ACE Arena: Cyber Evolution

About

Arena: Cyber Evolution (ACE) is a futuristic physics-based sports game in which players confront each other in 3 vs 3 matches of wits and twitch reflexes. By featuring a MOBA-like champion logic, ACE brings an unprecedented twist to the sports genre by allowing players to choose from a variety of super-powered heroes and what style of gameplay they prefer to build their own team strategies.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

66%

Audience ScoreBased on 641 reviews

gameplay30 positive mentions

stability18 negative mentions

The game offers a unique and unforgettable gaming experience, combining elements of hockey and soccer with special abilities.
The community is passionate and supportive, with developers actively engaging with players and incorporating feedback.
The visuals and art style are appealing, reminiscent of comic book aesthetics, which enhances the overall experience.

The game has been in Early Access since 2014, leading to concerns about its development and player base dwindling.
There are significant issues with matchmaking, often resulting in players being matched with bots due to a lack of active users.
Gameplay can be frustrating due to bugs, lag, and unresponsive controls, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.

gameplay
82 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
37%
51%
12%
The gameplay of the game is generally described as fun and fast-paced, with simple mechanics that are easy to learn but can be challenging to master. While many players appreciate the innovative concept and engaging mechanics reminiscent of sports like hockey, there are significant concerns about bugs, connection issues, and a lack of depth in gameplay features. Overall, the game shows potential but requires further refinement and a stronger community to enhance the experience.
- “The core concept of the game seems to be a futuristic and fast-paced handball type of game with some mechanics that allow you to grab or hide the object that serves the role of a ball.”
- “The gameplay is fun, hold left mouse button down to hold the disk, and release to shoot.”
- “What sets this one apart is the gameplay; it is sports-themed with scoring points in mind, and with that comes some very exhilarating gameplay, much like you would see from watching an actual sports game.”
- “You will never get players to put time into a game if there is no community, and you can't beat the computer because of bad game mechanics.”
- “I mean, it's really fun, and the idea is actually really cool, but pure and simple, it's got game-breaking bugs and broken mechanics.”
- “Its not good at all; it's linear gameplay with terrible mechanics. You don't even have to play the game to see that.”
graphics
77 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
48%
13%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant art style and cartoonish visuals reminiscent of titles like Borderlands and Jet Set Radio. However, several users express frustration over limited graphical options, performance issues, and glitches that detract from the overall experience. While some find the visuals stunning and well-executed, others criticize them as inconsistent and lacking polish, indicating that further refinement is needed as the game develops.
- “The cut-scene and runner artwork is very well done, the 'runners' look cool and the heavily outlined style (similar to Borderlands) gives the game a cool comic book feel.”
- “Beautiful graphics, cool heroes, catchy music, easy to learn.”
- “The visuals are stunning, the gameplay is great, and the fun is ongoing.”
- “Each release the game got worse and worse with a clear focus on skins, visuals, and other garbage they planned to monetize rather than making the game work.”
- “Terrible graphics, terrible controls, too repetitive.”
- “There are only 2 supported resolution options listed, and graphics options are barren.”
stability
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game is currently in early access and is plagued by numerous bugs, glitches, and server issues, leading to a frustrating experience for many players. While some users find enjoyment in the gameplay despite these problems, the overall stability is considered poor, with matchmaking and performance issues frequently detracting from the experience. The community remains supportive, but the game's unfinished state raises concerns about its viability for competitive play.
- “The game is fairly buggy at the moment, the servers could be better, and there is barely anyone playing.”
- “However it isn't nearly as finished as people would like it to be (alpha), it has an extremely buggy matchmaking system that even though it tends to find 6 people (3 vs 3) it still manages to remove 1 or 2 of those players and put bots in the game as well which, as you can understand, kills the whole point of the game.”
- “It is buggy as all hell and does not deserve to exist.”
music
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
36%
36%
27%
The music in the game is generally praised for its catchy and upbeat nature, contributing positively to the overall experience. However, some users find the soundtrack repetitive and annoying after extended play, with one reviewer noting technical issues that affected their enjoyment. Overall, while the music enhances the game's appeal, it may become tiresome for some players over time.
- “Beautiful graphics, cool heroes, catchy music, easy to learn.”
- “Also, the soundtrack is awesome.”
- “The music is upbeat and catchy.”
- “Decent soundtrack, but it becomes repetitive after a few games.”
- “One song (literally).”
- “The soundtrack is a 3/10; it lagged until all I got was a constant *thump*...*thump*...*thump*.”
story
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
50%
30%
The game lacks a traditional story or campaign mode, focusing instead on allowing players to create their own narratives through multiplayer gameplay. While some users appreciate the freedom this offers, others find the absence of a structured story disappointing, especially given the game's early access status and ongoing issues with quest registration. Overall, the game prioritizes gameplay mechanics over storytelling, which may not appeal to all players.
- “A good game tells a story.”
- “What Ace does is give the player the opportunity to craft their own story.”
- “But what Ace doesn't do is tell a story.”
- “There is no story or campaign mode, and the entire thing is a multiplayer game.”
- “Potential is an overused word in early access and alpha games, and the story here is no different.”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many users reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering and low frame rates, even on less demanding settings. While some players note improvements in optimization over time, the consensus is that the game still requires substantial work to enhance performance and stability.
- “It is better optimized, looks better, plays better, and I'm not having the same issues I was having before.”
- “This is still a very young game, so as long as the core components aren't messed with and there are some major (and I mean major, as far as the magically-laggy home screen is concerned) performance issues addressed.”
- “Poor optimization.”
- “It's currently unoptimized.”
- “Limited resolution options, poor graphics performance (not that my computer's very powerful), and I found it difficult to handle the puck due to low FPS.”
humor
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a notable highlight, with players finding it consistently funny and entertaining, often sharing laughs with friends while playing. However, some reviews indicate that the humor may not be enough to offset frustrations with gameplay mechanics and decision-making by the developers. Overall, the game is described as funny, with a supportive community and engaging interactions.
- “I spend 22 minutes with my friend laughing at the game; it's free to play and should stay that way! The controls are nasty, and I can never grab the ball even when it's right in front of me, but we still had a great time.”
- “Ace is funny, the developers are present, and the people playing it are very sympathetic.”
- “Very funny and interesting game.”
monetization
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The monetization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players criticizing the lack of advertising to attract new users and the heavy reliance on microtransactions for trivial items. While some acknowledge that the game has a good monetization model for a free title, many feel that the approach is unappealing and detracts from the overall experience.
- “This game has a good monetization model.”
- “The monetization approach is fair and doesn't feel overly aggressive.”
- “There also seems to be a lot of pushing towards the microtransactions, which is understandable for a free game, but the way it is presented is not flattering.”
- “As it is though, it's still pretty buggy, low on content, lacks any depth and has microtransactions for useless gear.”
- “It's sad because the main problem would have been resolved with more ads on Steam, but they never did!”
grinding
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, as unlocking champions requires significant effort and time investment. While the grind can be frustrating, it is noted that the game remains enjoyable, particularly in co-op and multiplayer modes, despite some minor bugs. Overall, the limited character roster and the grindiness of unlocking them are seen as drawbacks.
- “Some minor bugs and issues, and the grindiness aside, it's a great co-op/multiplayer game.”
- “My only issues with the game so far are that there are not many characters, and the characters they have are a bit grindy to unlock.”
- “And trying to score becomes a tedious task.”
replayability
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
67%
The game is noted for its strong replayability, bolstered by a lack of limitations and an emerging e-sports scene. However, some users feel that its current early access state leaves it somewhat lacking in content, which could impact long-term replay value. Overall, opinions on replayability are mixed, with some praising it and others expressing concerns.
- “A game rich with replayability, a game rich with no glass ceiling, a game rich with a budding, growing e-sports scene.”
- “0/10 for replayability!”
- “Of course, it's early access so it seems light on content right now, but it doesn't affect the replayability that much.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the graphics and character design are praised, there is little mention of depth or progression in character development, suggesting that visual appeal may overshadow more substantive growth in the characters themselves.
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
Users express a strong affection for the game's atmosphere, highlighting it as a standout feature that enhances their overall experience.
- “The atmosphere is absolutely captivating!”
- “I love the immersive atmosphere; it draws you in completely.”
- “The game's atmosphere creates a perfect blend of tension and beauty.”
emotional
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the game is currently in pre-alpha and requires significant improvements in graphics and bug fixes, users have not specifically addressed its emotional impact in their reviews.