Atomic Runner Chelnov

JP flyer

**Atomic Runner Chelnov** (アトミック ランナー チェルノブ) is a platformer/runner video game developed by Data East and originally released in 1988 for arcades. It received an enhanced port to the Sega Mega Drive in 1992, a direct port to the Sharp X68000 in 1993 and Japan-only Wii Virtual Console release in 2007.

The game faced a minor controversy upon release due to its story and the game's main character being interpreted as a seemingly parody of the Chernobyl disaster. Data East officially claimed the connections to be a coincidence, and that the name Chelnov was chosen to imply a connection between this work and their earlier title *Karnov*. Regardless, the Mega Drive port of the game features an entirely different plot compared to the Arcade version.

## Story

### Arcade Version

Chelnov was a young miner. One day, an explosion occurred at a nuclear power plant, not far from the coal mine. He was with his father under the blast. Chelnov miraculously survived, but his father perished. He recovered quickly, but became troubled upon finding his body now was stronger than that of a regular human thanks to the radiation.

During that time, the United States was suffering from an invasion by the mysterious Deathtarians. They claimed to be the original inhabitants of Earth since prehistoric times, and began an invasion on Earth in an attempt to make it their own again. The news soon reached the rural village where Chelnov lived. Knowing that the nuclear accident that gave him his powers was their work, he couldn't help but worry. So he decided to take revenge for his father and save the world.

However, the Deathtarian's hands had already reached his village. Upon learning of his abilities, they captured Chelnov and locked him up in an underground base to brainwash him. During his imprisonment, Chelnov learns their boss was in New York. With his anger reaching its peak, Chelnov breaks out from the brainwashing and heads straight to New York.

Go! No enemy can stop you, Chelnov!

### Mega Drive Version

Suddenly one day, without warning, a barrage of alien ships began falling from the sky. A full-out invasion on planet Earth had begun. People ran for cover as the gigantic ships slammed onto the surface like bombs hitting their targets. From the enormous ships alien creatures emerged, mercilessly capturing humans by the thousands.The nations of Earth were falling with no known defense against the alien invaders.

Just as the planetary assault had begun, Chelnov and his father found shelter in their underground laboratory. With his last dying breath, Chelnov's father unveiled the mystery of the Atomic Suit. He explained that the technology was discovered buried deep within an ancient pyramid in Egypt. A large scroll cryptically depicted the design of the Atomic Suit. "The aliens built these suits to give the pharaohs super-human powers! His father explained. "It was obvious that these creatures had been here before and now they've returned to reclaim the Earth as their own..." Chelnov knew he had to fight fire with fire. The suit was the only way to rid the Earth of this extraterrestrial scum. He became known as the "Atomic Runner" and was the last hope for a dying world.

## Gameplay

*Atomic Runner Chelnov* is a platforming game with constant scrolling; the camera continuously scrolls to the right while Chelnov is constantly running at a regular pace. One button is used for shooting and one for jumping, while a third button turns Chelnov around. The scrolling only stops during boss fights, at which point Chelnov controls like a regular platforming game.

By hitting some enemies or objects in the background the player can obtain various items which will either grant him new weapons or passive buffs, like raising his firepower or his jumping height.

## Gallery

Promotional flyerJP Mega Drive coverEU Mega Drive coverGenesis coverX68000 cover