This review was published on 05/26/2017.

New Atomic Punk: Global Quest, alternatively known as Atomic Punk 2, is a video game developed by Irem and published by Hudson Soft for the arcades in 1992. The game is known as New DynaBlaster: Global Quest in Europe and Bomber Man World in Japan. This is not to be confused with the Bomberman World that came out on the Sony PlayStation in 1998, which is an entirely different game. New Atomic Punk is the sequel to the original arcade version of Atomic Punk that came out in 1991, known simply as Bomberman in Japan and DynaBlaster in Europe. Again, this shouldn't be confused with the Atomic Punk on Game Boy, as that's an entirely different game, too. Anyway, if all of this didn't already tip you off, New Atomic Punk is a Bomberman game. Hudson, the company that created Bomberman, licensed Irem once again to make another Bomberman arcade title. That's this one, and it's a bit better than the previous Atomic Punk.

In the previous game, which took place in the year 2091, violent death matches between robots was an extremely popular sport. For a period of time, Bomberman and King Bomber ruled supreme as the best robotic team in the world. However, King Bomber suddenly became evil and began terrorizing mankind. Luckily, Bomberman and his creatively named sibling, Bomberman 2, saved the world from King Bomber. Despite this harrowing ordeal, robotic battles still maintained their popularity one year later, in 2092, which is when this game takes place. After his defeat, King Bomber attempted to reform himself, but eventually returned to his evil ways. He issued orders to robot armies throughout the world to once again cause some chaos. This time, King Bomber used his forces to take control of the United Nations building. It's up to the Bomberman brothers, of whom there are now four, to save the world from King Bomber for a second time.

The standard mechanics of this game are mostly the same as the previous one, which was mostly the same as practically every other Bomberman title ever. That means you navigate mazes from an overhead view while laying bombs on the ground to purge your foes. Shortly after a bomb is placed, it explodes into a cross shaped blast of fire that demolishes any living organisms or destructible blocks it touches. Fire from the explosion of one bomb that touches another causes a premature detonation, possibly setting off a chain reaction. Naturally, the explosive fires of your own bombs can kill you and your buddies, as well. As with most Bomberman games, you die in one hit in this one, regardless of whether it's via an enemy or bomb blast. As a result of that, you have to be extra careful when placing bombs, making sure to corner your enemies, but not yourself. If you're familiar with Bomberman, then this should be common sense to you.

Similar to the Japanese version of the previous title, this game is split off into two modes: "Normal" and "Vs Super Game." Normal is just like it was in the first Atomic Punk, which followed the classic Bomberman formula of having you kill all the enemies in the current stage within the time limit in order to progress to the next one. However, unlike the typical Bomberman game of old, both Atomic Punk titles don't require you to find a hidden exit upon killing everything, and most power-ups are lost in between stages. Just like the first Atomic Punk, there are six worlds with six stages each. With the exception of a neat map screen that's shown in between worlds, everything's mostly the same. Something this game's Normal has that the previous one didn't is a Bonus Stage, which is encountered after every fifth stage, and the time limit of which can be extended by collecting the letters in "Bonus" in the prior stages. Like the Western version of the first Atomic Punk, Normal can be played cooperatively with up to four simultaneous players. While repetitive on its own, playing with so many people can make Normal fun.

As is usually the case in Bomberman, power-ups play a big role in this game. You've got the bread and butter in the form of extra bombs that let you have more bombs on screen at once, additional firepower that extend the range of your blasts, and boots that make you walk faster. There's also the handy dandy remote bomb, which can be detonated at your leisure with the press of a button. However, unlike most Bomberman games, special bombs like those run out after you place a few. There are some power-ups that weren't in the previous Atomic Punk, like a unique bomb with explosions that split off into different directions upon hitting a wall or indestructible block. There are also power-up icons that give you large amounts of firepower or bomb capacity in one go, allowing you to become powerful in far less time. Two types of temporary invincibility power-ups are available, as well: one that allows you to pass through enemies unharmed, and another that kills any foes you touch. Unfortunately, this game still lacks some of the more iconic power-ups from other Bomberman titles, like the Bomb Kick and Power Glove.

Vs Super Game is the name of this game's multiplayer mode, which plays just like the classic Bomberman multiplayer you come to expect. That's to say, up to four players control Bombermen that duke it out in an arena with a time limit, and the last man standing is the winner. Like with most classic Bomberman titles, this is the best part of the game. However, this multiplayer lacks many of the more advanced options that became standard in later Bomberman games. For example, there aren't very many stages to play on, plus you don't have control over which one gets selected. On top of that, the low selection of power-ups means that multiplayer matches aren't as interesting or frantic. Having said all that, the competitive multiplayer of this game is definitely a step up from the first Atomic Punk.

While it's got better graphics, music, and a couple of more features than the previous one, Atomic Punk 2 still pales in comparison to most of the later games in the franchise. It certainly isn't bad, though. Like the first Atomic Punk, this is one of the few Bomberman games to allow for up to four players to play together cooperatively, and that alone makes this game worth playing. However, when it comes to Bomberman's classic competitive multiplayer, there are certainly better games out there.

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