How to play & controls CHRONO ACES · All-direction Dogfights Through Time
CHRONO ACES is an all-direction aerial shooter in your browser. Seen from above, your time-patrol fighter stays in the centre of the screen while the sky scrolls whichever way you fly, and enemies come from every side.
A runaway machine legion has scattered copycat squadrons through time. You chase them across six eras — 1917 Golden Fields, 1943 Storm Strait, 1972 Red Canyon, 1991 Sunset Harbor, 2031 Aurora Ice Field and 2199 The Time Rift — filling a kill gauge in each and then bringing down the era's boss.
Steering takes one finger: push toward where you want to go and the fighter turns and keeps flying. Friends join with a link for co-op up to four, or split into teams for dogfights from 1v1 to 4v4.
Goal
Fly wherever you point and shoot down the copycat squadrons of each era. When the kill gauge at the top fills, the boss arrives — bring it down to jump to the next era!
How it works
- Put your thumb anywhere and push toward where you want to go. Your fighter turns that way and keeps flying (it holds the heading when you let go).
- Firing is automatic — turn toward enemies ahead to hit them. If one gets too close, slip past and swing back around.
- Bullets closing in? DODGE — for half a second they pass right through you. Missile alarm (red screen edges)? Drop a DECOY!
- Fly through glowing supplies: S Spread · L Lance · H Homing · R Rapid · ◆ Shield · ✦ Decoys · ☺ time-lost pilot capsule (doubles each time).
- Every 12 kills the BRAKE button glows — press it and enemies and their bullets slow down for 4 seconds.
Modes
Solo patrol
Six eras in order, each unlocking the next and earning up to three stars. Solo play can be paused. A Shield boost option makes it easier (up to two stars).
Co-op patrol
Up to four pilots in the same era. The host can launch first; friends join mid-patrol. More pilots mean a higher kill goal and a tougher boss. Co-op does not pause.
Team dogfight
Team Chrono against Team Red, 1v1 to 4v4, under any of the six skies. Bots can fill empty seats. Three minutes, or the first team to the kill target (8 plus 4 per seat).
Controls
| Action | Mouse & keyboard | Touch | Gamepad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heading | Arrow keys / WASD, or move the mouse (you fly toward the cursor) | Put your thumb anywhere and push — you keep the heading when you let go | Left stick |
| Fire | Space or left click | Automatic (can be switched off in the pause menu) | RT or A |
| Dodge (½ s phase dash) | Shift, C or right click | DODGE button | B or LT |
| Decoy | X | DECOY button | X or RB |
| Time brake | Z | BRAKE button (glows when ready) | Y or LB |
| Pause | P or Esc | ⏸ button | Start |
Tips
- Arrows at the screen edge: red = enemies, BOSS = the boss, coloured = supplies, blinking white = incoming missiles.
- Down all five of a V formation for a supply drop and 1000 points. Chain kills within 2.5 s for up to ×4!
- In co-op, friends join mid-patrol with one link. Team dogfights last 3 minutes — first team to the kill target wins.
Strategy tips
Swing wide, then shoot
Your fighter always moves forward and turns at a fixed rate, so the best attack is a wide loop that ends with an enemy in front of your nose. If one gets too close, slip past it rather than turning into it — touching an enemy costs a shield or a life.
Dodge late
The dodge makes bullets and missiles pass through you for half a second and recharges in 1.5–2.8 s. Save it for the moment a burst is about to land, not when bullets first appear.
Decoy the missiles
From 1972 on, jets and helicopters fire homing missiles. When the screen edges turn red, drop a decoy: every missile chasing you goes for it and nearby enemy bullets vanish.
Keep the chain
Kills within 2.5 s raise the multiplier to ×2, ×3 and ×4. Wiping out a whole V formation of five adds 1,000 points and a supply drop.
Stack one weapon
Picking up the weapon you already carry raises it a level (up to 3); a different one keeps your level. Lance pierces lines of enemies, Spread covers a wide arc, Homing finds targets on its own, Rapid melts bosses.
Save the brake for the boss
Twelve kills fill the time brake. Four seconds at 35% enemy speed is most useful when a boss fills the screen with bullets.
Updated: