Acecraft review: a bullet hell that’s both brilliant and brutal

Mobile gaming has no shortage of roguelikes, but every so often, one comes along that feels like it could punch above its weight. Acecraft is exactly that: a top-down, shoot ’em up roguelike bullet hell that takes familiar ideas and spins them into something fresh — and occasionally frustrating.

At its core, Acecraft is all about dodging, surviving, and adapting. You’re piloting an auto-firing plane through 15 increasingly chaotic waves of enemies, weaving through neon bullet patterns that light up the screen. Every time you level up, you’re offered one of three random upgrades — classic roguelike design — which slowly transforms your plane into an absurd powerhouse of stacked weapons and buffs.

But the real hook is risk versus reward. At any moment, you can lift your finger off the screen to absorb enemy projectiles, then tap again to fire them back as a counterattack. It’s clever, it’s tense, and it keeps you second-guessing whether you should keep dodging or gamble on pulling off a massive counter.

Boss fights add even more spice. Each one has its own attack patterns and gimmicks, forcing you to learn on the fly (literally). It’s challenging without feeling cheap, and the sense of satisfaction when you finally down a boss is real.

Between battles, the game piles on progression systems — and I mean piles. Gear upgrades, pilot installs, quests, events, achievements, battle passes — Acecraft has everything. On top of that, new pilots and items are locked behind a gacha system with predictably stingy pull rates. Surprisingly, free-to-play progression is still manageable, but it’s clear the monetization is designed to wear you down. There’s also an energy system lurking in the background, just in case you thought you’d play endlessly.

And here’s the catch: co-op is technically there, but only if you bring your own friends. There’s no matchmaking, which feels like a huge missed opportunity for a game that thrives on chaos.

Visually, though, Acecraft nails it. The art direction borrows heavily from Cuphead’s 1930s cartoon aesthetic, and while it’s not quite as striking, it’s undeniably charming. Paired with jazzy, upbeat music and satisfying sound design, the presentation feels surprisingly premium for a mobile roguelike.

The bottom line

Acecraft is the kind of game that makes you say, “Wow, this could’ve been a classic” — and then reminds you of the many monetization hooks waiting in the wings. If you can ignore the gacha pulls, battle passes, and energy timers, there’s a genuinely fun, well-designed bullet hell here that rewards skill and persistence.

But for many players, those systems will be deal-breakers. Acecraft is equal parts addictive and exploitative — and how much you enjoy it depends entirely on your tolerance for the latter.