A conversion of the 1988 arcade game, Atomic Runner Chelnov. Developer/publisher Data East dropped the “Chelnov” part from the title of the 1992 Megadrive/Genesis release, but the gameplay stays more or less the same.
You must shoot and jump your way through seven continually-scrolling stages, only stopping to fight bosses at the end of each.
This obscure 1987 arcade game from Data East was a big influence on many games that came after it, in particular Manfred Trenz‘s Turrican series. It is obviously itself influenced by Nintendo‘s 1986 game, Metroid.
It also displays some similarities to Karnov, another Data East arcade game released the same year.
And, while you may have never heard of this game, it’s safe to say that it’s a bit of a ‘hidden gem’ in terms of old arcade games still worth playing today.
The King of Grabs 