Play Altered Beast (dos) Online

Altered Beast is a side-view beat 'em up game released for MS-DOS in 1990. Developed by Team Shinobi and published by SEGA Enterprises Ltd., the game is set within a world inspired by ancient Greek mythology. The player assumes the role of a warrior resurrected by the god Zeus, tasked with battling through hostile territories to rescue his daughter Athena from captivity.

Players control the resurrected hero through a series of side-scrolling levels, confronting waves of undead and demonic enemies. The primary objective is to advance through each stage, culminating in a battle against a unique boss creature. A key gameplay system involves collecting spirit orbs dropped by specific enemies, such as two-headed wolves. Gathering these orbs enables the character to transform into a powerful beast form, with each level typically featuring a distinct transformation like a werewolf, dragon, tiger, or bear. These forms grant enhanced abilities, including flight and more potent attacks, which replace the basic punches and kicks of the human form. The game can be played alone or with a second player in a same-screen cooperative mode.

Progression is linear, with players fighting through enemy hordes to reach the end of each stage. If a player takes too long to complete a level, the stage boss will appear regardless of whether the character has transformed. Upon defeating a boss, the antagonist Neff appears to remove the transformation orbs, resetting the character to their human state for the next challenge. The game's title directly references this central mechanic of altering the hero's physical form to overcome increasingly difficult adversaries.