Altering the Beast

Let me tell you about this side-scrolling, beat ‘em up arcade game that is sure to make you raise your eyebrows in disbelief that some much awesomeness can be possible. You take control of a shapeshifting hero, who has been raised from the dead by Zeus himself in order to rescue his kidnapped daughter, Athena. Did I mention something about the hordes of undead, demons and level bosses that you’ll have to fight if you wanna get a chance to rescue her? Didn’t think so!

But worry not my friends, as beating some white two-headed wolves (hint, hint: Do you think this wolf might be the Cerberus dog of Greek Mythology? I do! ) will reveal the power-ups orbs (“Spirit Balls”) you need to increase your strength and size and eventually transform into a beast powerful enough to clean the floor with all of them. And that’s not all, as you can turn into a different one in each level. Becoming a werewolf, a dragon, a tiger, a bear and more you’ll get a set of special abilities with each creature, such as the dragon’s ability to fly.

Yes, you got it! It is no other than the groovy “Altered Beast”, developed by Makoto Uchida and released in 1988 by Sega. With Ancient Greece-inspired scenery, two player cooperative gameplay and lots of action, you are really missing out if you’ve never played this game. Luckily, you can go play this Altered Beast online version. Catch some tricks and hints at the Arcade History site, and if your in the read mood take a look at this funny review about the game (gifs and all!).