Altered Beast/Gameplay

Controls

 * Joystick / : Use the joystick (or direction pad) to guide your player through the game. Press left or right to instruct the player to walk in either direction.  Press down to squat down.
 * Punch / : Press this button to throw a punch. When transformed, this button typically releases a projectile attack.
 * Kick / : Press this button to launch a kick. It hits lower than a punch, but typically has better range.  When transformed, this button typically launches a full-body attack.
 * Jump / : Press this button to leap into the air. Press and hold up on the joystick (or ) while pressing jump to leap much higher into the air.
 * Note that on some home conversions that had less than three buttons, a different input was used for jumping. In some cases like the Sega Master System, you jumped by pressing the punch and kick buttons together.  In other cases like on the Famicom, you pressed up on the control pad to jump.
 * 1-2 Players / : Press the one or two player button to begin a new game. On home consoles, you can also press the Start button to pause the action mid-game.

Player
Throughout Altered Beast, you take control of a resurrected Centurion fighter, who has been gifted with new life by the god Zeus, and commanded to rescue his daughter Athena from the nefarious demon god Neff. In order to do that, you'll have to punch and kick your way through Neff's army of undead soldiers, beastmen, and other various monsters. You'll have to make your way to the end of five stages and defeat the boss of the stage in order to advance to the next stage.

Along the way, you'll encounter a particular variety of two-headed wolf. While the brown wolves are simply threats, the glowing silver wolves will provide you with a power-up orb when defeated. Upon collecting this orb, you will be transformed into an increasingly strong warrior, until you reach the third transformations, where you will turn into a unique beastman that is different every stage. For example, you become a werewolf (shown right) on the first stage. Other transformations include a dragon, a bear, a tiger, and finally the golden werewolf on the last stage. Each transformation has their own unique attacks. Find out more about them on the page.

Regardless of what state of transformation you are in, you have a life bar, and a set of remaining lives. You typically get three life bars, which are drained every time you get damaged by an enemy attack. Life bars go from blue to red until they are depleted. If all three life bars are removed, you lose one life. If you lose all of your lives, the game is over. It is not possible to earn any extra lives, but it is possible to continue your game if you enter more money before time expires.

During a two player game, two players may play simultaneously. Both players have the same abilities, and only differ by color. Each player has their own life bar and set of extra lives.