Altered Beast

Altered Beast is a legendary side-scrolling beat 'em up set in Ancient Greece, where a fallen centurion is resurrected from the grave by Zeus. Your mission is to rescue Zeus's daughter, Athena, from the demonic god Neff. The core mechanic involves collecting spirit balls dropped by defeated white wolves, which cause your character to undergo dramatic physical transformations. After three power-ups, you morph into powerful creatures—such as a Werewolf, Weretiger, or Golden Bear—each possessing unique elemental attacks and supernatural strength to defeat the grotesque bosses guarding each of the five rounds.

Atari ST

Published by Activision in 1989, the Atari ST version is visually very similar to the Amiga port, sharing many of the same graphical assets and large sprite designs. It successfully recreates the arcade's grim atmosphere with detailed backgrounds and the iconic transformation sequences that define the game. The ST’s palette handles the mythological environments well, maintaining the dark and gritty aesthetic of the original 1988 arcade release.
Technically, the ST version faces challenges with its scrolling, which can feel somewhat jerky compared to the smoother movement found on dedicated console hardware. Because the Atari ST lacks hardware scrolling, the developers had to rely on clever programming to move the large backgrounds, resulting in a slightly lower frame rate. On the audio front, the ST utilizes its internal YM2149 chip to deliver a solid rendition of the haunting soundtrack, though it lacks the sampling depth found in the Amiga or Arcade versions. Despite these technical trade-offs, it was a respectable way for ST owners to experience the "Power Up" phenomenon at home.