Chelnov - Atomic Runner (Japan) - MAME machine

Arcade Video game published 36 years ago:

ATOMIC RUNNER CHELNOV 戦う人間発電所 © 1988 Data East Corporation.
(Atomic Runner Chelnov - Tatakau Ningen Hatsudensho)

A horizontally scrolling platform shoot-em-up in which the player controls Chelnov, a former coal miner caught up in a Chernobyl-like nuclear accident. Now possessing superior physical strength and agility, Chelnov is determined to escape the Eastern Bloc country he called home, and run and jump across the world to finish in the US.

What distinguishes this game from others of its genre is its use of forced scrolling. The screen moves continuously from left to right and players must negotiate the game's many obstacles and enemies without the benefit of dictating their speed of progress. Enemies attack from left, right, above and below and Chelnov can switch the direction he's facing to attack enemies that are behind him. Some enemies carry different types of weapons and power-ups and when they are shot the power-ups drop to the ground and can be picked up.

TECHNICAL
Main CPU: Motorola 68000 (@ 10 Mhz)
Sound CPU: MOS Technology M6502 (@ 1.5 Mhz)
Sound Chips: YM2203 (@ 1.5 Mhz), YM3526 (@ 3 Mhz)

Players: 2
Control: 8-Way Joystick
Buttons: 3
→ [A] Shoot, [B] Jump, [C] Change Direction

TRIVIA
Atomic Runner Chelnov was released in January 1988 in Japan.

The subtitle of this game translates from Japanese as 'Fighting Human Power Plant'.

This game is known outside Japan as "Atomic Runner Chelnov - Nuclear Man, The Fighter".

This game came out a couple of years after Russia's Chernobyl power plant accident. One of Japan's prestigious newspaper 'Asahi Shinbun' had article about the title of this game and its imprudent attitude, Data East responded that Chelnov was a sequel to Karnov and that it had no relation to the accident.

Chelnov later appeared in "Karnov's Revenge" as the final boss. He also appeared as the final boss in the Nintendo Super Famicom game "Fighter's History - Mizoguchi Kiki Ippatsu!!" as well as an unlockable playable character.

Alfa Records released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Data East Game Music - 28XA-205) on May 10, 1988.

STAFF
Program: Inoue, Akiyama, Haga
Hard: Shinozaki
Sound: Hara, Yoshida, Kiuchi, Tenno
Graphic: Masanori Tokoro, J.S, Mix Man, Ritsu. T

PORTS

• CONSOLES:

[JP] Sega Mega Drive (Oct.16, 1992) "Chelnov [Model T-13073]"

• COMPUTERS:

[JP] Sharp X68000 (Jan.29, 1993) "Atomic Runner Chelnov - Tatakau Ningen Hatsudensho [Model DP-3205024]"

CONTRIBUTE
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