Editing Altered Beast (section)

{{short description|1988 video game}}
{{for multi|the 2005 video game|Altered Beast (2005 video game){{!}}''Altered Beast'' (2005 video game)|the Matthew Sweet album|Altered Beast (album){{!}}''Altered Beast'' (album)|the Tale of the Altered Beast by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard|Murder of the Universe{{!}}''Murder of the Universe''}}
{{good article}}{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}

{{Infobox video game
| title = Altered Beast
| image = Altered Beast cover.jpg
| caption = European Mega Drive box art
| developer = [[Sega]]
| publisher = Sega
| designer = [[Makoto Uchida (game developer)|Makoto Uchida]]
| artist = [[Rieko Kodama]]
| composer = Tohru Nakabayashi
| released = {{vgrelease|JP|June 14, 1988<ref>{{cite web |title=Altered Beast (Registration Number PA0000370979) |url=https://cocatalog.loc.gov |website=[[United States Copyright Office]] |access-date=10 June 2021}}</ref>|WW|June 1988<ref>{{cite book |last1=Akagi |first1=Masumi |title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971–2005) |trans-title=Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005) |date=October 13, 2006 |publisher=Amusement News Agency |language=ja |location=Japan |isbn=978-4990251215 |page=131 |url=https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/page/n132}}</ref><ref name="CVG82"/>}}
| genre = [[Beat 'em up]]
| modes = [[Single-player]], [[multiplayer]]
| platforms = [[Arcade video game|Arcade]], [[MS-DOS]], [[Amstrad CPC]], [[MSX]], [[Nintendo Entertainment System|Famicom]], [[Atari ST]], [[Amiga]], [[Master System]], [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]], [[TurboGrafx-16|PC Engine]], [[TurboGrafx-16#Super CD-ROM²|PC Engine Super CD-ROM² System]], [[Commodore 64]], [[Game Boy Advance]]
| arcade system = [[Sega System 16]]
}}

'''''Altered Beast'''''{{efn|{{nihongo||{{ruby|獣王記|じゅうおうき}}|Jūōki|"Beast King's Chronicle"}}}} is a 1988 [[beat 'em up]] [[video game]] developed and published by [[Sega]] for [[Arcade video game|arcades]]. The game is set in [[Ancient Greece]] and follows a player character chosen by [[Zeus]] to rescue his daughter [[Athena]] from the demonic ruler of the [[underworld]], Neff. By collecting three [[power-up]]s in a level, the player character transforms into one of five magical beasts. It was ported to several home [[video game console]]s and [[home computer]]s. ''Altered Beast'' was the [[pack-in game]] when the [[Sega Genesis|Genesis]] launched in North America and the Mega Drive in Europe.

The game's development was led by [[Makoto Uchida (game developer)|Makoto Uchida]] which was his first time as a project lead. Uchida and his team used the [[List of Sega arcade system boards|System 16]] [[arcade system board]].

''Altered Beast''{{'}}s arcade release and its ports received generally positive reviews, mainly praising the gameplay and graphics. The game has been re-released several times for various consoles and as part of video game compilations, and there has been one sequel and one reboot.