"Rise from your grave" are the first words of Altered Beast, as Zeus resurrects a fallen Roman centurion to rescue his daughter Athena from the demon lord Neff. Sega's 1988 arcade game was ported to the Mega Drive in Japan shortly after the console launched that year, and in North America it was the Genesis's original pack-in game until Sonic the Hedgehog replaced it.
The hook is transformation. Blue spirit balls dropped by enemies power up the hero, and after three the centurion becomes a beast: a werewolf, weredragon, werebear, weretiger or golden werewolf depending on the stage, each with powerful attacks. Neff appears to fight the beast at the end of the stage. There are only five stages, the walking pace is slow and enemies are simple, so the game is short once mastered. Its digitized voices and large sprites impressed in 1988, and its prominence as a pack-in gives it an outsized place in Genesis history.
Tips for Altered Beast
Spirit balls come from the white two-headed wolves; kill them to power up toward transformation.
Once transformed, push forward quickly, because Neff appears soon and the beast powers are your best weapon against him.
How to Play Altered Beast
Click Play Now to launch Altered Beast directly in your browser — no downloads or plugins needed. Z, X and C cover punching, kicking and jumping. Enter pauses. You can also connect a USB or Bluetooth gamepad for a more authentic feel.
Save states let you save your progress at any point. Create a free account to sync saves across devices. Press F11 for fullscreen mode.
Playing Altered Beast is easy: press "Play Now" above and the game starts right in your browser window. Our emulator handles everything — no extra software needed.
Is Altered Beast free to play?
Altered Beast is free to play here on RetroVault.GG. We believe classic games should be accessible to everyone, so there's no cost to jump in.
What console is Altered Beast for?
Altered Beast was originally released for the Sega Genesis. On RetroVault.GG, you can play it online in your browser without needing the original console.
What genre is Altered Beast?
Altered Beast is a action game. It was made for the Sega Genesis.
Can I play Altered Beast on my phone?
Yes, RetroVault.GG works on mobile browsers. Visit the game page on your phone or tablet and tap Play Now to start playing Altered Beast.