Okay, saw a video about 'game feel' and I think there's something that not many people talk about with it; and that's that 'juicy' effects like hit-pausing, flashing, explosions and screen shake don't just feel good because they're rewarding, it's because they remove ambiguity.
Hit-pause and flashing lets you know that your hit has connected successfully. Dust puffs when you character lands from a jump lets you know you're now working with ground physics rather than air physics. Large death explosions let you know that you can stop firing now.
Overuse of any of these effects, however, muddies the waters and makes them feel *less* rewarding, rather than more. When everything causes a screenshake, it can no longer be relied upon as feedback to the player. Did I hit an enemy or did one of a billion other things cause it?
I see a lot of talks and articles on 'juice' that seem to imply that more effects = better, and I think it's causing a glut of overly hyperactive action games that have completely misdirected effort into making everything feel *big* rather than *good*.
Think about what the exact intent is behind every single effect you implement. What does it signify? Does it signal success, failure, that you're using limited resources, that an ability is ready to use? What can you do to indicate that to the player unambiguously?
'Juice' is feedback. Always keep your feedback clear and concise. That's what makes a game feel good.
Long story short; It's fine to be super proud of your awesome explosion effect, but it'll be more effective if you use it sparingly rather than liberally.

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