While not MBG's best game to date, Explosionade is still a fun, action-packed shooter that's worth more than 80 MS.
Action-Packed Action Game with Sharp Controls: No glitches, controls smoothly, frenetic shooting, 2-player co-op
Destructible Walls and Floors are a Great Inclusion: RF is not alone anymore, though the renderings are cartoony of course
Overall Presentation is Solid: per usual with Mommy's Best Games, it's testosterone-filled goodness, with good interface and solid music
Visuals are too Bland: surprisingly, the trademark MBG of killer and over-the-top visuals are widely lacking
Poor Lasting Value: enemies are over-recycled, bosses are too similar and too easy to kill, rooms are too straightforward, making replay on multiple difficulties less inviting
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Nathan Fouts of Mommy's Best Games is certainly one of the leading developers for XBL's Indie Channel. With hits like Weapon of Choice and Shoot 1UP, you always know that when you spend 80 MS points for one of his games, it'll be worth it. Explosionade is no exception. You'll find the experience tight, the controls tuned well, and the action non-stop. Unfortunately, Explosionade doesn't have that je-ne-sais-qua that the predecessors did, with dingy visuals and overly-recycled enemies. While it's not MBG's best game to date, however, it's still one of the better values on the XBIG marketplace.
In Explosionade, you play a fat tub-of-lard kid who mistakenly finds a military mech and takes it for a test drive. With the general screaming in your ear (eventually, because you ate his cream-filled snacks in the glove-compartment) you dive into the sewers to stretch your legs. Not surprisingly, you find the alien enemies underground and unprepared for your one-mech invasion. The game from here consists of clearing room after room through multiple levels all the way through a few bosses until you strike the enemy where it hurts the most. As with most room-to-room games, you get points for killing baddies, grabbing gold (which repairs your mech too), finishing a room under 30 seconds, and leaving nothing behind.
Throughout each room, you'll find hordes of enemies to shoot, bomb (sticky or boucey), and deflect through your shield (which also helps you leap really high). One of the clear achievements here, aside from the precise controls, are the destructible walls and floors. Anything made of wood can be blown up, and even concrete blocks will wither under fire. The only thing that resists your assults are metal girders, which combined with the rest, make up the platforming levels for each room. Tucked away all over you'll find aliens shooting at you, orbs floating to zap you, electric floors, and turrets, and every number of levels you'll engage a large boss mano-e-mano. The action is enjoyable for sure, though the recycled enemies end up leaving you wishing for greater variety in your fights. The mech has a weighty feel to it that really suits it, and the hidden gold spread around each room gives reason to clear everything out. And of course, being super-timely will also score you more points. For sure, it's great to see the performative aspects on display here with a full local-leaderboard, something rarely seen in a platformer-shooter like this.
On the downside, the visuals for the most part feel dingy and brown (despite the occasional slime-green alien). Unlike MBG's previous titles, which boasted crazy huge green and orange aliens in jungle foliage, or mechanical women shooting bullets from their breasts, Explosionade feels kinda bland. It's a strange thing to say for a game with as much action as this one, but some more diverse enviroments and enemies really would've boosted the fun to be had here. Part of me wonders if Nathan Fouts has been pouring more of his creativity into Grapple Buggy (a game he's planning on releasing to XBLA, which requires a ton of polish) instead. Regardless, Explosionade is a solid game, but not necessarily his best work to date.
With that said, 80 MS points for this game is a steal. You know you're going to get a solid action-packed game with amusing backstory, hails of bullets, and tight controls. There's not many other developers for XBIG that can boast the same.
7.2/10