Sega's 1988 arcade game makes its home console debut with the same levels, controls, and gameplay as its coin-op predecessor. The Genesis version of Altered Beast has players punching, jumping, and kicking their way across five side-scrolling levels inspired by Greek mythology. Dark unicorns, three-headed wolves, demons, and more will try to thwart the muscle-bound hero's progress each step of the way, but he can help even the odds by shapeshifting into one of the following stage-specific beasts: werewolf, weredragon, werebear, weretiger, and the golden werewolf. Yet before the protagonist can morph into a beast and use the transformation's special technique, he must first collect three mystical orbs by defeating certain enemies within each level. The ultimate goal is to rescue goddess Athena from the demon Neff, Lord of the Underworld. Altered Beast on Genesis is notable for being the 16-bit system's pack-in title during its 1989 launch. ~ Scott Alan Marriott, All Game Guide