Graceful Explosion Machine

Genre: Shmup

Players: 1

.

Review:

Graceful Explosion Machine is a Shmup where players can move freely horizontally on a repeating stage (similar to games like Defender and Choplifter). The game has a clean, simple look and a mechanic that places much of the game’s focus on managing the four different weapons the player has access to.

Visually, this game’s simple look is actually pretty appealing, with bright colors that pop off of the screen and make the action easy to follow even as it gets increasingly intense. The game’s electronica soundtrack is also really good, although I was frustrated at how muffled it sounds throughout the game, even if you mess around with the sound settings – it’s some great songs that fit the game perfectly, and i wanted them blasting out of my speakers, not sounding like I was hearing them off in the distance.

As for the gameplay, players get a rapid-fire gun with infinite ammo that gradually overheats and has a brief cooldown period, and three other weapons that all use a limited supply of the ship’s energy, which can be refilled by collecting pickups enemies leave behind. Each of these four weapons clearly has an important and unique situational use – the machine gun is a good general-use weapon and good against enemy swarms, the sword is good when enemies get too close or you need to cut a path through a group of them and it can also deflect bullets, the sniper rifle is good for long-range shots and taking out stronger enemies, and the missile barrage is good if you find yourself surrounded.

The way the game systems work, players simply cannot depend on any one weapon for too long, and must cycle between them, but must do so strategically – because three of the weapons share the same resource for ammo, using that resource for one weapon means you’ll likely have to wait a bit before using it for one of the others… and while the primary machine gun is a pretty good all-purpose weapon, if you depend on it too much you’ll have to wait longer for it to recharge while you use another weapon.

This core gameplay element, combined with a good mix of enemy types that push for players to counter them with specific weapons, makes this a surprisingly strategic game for a Shmup, and I absolutely love this core gameplay loop, which combines the usual “shoot enemies and don’t get hit” gameplay of the genre with the need to wisely juggle these weapons.

The levels in this game are simple, placing the focus squarely on the enemies, and these enemies are mixed up juuuuuust often enough that things avoid getting too repetitive, for the most part. Honestly, my biggest complaint with the game is that it sticks with a stage-based structure, when its gameplay feels like it would be ideally suited for an endless mode, where you have to keep fighting off wave after wave of enemies of increasing difficulty until you’re overwhelmed. Sadly, while there are score attack and single-life modes, there’s no such endless mode here.

It’s frustrating that Graceful Explosion Machine doesn’t have an endless mode like I feel it could really use, and the muffled sound mars what is otherwise a fantastic presentation. I really enjoy the core gameplay here, and I feel like, with a few tweaks, it could have been an absolute must-play game on the Switch. As-is, it’s still pretty fantastic, and well worth a look for fans of Shmups.

tl;dr – Graceful Explosion Machine is a Shmup where players must cycle through four weapons to fend off different types of enemies. This weapon-managing element makes the game delightfully strategic for a Shmup, and the core gameplay here is really good as a result. I just wish it was properly implemented in an endless mode, and I wish the game’s otherwise-excellent presentation wasn’t marred by muffled sound. This is still a fantastic game, but a few small changes could have made this a must-have game on the Switch.

Grade: B+

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