Pure fabulous id-scratching meathead spectacle. Rewards the same bullheaded daredevil style of play of a Ketsui with a significantly lower skill ceiling overall. Not one for those who come to shmups for strategy or "challenge" per se, but balancing how much of your regenerating life bar to use for your souped-up laser sword in any given situation is still thrilling enough to make up for it. Great entry-level title and definitely recommended for the curious.

EDIT: Echoing BeachEpisode's observation that this desperately needs an epilepsy warning up front btw

A kaleidoscope of explosion .gifs. Where this game fails at being a particularly mechanically engaging shmup, or even all that difficult, it excels(?) at festooning the screen with information laced with utterly extraneous action and special effects. To say this game puts its presentation above all else is an understatement, hardcore Heralds of the Shmup will no doubt be disappointed at the lack of precision-engineered scoring systems, mode variety or bullet patterns on offer here. I think that's what those guys care about.
More casual thrillseekers like myself are the target demographic for Grand Cross Renovation - the shmup genre for me is all about style and aggression, maintaining cool heads while the going gets rough and eeking through unfathomable odds, one small hitbox against every star in the sky. This game may not be particularly replayable, but it lent me a single unforgettable 50-minutes of wall-to-wall deus ex machina bull shit and I loved holding a controller through it with a face like a deer in the headlights. Features an incredible soundtrack that reacts dynamically to the action, too. It's all kind of a mess, but is crackling and pulsing with self-motivated enthusiasm, a freight train derailing and barreling through the setpiece factory.
I beg you not to play this game if you experience photosensitive epilepsy, it needs a fucking bright red warning at the cart.