Graceful Explosion Machine Reviews
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 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.
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. Even if you're not, there are far worse games on the Switch currently, and not many that only ask a few minutes of your time to complete a level, which makes this the perfect game to play on the go. It's pretty good.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with Graceful Explosion Machine, and if you enjoy chasing high scores then it will provide you with a decent challenge. For the the rest of us, it's a dinky little shooter that you can complete in a couple of hours and will forget about in half that time.
Graceful Explosion Machine is a little, smart and funny shoot'em up that perfectly suits the Switch hybrid nature.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Graceful Explosion Machine is a must play for arcade shooters with its precision gameplay, accessibility, and presentation.
The first Canadian-made game for Switch – a simple, colourful space shooter – delivers a bit of bite-sized bliss
Graceful Explosion Machine is the perfect arcade style shooter, and one of the best Switch games available right now. Its fluid, addictive gameplay and flashy yet minimal visuals pair well with a variety of challenging enemies, and it’s great for sessions lasting for a few minutes or a couple hours.
There are graphics that pop with color, and an entrancing techno soundtrack that just keeps pulling you into the frenzy.
Graceful Explosion Machine is a gorgeous and innovative take on a now ancient genre of arcade shooter. The weapon system brings an element of combo juggling to the combat and challenge runs are addictive and, crucially, not too punishing. Simply put, this is another top-notch PS4 shmup.
Frustration aside, GEM is a solid arcade shooter with a brilliant art design, decent tunes and a nice rhythm to its gameplay.
There are a lot of great ideas found within Graceful Explosion Machine, and I can't wait to see how they're build upon in future games. I never got the itch to better my scores after completing a level (some sort of unlockable structure would've helped), but I found myself enjoying the challenge that Vertex Pop had on offer more often than not. Occasionally it veers into being more frustrating than fun, but the joy of finally beating a level you failed several times before is worth those bouts of annoyance.
Graceful Explosion Machine certainly lives up to its name, but narrow-minded design and a complete lack of multiplayer deflate the experience.
Graceful Explosion Machine is a small but great arcade shooter that proves to be fun and addictive.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Overall, Graceful Explosion Machine is 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.
All in all, Graceful Explosion Machine does what it advertises, offers a fun arcade shooter experience, with a significant amount of replay value after you finish your first go round with the game. The vibrant colors and the background music, along with the simplistic yet deep controls, make for a fun experience on and off the road. Graceful Explosion Machine is definitely a must have for your Nintendo Switch.
Graceful Explosion Machine is fantastic arcade action where being able to plan while forced into close-quarter shooting is the only way to survive.
There's just something about these types of games that make them intrinsically addictive. After playing Graceful Explosion Machine for long enough, and getting into the flow, the experience is fast, manic, and fluid - the sort of gameplay that harkens back to the pure and simplistic joy that was the core of arcade shooters of the '90s. That being said, the real draw of the game is the replayable rankings and leaderboards, and attempting to get those perfect runs on each stage. Without that, the game is a little short for the cost, with just over 2-3 hours of playtime to finish it off.
Graceful Explosion Machine is simple, pure arcade fun, with a level of polish and attention to detail in the design that's rarely seen. It's the sort of game that you can pick up for a quick 5 minute session, and then find yourself still playing hours later.
Graceful Explosion Machine is a thoroughly solid title with enough content to last. However, it lacks passion. It has an almost clinical approach to everything, which makes for a shmup that's only enjoyable with the right mind-set. This genre is designed around stoking a flame in one's heart. After spending enough time mere pixels away from death, there is this feeling that takes over. It's hard to describe, but it's amazing. Every moment thereafter is earned. The best STGs pummel and exhaust the player, but after succeeding, it's almost as if EVO has just been won. When playing this game, there isn't even a spark.