Graceful Explosion Machine

 Switch
Metascore
77

Generally favorable reviews - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
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  1. Everyeye.it
    Apr 29, 2017
    72
    Quotation forthcoming.
  2. App Trigger
    Apr 21, 2017
    65
    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.
  3. Pocket Gamer UK
    Apr 7, 2017
    70
    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.
  5. GamesRadar+
    Apr 6, 2017
    60
    Graceful Explosion Machine is the gaming equivalent of empty calories. It's pretty to look at, super smooth, and has some interesting weapons, but there's no real hook to keep you sustained beyond the act of moving around and blowing up aliens.
  6. Destructoid
    Apr 6, 2017
    70
    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.

Awards & Rankings

63
#63 Best Switch Game of 2017
56
#56 Most Discussed Switch Game of 2017
43
#43 Most Shared Switch Game of 2017

User Reviews

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User Score
7.9

Generally favorable reviews- based on 85 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 63 out of 85
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 85
  3. Negative: 8 out of 85
  1. axbu89
    Apr 7, 2017
    9
    This is the kind of game that works very well on the Switch. I wouldn't bother with a game like this on PC which is where these games haveThis is the kind of game that works very well on the Switch. I wouldn't bother with a game like this on PC which is where these games have lived primarily to this point but the ability to play it on the go in short bursts is great.

    The controls are tight, the aesthetic is pleasing and it doesn't get cluttered which is a pitfall (or boon, depending on your preference) for the genre. The gameplay is 'fun', for want of a better word and it keeps interest for long enough for a quick play session.

    For the game alone it would be an 8 but given the price and the use case (Switch handheld mode) it deserves a 9 in my opinion.    … Full Review »
  2. hypernewbie
    Apr 8, 2017
    1
    High school game designer finds a unity programmer and a very good artist.

    Game design is extremely poor. Too much unnecessary resource    High school game designer finds a unity programmer and a very good artist.

    Game design is extremely poor. Too much unnecessary resource management that doesn't really add much, mechanics are not that coherent, and I swear the entire game's AI uses the following one line of code:
    vec3 findNextMovementPos(vec3 player) {
    return rotate2D(normalize(this->pos - player) * randrange(10, 20)), randrange(-0.3, 0.3));
    }
    I serious cannot find a non-stationary enemy that doesn't use that movement. Stanford AI course. Behaviour trees. Learn it.

    AI blandness aside, the biggest problem here is very incoherent game mechanics, which is very bad game design. Examples:

    1. Why does blaster have a cooldown? What purpose does it possibly serve other than just slow down gameplay?

    2. Why does player have to actually go pick up energy crystals? Why does energy crystals disappear so fast? If the player has to go pick up energy crystals, then why design literally EVERY enemy in the game to not facilitate that in a interesting way? The only way to reliably go pick up crystals fast is energy shield and probably dash out. That is a one trick move, one and only option players can take, which is bland and boring.

    3. If dash and mobility is a core mechanic, then why do they not work on environment hazards or bullets? If you're going to make dashing not work on bullets, then there needs to be a good way to play around that limitation. Examples of adding mechanics so players can play around that limitation is telegraphing of shots (nope, not in the game), clear visual distinction of shots (nope, not in the game) and/or directly affecting the shots (only possible with energy shield). I would telegraph shooting enemies + make bullets more visible + make laser weapon also kill bullets.

    4. If left / right horizontal shooting is a main mechanic, then why does LITERALLY every single enemy in the game move in a zigzag line towards you? This creates no interesting interactions whatsoever. I would add enemies that do vertical things (shoot lazers but only up/ down), enemies that only do left/right stuff...etc to make interesting use of the left/right horizontal only shooting mechanic.

    5. If the game mechanics revolve around not getting hit even once, then why are missiles so freaking unreliable??? I fire missiles in general direction of stuff and hope 1 (one) (ONE) of the enemies doesn't seep through or I have to mash the energy shield button ASAP and hope things work out. Not very coherent mechanic.

    And many many more examples of completely incoherent mechanics.

    Art and music are amazing. Give whoever worked on that a thumbs up. Could go into detail about how I think art and music are amazing, but going to eave the negative details here instead in the hopes of being constructive. Please imagine I wrote 2000 more words about the good points of this game, ie. presentation art and music. Too bad as a player I'm playing the gameplay, im not playing the sound or visual assets.    … Full Review »
  3. Orangedrop
    Apr 7, 2017
    9
    I'm a pretty big fan of shooters and this is one of the best I have picked up in a very long time! The art direction is stunning, controls areI'm a pretty big fan of shooters and this is one of the best I have picked up in a very long time! The art direction is stunning, controls are tight and dodging the enemy to later blast them is seriously additive fun. This game provides a huge bang for buck and I wouldn't hesitate in recommending it to anyone that enjoys a good SHMUP or someone that is looking for something they can pick up and play for short bursts on the go. This is how you make an arcade shooter and massive kudos to the development team behind it.… Full Review »
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