Graceful Explosion Machine

A masterful example of how to do an arcade shooter right. Eye-catching visuals and extremely fine-tuned gameplay combine to make this a memorable and compelling experience for anybody looking to get into a faster paced, action focused game. That being said, there is a minor element of repetitiveness which never goes away entirely; the selling point comes not from the amount of levels, but from how many times you'll be playing each one. We give Graceful Explosion Machine a very strong recommendation, all told; considering the amount of polish and replayability on offer, this is quite the bang for your buck.

For what Graceful Explosion Machine aspires to be – that is, a stylish high score-focused shoot-'em-up – it excels in spades. [Issue #28 – July/August 2017, p. 21]

Graceful Explosion Machine is an intelligently designed 2D shooter for the Switch. The developers obviously put a lot of thought into the weapon and high score systems and made a title that you’ll want to replay over and over. The Nintendo Switch may still have a low number of retail releases, but Graceful Explosion Machine is another indie title that will keep you enthralled on both the go and at home.

Graceful Explosion Machine is arguably the go-to arcade game that every Switch owner should definitely consider buying. It mixes pleasing visuals with great gameplay to make it one of the best arcade shooters I've played. You can beat the four worlds in around four hours, but you will find yourself playing these over and over again as you chase down those high scores!

Graceful Explosion Machine is a must play for arcade shooters with its precision gameplay, accessibility, and presentation.

Graceful Explosion Machine is a small but great arcade shooter that proves to be fun and addictive.

Graceful Explosion Machine is indeed a hidden GEM in the Nintendo e-shop library. It has an addictive and incredibly simple yet complex gameplay, amazing replay value and is extremely cheap at $13. The lack of Co-Op multiplayer does hold it back sometimes and as does the variety of worlds.

An extremely refined shooter, that is definitely a must have for Switch owners that love challenges and games that rotate around global leaderboards. It's a perfectly balanced act, that does its thing perfectly but offers very little to anyone not interested in its genre and meticulously crafted mechanics. Still, quite the pleasant surprise.

Graceful Explosion Machine builds an intense, addictive shoot-em-up around a satisfying weapon-juggling system and smart enemies. The Switch’s HD Rumble adds a unique feeling to every explosion in this colorful shooter, and earning a good spot on the leaderboard is an intense challenge thanks to dense swarms of enemies. But even when a pesky foe slapped down my scoring run, I always had the urge to jump back into these crowded corridors and try again.

Graceful Explosion Machine is a little, smart and fun shoot'em up that perfectly suits the Switch's hybrid nature.

Will the lack of punishing difficulty turn away the genre’s more hard-core fans? I doubt it. The prestige they crave can be had via leaderboards. By the end I was scoring a D on pretty much every set of levels, with low marks for style, time, hits taken, and lives used. These are the sorts of things genre devotees can master and brag about and hold over the heads of we lesser shmuppers...More serious players might, however, take some issue with the overall simplicity of design.

Graceful Explosion Machine is a white-knuckle shooter that barely allows for a moment’s rest as swarms of weird alien creatures arrive one after the other to crowd you off their planet, never quite realizing that the denser they swarm, the higher the multiplier can get. They’re not too bright that way, but with a little careful weapons management, it will all work out fine.

Wonderful Explosion Machine brings the Nintendo Switch back to the good old days of Defender. Colorful environments and tight gameplay make for a great debut for the Shoot em Up genre in a machine more than suitable for the classics. It just doesn't match the outstanding quality of certain shooters available today, but it´s a solid game after all.

Quotation forthcoming.

Graceful Explosion Machine is a perfectly adequate bullet hell shooter - a good one even. But the repetition and misguided level-based design hurt its chances of being a must buy.

For $13, Graceful Explosion Machine is a fun little space shooter with nice visuals and audio that is worth your time and money if you're a high score hound.

I did not enjoy Graceful Explosion Machine. But you might. It hearkens back to arcade shooters in its repetitive presentation and simplicity, but if you aren’t bothered by that loop, the gameplay itself may be enough to hook you. The controls feel smooth as silk, HD Rumble makes each explosion tangibly satisfying, and the music is chill, if samey. If racking up high scores creating massive alien explosions again and again is your cup of space tea, Graceful Explosion Machine may be the Switch exclusive you need for the time being.