Chelnov, you can't keep running in and out of my life. A review of your game has to be written, right now. In the summer of 1992, Data East remade their popular run & gun for the Sega Genesis. Yes, I'm using the word remade instead of ported, because they did not have to go all out like they did. You know something though? I'm here for it. Atomic Runner is one of the most visually interesting games on the platform. Every stage is packed with astonishing details, evoking a world steeped in culture being twisted by malevolent forces that border on incomprehensible. Also yes, I've decided that this game falls under the category of run & gun. That's literally all the hero does for 35 minutes, provided of course you don't steer him into an early grave.
If you want to be pedantic - and who doesn't? - then feel free to classify this game as an auto-scrolling platformer shooter. The rules are basic, and the nuances are plentiful. It's exactly what everyone wants out of entertainment software that debuted in arcades. From the beginning of the stage to until he reaches the boss, Chelnov is in a constant state of movement. You can move him forward or backwards. He'll only fire in the direction he's facing, so keep an eye on his back at all times, pressing C to turn around when necessary. The jump is a fixed height and increases in power whenever you grab a "J". Holding forward and hitting jump will perform a sweet flip, allowing the hero to fire up to eight directions in quick succession. Pressing down will crouch. Firing while crouched is one of the ways you can get an increased rate of fire. However, since the game almost never stops moving, Chelnov will be dragged towards the left end of the screen. You'll want to stay semi-close to the center as often as possible. Whether they walk across the ground or fly through the air, enemies attack from both sides.
Oh, and if pressing a button to change directions is a little awkward for you, then run to the options and try out some other control schemes. One of them maps "fire left" and "fire right" to different buttons on the game pad. Huh. I didn't expect to be reminded of Deathsmiles. Oh well.
While I could describe all of the obtainable weapons, list their pros & cons, and do what I can to pad this review out; I've decided to save all parties a lot of trouble. Pick up the boomerang and hold it close like the two of you are lovers. This is for all intents and purposes, the most useful weapon in the game. Boomerangs erase bosses in seconds. Their range is also quite good. Striking down adversity before it gets the opportunity to break your stride is an essential part of survival after all. Perhaps the coverage isn't amazing, but I've yet to run into situations where an enemy was able to weave in-between boomerangs and land a hit.
You're welcome to try the other weapons, and perhaps you might settle on one that suits a particular playstyle. I'd say that the spiked spread-shot is a solid choice for more aggressive players. Its range is short, but the trade-off is that it kills everything just a little bit faster. Besides, you should be constantly moving anyway... Wait. uhh... I mean that you should be constantly moving while you're constantly moving. Agency is extremely important here. What doesn't kill Chelnov could push him towards a disadvantageous position. I already insinuated that the corners are the worst places to be, and you'll likely need additional time to react to danger. Unlike the average shmup, dodging a projectile is often not as "simple" as moving to the left or right. Still, I can't imagine most experienced gamers struggling in the early stages, unless they decided to go straight to the hard difficulty with the rapid-fire turned off.
In Atomic Runner, bullets are just one of the many forms that death takes. Large walking insectoids fling their shields the instant they're killed. Mecha rabbits love hopping onto the unwary from just offscreen. The most average grunt can still cause problems thanks to the fact that they run, jump, and fire a gun. While all this is going on, you're expected to do some platforming as well as avoid or destroy obstacles. The limitations of Chelnov's movement also become apparent, though not in a way I'd consider detrimental. A lot of what makes this game so memorable is its unique controls and mechanics.
Something else that I haven't even touched on yet is that the hero can destroy enemies simply by jumping on them. Giving evil a stomp like some turtle-smashing plumber is a valid strategy. I can't even begin to explain just how much I appreciate this, but I'll give it a shot anyway. Besides firing while somersaulting, jumping on them is the only consistent method for dealing with enemies below Chelnov. This creates a level of dynamism not often seen in the genre. Trying to spend equal amounts of time in the air and on the ground to ensure everything dies results in a series of contrasting situations. Having a technique that's so out there yet also integral bridges together the two halves in a fun way. The game learns into this fun mechanic later on with sections where he must bound from foe to foe to avoid falling in a pit. One other detail worth mentioning is that the safest way to defeat a shield-carrying insectoid is to jump on its head, guaranteeing that their last-ditch attack will miss entirely.
Since this is a checkpoint-based runner, deaths tend to be extra costly. Along with getting thrown back a short distance, Chelnov is stuck with his basic peashooter. Recovery usually isn't a huge ordeal, but occasionally the cause of death can be a little suspect. This brings me to a particularly annoying moment in stage 4. There will be times where the hero has to fall from a ledge into the area below. However, during this short period, it's impossible to move. If this sounds like a potentially fatal issue, then that's because it is.
It's just like you could've imagined: A helpless protagonist falling onto a bullet during one of the extremely few instances where his agency is taken away from him. Don't do what I did merely run off of the ledge. Take a big leap so that you'll land in-between this pillar and a second that's just offscreen. Alternatively, there's a gap just before all this that Chelnov can fall down, allowing him to get rid of this pillar before it creates trouble. Atomic Runner doesn't give me a lot to nitpick about, which makes the oversights like this situation in stage 4 honestly shocking.
One debacle isn't enough for me to categorize the game as anything resembling unfair. Players are allowed to give themselves a few extra lives and enough continues to choke a... a large continue-eating animal, I guess. Probably should've thought that last bit out better. Basically, anyone hopping into this for the first time has plenty of attempts to overcome whatever is keeping them from reaching the next stage, or at least the next checkpoint. The bosses are sometimes tricky to deal with but are melted down in seconds. Players might not vibe with the lack of protracted battles. Personally speaking, this game is at its best when Chelnov is actively running.
Considering that one of its recent appearances was on the Sega Mega Drive Mini 2, it's clear to me that there are many out there who hold Atomic Runner in high regard. I can certainly understand why. Even if you take away the incredible art-direction and great soundtrack, you'll still have a wonderful blend of running & shooting action. Very few games dare to be this different and fewer still make it look as natural as a Sunday morning jog.
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| They did a hell of a job on the Statue of Liberty too. |
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