Altered Beast
Introduction
Altered Beast was developed and published by Sega, released in arcades in 1988 before becoming one of the launch titles for the Sega Genesis later that year. Loosely inspired by Greek mythology, the game casts players as a Roman centurion resurrected by the god Zeus and tasked with rescuing his daughter Athena from the underworld god Neff. Beginning each stage as a relatively weak fighter, the player collects glowing orbs dropped by defeated wolves that gradually power up their character until a final orb triggers a transformation into one of several beast forms, including a werewolf, a dragon, and a bear, each with unique attacks suited to that stage’s enemies. The dramatic transformation sequence, punctuated by the now-iconic digitized voice clip “Rise from your grave,” became one of the most recognizable moments in early Sega arcade and console history. Its side-scrolling beat ’em up structure combined with the power-up-and-transform gameplay loop gave it a distinct identity among late-1980s arcade brawlers, and it remains fondly remembered as an early showcase for Sega’s arcade technology.
