Altered Beast — Arcade

1988 · Beat 'em up · Arcade

Overview

Altered Beast (1988) is Sega's mythological beat-'em-up: a resurrected centurion collects spirit balls to transform into beasts — and came bundled with the Genesis.

Deep Dive

Summoned from the grave by Zeus — 'Rise from your grave!' — a Roman centurion fights through the underworld to rescue Athena. Collecting spirit balls from white wolves makes him more muscular, and a third transforms him into a beast for the level's end: a werewolf, weredragon, werebear, weretiger or golden werewolf. Two players can fight together. As the pack-in game with the Sega Genesis in North America, it was the first game many owners of the console played.

Developer Story

Altered Beast was developed by Sega in 1988. Players collected spirit balls to transform into powerful beasts — werewolf, werebear, weretiger, weredragon, and golden wolf — for boss fights. The transformation power fantasy, with accompanying voice samples ("RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!"), made it memorable. Altered Beast was the pack-in game bundled with the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive in North America, ensuring it was played by millions.

Did You Know?

"RISE FROM YOUR GRAVE!" and "WELCOME TO YOUR DOOM!" became instantly recognisable voice samples due to the game's Genesis bundle status.
Altered Beast was the first game most Genesis owners played, making it one of the most culturally significant games of the 16-bit era despite mixed reviews.
Two-player co-op let one player control the hero and the other a clone — both could transform independently.