Dodge thick waves of glowing shots across six levels, using slow motion and bombs when the screen fills up.
Bullet Hell Space Shooter is a vertical arcade shooter where enemy fighters swoop down from the top of the screen and fill the space with glowing bullets. You fly a small blue ship near the bottom, shoot upward, and squeeze through whatever gaps the enemy fire leaves open.
Every ship is drawn from simple shapes, which keeps the screen clean even when it is crowded. When the bullets get too thick, you have two emergency tools: a brief slowdown of time and a small stock of bombs.
Getting started
Click inside the game so it picks up your keys. Use the arrow keys or W A S D to fly in eight directions, and hold Z or B to shoot. Press X or N for slow motion, and C or M to set off a bomb. P pauses the action.
Each level sends 80 enemies. Some fire single shots, others spray fans of bullets, and some send shots that ricochet. Levels 2 and 4 finish with a large boss that has its own health bar along the top, takes hundreds of hits, and switches attack patterns as it weakens.
Staying alive
The red squares in the bottom panel are your health, and each hit costs one. The green squares are bombs. A bomb erases every bullet on screen and gives you a moment of safety. You get two per attempt, plus one more for each level you finish, and they carry over.
Slow motion drops everything to under half speed for around two seconds. The round gauge in the lower right then takes about ten seconds to refill.
Pickups to grab
Downed enemies sometimes leave items behind:
- Blue and pink pickups give 100 and 200 points.
- Yellow gives you a double stream of fire, and dark red gives you a triple one.
- Green ones add a bomb.
- Red ones restore a square of health.
Strategy notes
Hold the fire key the whole time, since shooting costs nothing and most regular enemies fall after a couple of hits. Hovering near the bottom center gives you the most room to react. Save slow motion for a fan of bullets closing in, not the first stray shot. Spending a bomb to avoid your final hit is often smarter than hoarding it. Press H to see your ship’s true hitbox, which is much smaller than the drawing suggests.
Controls
| Action | Keyboard |
|---|---|
| Move | Arrow keys or W A S D |
| Fire | Hold Z or B |
| Slow down time | X or N |
| Use a bomb | C or M |
| Pause or resume | P |
| Show hitboxes | H |
| Low graphics mode | G |
Bullet Hell Space Shooter FAQ
Can I play it on a phone or Chromebook?
A Chromebook or any computer with a keyboard works. Phones and tablets do not, since moving, firing, slow motion and bombs are all on keys and the screen ignores taps. Click the game once before playing so it can read your keys.
Do I have to restart from the first level when I lose?
No. Running out of health only restarts the level you are on. Your score rolls back to where it stood when that level began, and you get two bombs again, but earlier levels stay cleared.
How long does the game last?
There are six levels, and each sends 80 enemies at you, with bosses closing out levels 2 and 4. Once the sixth level is done the waves simply stop, since there is no separate ending screen.
Is there a setting for slower computers?
Yes. Press G for low graphics mode, which turns off the particle effects and the background stars. It keeps the action readable on machines that struggle with lots of moving objects.
