Topic: Graceful Explosion Machine is... Awesome!

I cant believe how much fun this game is. The controls and play mechanics are perfect. I love the artwork and explosions!

I feel like an SD Valkyrie launching those missiles!

The only draw back I think is the level variety. All of the levels so far are very similar, just different colors. The enemies do get more challenging as you progress though!

Very excited to jump into this once i've beat I Am Setsuna and Blaster Master Zero.

What's the difficulty curve like?

The first world is pretty easy. The first two sub-worlds are tutorials. There are about 10 sub worlds per world. Once you unlock a certain amount of sub-worlds, you can unlock other planets.

I have only had the game long enough to unlock two worlds so it is hard to say. Things get really chaotic, but your ship has the tools to survive. You get two health bars per sub world (each is divided into 3 phases). Occasionally you will find a floating health bar refill.

Regarding specific difficulty, it's not impossible, but I do die a lot and I eventually pass the level. But I am never angry because it's always my fault- not cheap AI! the fact that there is so much going on and so many ways to attack creatively (do I dash through enemies, or launch missiles at them?) I am just enjoying the game for what it is. I don't plan on getting bored soon because the game rates you on each level. On the more difficult levels I have getting a "D" rating. How embarrassing!

I have to imagine though that but the last planet it has to be near impossible! I have already encountered more challenging enemies whether it is more erratic movement patterns or crazy incoming bullets.

I never get too far in these games, so perhaps a lack of level variety shouldn't put me off.

I'm tempted because it's getting great reviews and is at a great price. But I'm holding off for now as I don't know if I'd actually play it that much after getting beaten too often a couple of levels in.

Have you play any of the Geometry Wars series? If you have so then how do you compared this game to Geometry Wars?

I have play Aqua Kitty DX before so you can use that game to compared as well.

I've been playing for an hour or two and it's lots of fun. I'm really not the most skillful of gamers, but most levels I've beaten after a few tries.

There are 4 worlds each with about 10 sub-levels...I am on 2-4 and things are starting to get a bit naughty.

Each level seems to take about 6-10 mins to complete if you get through it.

Given my limited skills, it will be interesting to see if I can beat the game!

This is THE game for anybody who loves twitch-reflex shooters. Geometry Wars, Gradius, and even Contra-type players will love this game. Honestly, at first I kind of questioned the Geometry Wars comparison everyone is making, but as I've now sunk hours and hours into this, the similarity becomes more apparent as you become more skilled with the game. The movements you make become nearly identical as you get to the higher levels.

I've beaten the entire thing, and now I'm going back and getting S+ ranking on every level, meaning you can't lose your combo chain once during the entire level. It's a challenging game, but if you play games like this a lot, you'll get into its groove. The different weapons you have and the balance between collecting energy bits and staying safe is addicting.

Word from the wise (I'm wise, right? lol): Once you get comfortable with and eventually master the thruster boost and what you can/can't boost through safely, the game takes on a whole new level, and you can start to really keep that combo chain going.

My only gripe is that there really aren't many levels and challenges. All in all, you have 40 levels and 8 challenges (4 score attacks and 4 boss+ modes). I shouldn't complain because the game is only 12 bucks, but it is pretty short, especially if you're someone who won't want to go back and ace every level.

Good insight @rallydefault I have made it to world three and it's getting pretty hectic. I am impressed with your score rating--- in my dreams! The game is good fun though. I am super pleased.

@iChadman
Thanks! The thing that is great about the game is that anybody can pick it up and play it to their style. If you want to play to get S+ and shoot for the leaderboards, the challenge is there. But it's also addicting to just play for the survival of the missions and challenges without getting too wrapped up in points.

Just downloaded this game and it is fantastic. I'm not particularly skilled at this sort of game but loving it so far.

Yes! More people need to try this game. I realize how fanatical I appear at this point lol

I think I'll pick this up today.

Love it, reminds me most of Bangai-O in a way. Dearly miss Treasure, Switch might be the best Bangai-O platform ever and there is basically no chance...

Anyway, highly recommended GEM to schmup fans and high score hounds. Even people who don't like typical schmups should give it a chance. I have a few problems with the audio/visual design, but nothing major. Wish there was a collection of shorter levels for pick-up-and-play purposes. Also I can't justify playing this on a commute or wherever without the ability to save and upload high scores later.

That said, I'm at the top of a few stages but I've only really played much of world 1 because I've been playing when I have a few minutes here or there and the later levels get a little too long... I'm ACK!, by the way.

For what its worth, my FC is SW-0148-6313-0529. If you want to try to take down my scores or if you plan on playing a lot of MK8, ARMS, Splatoon 2, etc down the road... Feel free to add me. Also up for Bomberman, FAST, etc.

Oh, and I guess I will leave this info here:

The day of the release I used my daughters account to botch a run on Tutorial 1. I ended up with a score around 800 (can do worse, probably ~600) and a ranking around 5000. The next day I was above 9200 and after that my score disappeared entirely ("No Score" is what appears on the leaderboard now).

There are obviously a few points to glean from this:

1. GEM appears to tally scores up to a set number (likely 10,000), which isn't surprising in and of itself. However, this also effectively prevents people who aren't in that range from comparing their score with even their friends. In theory this isn't much of a problem; however, once/if an overwhelming number of people upload scores (consider that one Switch can have several accounts playing GEM) that threshold could be prohibitive. Disappointing for a game so built around chasing the highest score. (Understand that whole groups of people playing GEM may never understand the greater nuances and/or manage to beat stages unscathed. Whether not they make the leaderboard, they should be able to compare scores with friends.)

2. From this we can deduce sales after a couple days exceeded 10,000. Of course, we must take into account players who don't upload or are offline as well as multiple accounts per system. Seems a good result, but that's not for me to decide I guess.

To further point #1, I had my seven year-old son attempt his best score on Tutorial 1 (with no prior playtime, mind). His first attempt was 1090 or so and when he uploaded he got the dreaded "No Score"... If you know boys his age you know he was disappointed and dejected. Anyway, his next attempt yielded 1265 and a rank of 7986! Mission accomplished! He was simply thrilled to see his name on the big board. Everyone in his range had the same score, by the way. (His final attempt was around 1500 after a few combo pointers, don't remember the rank.)

Anyway, his experience basically confirms my concern. This is one of two pivotal additions/fixes to be addressed ASAP; the other being the ability to save high scores when offline to be uploaded later.

@ACK
Dude we gotta compare scores. This morning I was #2 on the leaderboards for score attack of World 3, but honestly it strikes me as a lot of people just not even being able to survive it lol (I didn't think my score was anything amazing - I lost my combo a few times during the run).

Anyway, my username is "rally" on the boards.

@rallydefault For sure. Though I've barely ventured even into World 2 (yet to try any World score attacks)... This is because I've basically been beating new stages out of the house, when I have a little time to game. When I'm home, I've been using GEM as a appetizer/palette cleanser, so I mostly tackle a stage or two until I either nab a high score or drip sweat...

Problem is, the stages seem to get a bit longer and that has been a deterrent to my playstyle/convenience. Since I usually either have limited time or am in between other, bigger games... I don't really have the zest for >5 min runs, which becomes quickly the norm after World 1.

For a game so suited to pick up and play purposes, I actually think this is a major oversight.

I am halfway through world 4 and things are getting really hairy! The further along you get the longer the stages seem to go- it helps to ramp up the difficulty I suppose.

Such an awesome game this one. I feel like Nintendo isn't doing enough to advertise it at this point (heck, I didn't even give it a chance until my girlfriend said she wanted it). It feels like it pulled a bunch of ideas from Geometry Wars and then spun it into something original feeling.

Only thing that would make it better (though I doubt they'll add it due to the level design) is a multiplayer mode.