Retro game review: Altered Beast (arcade) - Saying goodbye to this arcade classic

Altered Beast, the Sega Genesis pack-in game that gained its fame in living rooms began as an arcade game. I used to play this game at my local arcade frequently as a kid, hoping to get to the next stage so I could find out what I’d transform into next.

About ten years ago, I had the chance to buy a full-size Altered Beast arcade cabinet, so I pulled the trigger and it became part of my arcade collection. Sadly, as I’ve gotten older and children take priority (in other words, their stuff is filling up my house), I’ve had to pare down my arcade collection. This weekend, I sold my Altered Beast arcade machine after owning it throughout my 30’s, but I did take the time to go several final rounds with the machine before watching it drive away and out of my life.

So this is my memorial and final thoughts on this Sega arcade classic, played on actual arcade hardware.

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Altered Beast is a standard side-scrolling fighting game that played similarly to other games of the era like Superman and Ninja Warriors. In Altered Beast, you “rise from your grave” to save a magician’s daughter who has been kidnapped by generic evil bald wizard.

You’ll fight your way through 5 automatically scrolling stages through waves of zombies, hulking monsters, flying beasts, giant insects and more in your quest to save this girl you don’t know for this guy you don’t know. But its a good excuse to punch an kick a lot, and that’s all we really need, right?

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The gimmick with Altered Beast is that killing white two-headed wolves releases floating powers that increase your attack power (and make you crazy buff). The first powerup bulks you up to an athlete’s physique, the second pumps you up to bodybuilder level and the third releases your inner beast! Each stage has a unique monster that you can transform into after collecting three powerups — which are a werewolf, dragon, bear, tiger and werewolf again, each with unique attacks that make dealing with the grunts in the levels a breeze.

At the end of each stage, you’ll fight the wizard who kidnapped the girl, but he will refuse to fight you until you’ve fully powered up into a beast. If you reach him in human form, he will keep you at bay with lightning and eventually retreat. At this point, the level seamlessly repeats and you’re given another chance to power up. Bosses are huge and grotesque, but are mostly fairly easy if you know the best way to defeat them. Except the final boss, which is much harder.

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The gameplay of Altered Beast is pretty shallow, but fun in short bursts. By the end of the game, you’re pleasantly satisfied with the adventure you just went through, but don’t feel the need to play through again immediately. Great for an arcade game, but less so for a home game. Fortunately, I’ve never played any home versions of Altered Beast, just the arcade original.

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Altered Beast features some nice, well-drawn and highly detailed sprites. Everything from your hero to the monsters look great and are well animated. Backgrounds are also filled with fine detail. The game is quite colorful for a game with a darker theme, though there’s no background animation or parallax scrolling to give it even more polish.

Music and sounds are nice too, with medieval-sounding themes that fit the game well that play during the screens that display between stages. The gameplay music is upbeat, but forgettable. Sound effects have a great amount of heft, so you feel like a powerful hero. And some memorable, cheesy voice samples elevate the sound to the next level.

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As far as quick arcade games go, Altered Beast hits all the right notes. It can be completed in about 20 minutes and doesn’t overstay its welcome. As a console game, it would feel a bit skimpy and basic, but it works well in the arcade. If you see a machine out in the wild, give it a play.

I'm glad I got a chance to play this game with my daughters before it went to a better home. My older daughter (mostly) figured out how to play, but my baby was terrible at it despite her best efforts. You can't expect too much from a baby who can barely even see the screen:

Thanks for reading. As always, upvotes, resteems and comments are appreciated!

_{^{Cover Image: opdenkelder.com}}