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.

NES

Released in 1990 and developed by Asmik, the NES version of Altered Beast is a unique interpretation of the arcade hit. Since Nintendo and Sega were fierce rivals, this port was an unusual occurrence, resulting in a game that feels significantly different from the original. To fit the NES hardware, the graphics were entirely redrawn with smaller sprites and simplified backgrounds. However, Asmik added a secret sixth stage not found in the arcade, featuring a new "Shark-Man" (or Wereshark) transformation, providing extra value for home players.
The gameplay is faster and more "twitchy" than the arcade, with physics that feel lighter. While the NES lacked the sophisticated voice synthesis of Sega's hardware, the developers managed to include a grainy, digitized "Rise from your grave" at the start. The music is a chiptune rendition of the original score that captures the main melodies well. Although it cannot compete with the 16-bit versions in terms of scale or detail, it is a fascinating and playable curiosity that offers exclusive content for fans of the franchise.