Graceful Explosion Machine

[b][i]We Are Doomed[/i] was awesome, and [i]Graceful Explosion Machine[/i] follows suit.[/b] Nothing terribly fresh here, nor large in scope BUT everything is done remarkably well. Controls are super tight. Gameplay is addicting, and fair. [i]Essenitally, this is a twin-stick-ish played in a horizontal plane.[/i] Mind you, this is not really a scrolling shooter. The playing field loops and you can go either direction. [b]Pros:[/b] +Tight gameplay with all the right elements present +Clean artwork and nice music +Strong 'one more run' factor [b]Cons:[/b] -It starts easy, but I've hit a wall of difficulty that I'm hoping to overcome; we'll see -When enemies spawn in, sometimes there are a few cheap hits; maybe I just need to get better -Could maybe have used some meta game elements [b]Totally worth full price.[/b]

One of my favorite under the radar surprises in a while, this horizontally scrolling shooter takes inspiration from the classic Defender and its left/right mechanic, and adds a very compelling weapon system where you have one basic weapon and three specials, and the only way to use the specials is by killing enemies and collecting their energy. It's very well balanced -- all four weapons are needed and useful against specific enemies, yet you can't rely on one over the others. The basic gun isn't strong enough to kill some of the nastier bad guys, but you can't just spam special weapons, you'll run out of energy. It's a constant back and forth, split second decision making in the middle of a fire fight. The game starts out easy but the difficulty ramps up nicely by the second planet. Online leaderboards, achievements, trading cards, cloud saves -- this is a high quality title, well worth the price if you like shooters. 9/10

Nice little shoot em up game, first played it on the Nintendo Switch, then I heard its coming to Steam and the PS4 so I bought it again. It's a game about controlling your little "ship" and shoot up a variety of enemies in a restricted space, there are a few different weapons/moves you could use and they work really well so you wouldn't be smashing the main cannon all the time. Actually you can't smash it all the time because weapons cost energy and you need to balance the energy of your ship by collecting the crystals dropped by the enemies. There are 4 planets with about 10 levels each, seems a little short for a $13 game but the difficulty rise up quickly and chance is you wouldn't beat them on a single run. Overall this isn't classical shooter like Striker 1945 or Dodonpachi, it's more like a top-down beat em up game trapped in a alternative view angle, or Resogun in a panic room. I really like the game, so despite the following flaws I still give it a thumb up, I hope the devel...

Really satisfying and stylish little shoot-em-up. The different weapon types are all fun to use, and the scoring system and game mechanics are simple enough for even casuals to get into it. In fact, all the achievements are totally attainable. The difficulty is very reasonable. My only criticism is that the levels are a bit too similar, and more types of enemies or level hazards would have made the game more interesting. There's maybe not enough content to justify full price, but on any kind of sale it'll definitely be worth it.

https://youtu.be/Y0_qy4tZT1U A strong visual style is alluring but the simplistic gameplay and somewhat finicky controls makes for a more mediocre than graceful time.

TL;DR: A criminally underated arcade shooter with great feeling weapon mechanics and unusual movement system. First Impressions: Huh nice vectorish style art. Weapons are solid, some combo'ing here and there First S Rank: MAN THAT WAZ AWESUM A high score game where keeping your multiplier up is part of the difficulty. Where slaughtering waves of enemies as efficiently as possible before they body you, turns into you dashing around the map desperately looking for more enemies to keep that combo going. You press a button to change the direction you face, so shooting things above and below you becomes a real connundrum, mitigated by the use of other weapons that will deplete a meter that you reaaaly don't want to run out. Enemies are introduced through the levels you unlock as you go and range in size, attack methods and how much health they have. Leaving you to wonder how best to gracefully explode them This is a really well designed game and will be looking to pick it up on s...

Yep, pretty much brilliant. Graceful Explosion Machine is - if you'll excuse the superlative - easy to play, difficult to master. I'm about half an hour in and already, I want to master every level for that elusive S+ rank, playing perfectly without getting hit or breaking the multiplayer. Thankfully, the game controls buttery-smooth and weapons are all a joy to use, so every failure not only feels like your own fault but also encourages you to pick the pad up and start playing again. There are those who'll play Graceful Explosion Machine just to get to the end, and they'll certainly get their money's worth; but those who truly want to excel will find plenty of reasons to return and climb the scoreboards. The game's short levels make this perfect for arcade enthusiasts, and whether you play for half an hour or half a day, whether rushing to the end or mastering every level, this is one of those excellent games that gives back as much as you're willing to put in. Those looking for ...

Bright, shooty, punchy, awesome. Fly through the swarm keeping the kill-combo alive for maximum points using five different weapons each designed for different situations, available at all times to use or mis-use as you see fit. Once you know what everything does and the enemy clusters it's best used against there's a smooth flow to the action that only relents if you let it, because once you're a graceful explosion machine it just feels wrong to slow down.

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This is a sharply designed and good-looking shooter that doesn't really play like anything else. You can compare it to other games, for sure: the two-way horizontal-scroll looping levels resemble Defender or Astro Tripper, and there are plenty of twin-stick games with a similar focus on combo multipliers that make your score skyrocket if you can continuously destroy baddies without getting hit. But the meat here is the 4-weapon system that emphasizes managing resources. Your general-purpose blaster overheats quickly but cools down when you kill enemies with your 3 sub-weapons: a close-range spin attack, an armor-penetrating laser, and a seeker missile swarm. These sub-weapons, meanwhile, run off energy crystals dropped by enemies. Spend your heat and energy unwisely, and you'll let the combo drop and tank your score. If that sounds intimidating, don't worry: I quickly learned to play by feel, reading the situation and applying the right weapon for the job. Juggling enemy swarms to stri...