Atomic Punk is a video game released for the Game Boy in 1990 by Hudson Soft, as part of the Bomberman series. It was the first game of the series to be released on the Game Boy.
There are four modes of gameplay in Atomic Punk, including two single player modes and two multiplayer game modes.
In the Game A mode, the player controls the eponymous character. In the manual of the North American version, Atomic Punk is a son of Bomberman, the protagonist of Bomberman (1985) on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The two reside in the peaceful land of Atomica, which is invaded by the Nukies, radiation thieves trying to steal the energy from Atomica. While the Atomicans are imprisoned in the Nukies' nuclear factories, Atomic Punk embarks on an adventure to rescue his people and defeat the evil thieves. The Japanese and European versions do not provide any storyline for the campaign.
There are eight levels, representing the Nukies' nuclear factories. Every level consists of several smaller stages, which are mazes filled with blocks and enemies. Atomic Punk is armed with bombs that can destruct the blocks and defeat his adversaries. The objective in each stage is to eliminate all enemies, and discover the randomly placed exit hidden under a block.
Atomic Punk has nonlinear gameplay where the player is able to complete the levels in any sequence. The sole exception is Faria, which is inaccessible until the player clears out the other seven levels. The levels have different themes and characteristics that affect how the player approaches them. For example, in Windria, the wind blows and changes its direction constantly, altering Atomic Punk's walking speed. In Grad, Atomic Punk has to use teleporters to navigate between quadrants that divide each stage. In the final level, Faria, the indestructible walls in mazes are replaced by flames that will kill Atomic Punk on contact, necessitating the player to move between them carefully.
Atomic Punk can visit My Town and purchase the panels. As the player completes the levels, the power-up panels associated with them will be unlocked at My Town.
The Game B mode is a port of Bomberman (1985), retaining the general gameplay and presentation. Similar to Game A, the player's goal is to guide Bomberman toward the exit hidden under destructible blocks while battling enemies with his bombs. The manual of the North American provides a storyline where Bomberman returns to the subterranean world to defeat the Nukies inside while his son travels the Atomica. Unlike the NES version, there is a continue function that lets the player resume the progress without having to memorize the level password.
The Vs. Mode in Atomic Punk is the Bomberman series' first battle mode, pitting two human players against each other. There is no option to play against a computer opponent. A match ends when one player successfully eliminates the other with their bombs. There are two sub-modes: Panel Mode, where the players start with minimal abilities and have to collect power-ups similarly to Game B, and Powerful Mode, where the players start with all-powerful abilities.
Development and release
The Vs. Mode utilizes the Game Link Cable accessory (pictured).
Atomic Punk was developed and published by Hudson Soft for the Game Boy. Part of the Bomberman series, it was produced by a development team different from the ones behind the previous Bomberman games, being designed by Toshimasa Ebina, later the programmer of Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys, and Takahiro Haga, the director of Tengai Makyō III: Namida. The soundtrack was composed by Yasuhiko Fukuda.
Atomic Punk was first published in Japan on August 31, 1990. It was released in North America in October 1991 and Europe in 1991. Atomic Punk is known as Bomber Boy in Japan and Dynablaster in Europe. The multiplayer game mode requires two Game Boy consoles and the Game Link Cable accessory.
The Japanese version of Atomic Punk was re-released as part of the compilation Bomberman Collection alongside Bomberman GB and Bomberman GB 2. It was published on July 21, 1996. It was also ported to the Game Boy Color as part of the 2003 compilation Bomberman Selection and released in South Korea.
Reception
Mean Machines gave Atomic Punk a score of 81, praising the game as a "highly addictive" port of Bomberman, and added that the password system was a welcome addition.
Notes
↑Known in Japan as Bomber Boy (ボンバーボーイ, Bonbā Bōi) and in Europe as Dynablaster
123456Barbato, Stephen (March 21, 2022). "Atomic Punk". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on September 26, 2026. Retrieved October 24, 2026.
