sword and shield. Holds the line and takes the hits the others can't.
ARCHER - range and control. Punishes whatever the swordsman is holding.
MAGE - burst damage and light, and pays for both in survivability.
On a single chain what matters isn't only who you are - it's who's holding the other end.
✦ How Co-op Works ✦
Online co-op over the internet. No Steam, no store client, no account needed - just pick a nickname.
1. One player opens MULTIPLAYER and picks Host a game. The lobby code appears next to the lobby title.
2. Everyone else picks JOIN BY CODE and types it in - or finds the lobby in the SERVER BROWSER.
3. That's it - you're chained.
Playing solo? An AI companion takes the other end of the chain. It follows your route, fights, and turns up where a second pair of hands is needed. Solo is a full mode, not a concession.
No one to play with? Leave a comment below - the comments are the easiest place to find someone for a run.
✦ What's in the Demo ✦
The prologue: the escape from the prison, the climb, and the bosses waiting along the way.
About 30-40 minutes solo - longer if you bring someone who doesn't listen.
✔ Full chain physics, exactly as in the final game
✔ All three classes, playable from the start
✔ Solo with an AI companion, or co-op for up to 4
✔ Several bosses, each with a full moveset
✔ Bonfires, saves and leveling up
⌛ The rest of the world - in development
✦ Installation ✦ (click to expand)
1. Download the Windows build (about 4 GB) and unzip it into any folder, for example C:\Games\CHAINSPIRE. Don't run the game from inside the zip.
2. Run CHAINSPIRE.exe in the root of that folder.
3. If Windows reports that the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable is missing, click Yes - it installs once and takes a few seconds.
4. If SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway. The game isn't code-signed yet.
Tip: with the itch.io app, updates download as small patches instead of the full 4 GB.
TROUBLESHOOTING
◆ Error about MSVCP140.dll or VCRUNTIME140.dll - install the Visual C++ Redistributable (x64) from Microsoft.
◆ Crash on start with an older GPU - create a shortcut to CHAINSPIRE.exe and add -dx11 at the end of its Target field.
◆ Class preview videos don't play (Windows N / KN) - install the Media Feature Pack in Settings - Apps - Optional features.
Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) - DirectX 12 GPU (DirectX 11 fallback) - Steam not required.
✦ Enjoyed the Demo? ✦
★ Leaving a quick rating and a comment helps more than you'd think ★
It's what decides whether anyone else ever sees this page. Bug reports and «this part felt unfair» are just as welcome.
✦ Wishlist on Steam ✦
The full game is in development. Wishlists are what decide whether it gets finished.
Made by SKYWARDFRAME - two developers.
Pick up the other end of the chain.
Download
Install instructions
Unzip the archive into any folder and run CHAINSPIRE.exe from its root - not from inside the zip.
If Windows asks to install the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable, click Yes (one time only).
If SmartScreen shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway - the game isn't code-signed yet.
Crash on start with an older GPU? Make a shortcut to CHAINSPIRE.exe and add -dx11 at the end of its Target field.
Development log
- CHAINSPIRE prologue demo is out!2 days ago
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