Play Altered Beast (USA, Europe) Online

Game Overview

Altered Beast is one of those weird, janky arcade-style beat-'em-ups that somehow sticks with you. You play as this undead warrior brought back to life by Zeus (yeah, that Zeus), and as you punch your way through waves of monsters, you collect these floating orbs that slowly transform you into increasingly ridiculous beasts. Wolf first, then dragon, tiger—each one with its own over-the-top attacks.

The Master System version feels a little stiff compared to the arcade original, but there’s something charming about how clunky the animations are. The music’s got that classic Sega synth vibe, too—you’ll be humming it for days. It was the Genesis pack-in game back in the day, so a lot of us have nostalgia for it, even if the gameplay hasn’t aged perfectly.

Honestly? It’s short, kinda repetitive, but also weirdly satisfying when you finally turn into that hulking bear and just maul everything in sight.