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| A L T E R E D B E A S T |
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GAME: ALTERED BEAST
PLATFORM: ARCADE
GENRE: ARCADE ACTION
CREATOR: SEGA Copyright 1988
AUTHOR OF THIS FAQ: Kevin Butler AKA War Doc
E-MAIL: kevinb(at)technologist(dot)com
FAQ VERSION: 1.0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TABLE OF CONTENTS
UNIT I: INTRODUCTION
1. Legal Stuff
2. Version Information
3. Acknowledgements
4. Welcome
5. Overview
UNIT II: GAME INFORMATION
6. The Game
6.1 The Controls
6.2 The Playing Fields
6.3 Scoring
UNIT III: STRATEGIES
7. Playing the Game
7.1 Level 1
7.2 Level 2
7.3 Level 3
7.4 Level 4
7.5 Level 5
UNIT IV: CONCLUSION
8. Conclusion
_______________________________________________________________________________
To find a particular chapter or subchapter do the following:
1. Highlight the chapter or subchapter name you wish to find.
2. Press CTRL-C
3. Press CTRL-F
4. Press CTRL-V
5. Press CTRL-F
5. You will arrive at the desired chapter or subchapter.
_______________________________________________________________________________
**************
********************************* U N I T I **********************************
**************
+=================+
| 1. LEGAL STUFF |============================================================
+=================+
This guide may not be reproduced under any circumstances except for personal
private use. It may not be placed on any web site or otherwise distributed
publicly without advanced permission from the author. Use of this guide on
any other web site or as part of any public display is strictly prohibited, and
a violation of copyright. All content in this guide is Copyright 2004 by
Kevin Butler. Only the sites listed below have permission to publish this
work or to display it:
www.gamefaqs.com
www.cheats.de
faqs.ign.com
www.neoseeker.com
If you wish to put this guide on your site, e-mail me and ask. Save yourself
the headache of putting up with lawsuits and whatnot because you failed to ask
a simple "Can I post your guide on <insert site>?". If you wish to use info
in this guide, please acknowledge that you have done so. If I don't respond or
I say no, accept it as fact. This especially goes out to Dave at
www.cheatcc.com since he has a habit of taking guides without permission. In
addition, do not modify this guide in any way whatsoever to suit your purposes.
The latest version can always be found at www.gamefaqs.com.
If you see this guide on any other site then the one listed above, please
e-mail me. If you wish to ask questions or give input to this guide, please
e-mail me. Just have Altered Beast as the subject so I know it isn't another
kooky vendor trying to sell me hair gel or another XXX site telling me I have
new friends.
+=========================+
| 2. VERSION INFORMATION |====================================================
+=========================+
Version 1.0 10/02/04: A guide is born.
+======================+
| 3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |=======================================================
+======================+
The following are a list of people or organizations that have made this FAQ
possible:
My wonderful family (who has had to put up with the tapping on the keyboard)
Sega for making a great arcade game
GameFAQ's for putting up this FAQ
+=============+
| 4. WELCOME |================================================================
+=============+
Welcome to my FAQ for Altered Beast. Since the game is just a linear type of
game, there is a general walkthrough provided. This walkthrough will be broken
up into the game itself and strategies for survival. Input is appreciated
along with constructive criticism. If you wish to e-mail me thoughts on this
FAQ, better ways of doing things, other strategies, etc., feel free. Make sure
you put Altered Beast as the subject. If you don't, I'm liable to discard the
e-mail as spam.
+==============+
| 5. OVERVIEW |===============================================================
+==============+
Altered Beast was created by a company that really doesn't need an intro-
duction: Sega. Sega has been around for a while and it came into its own when
it released Zaxxon in 1982. Since that period of time, Sega got into other
areas of gaming such as home consoles, console games, and of course arcade
games. The game was successfully ported to both PC's and to the Genesis
console. You get to play the part of the hero that has to rescue Zeus'
daughter Athena. There are a lot of dangers ahead in your quest. Good luck.
***************
******************************** U N I T II **********************************
***************
+==============+
| 6. THE GAME |===============================================================
+==============+
Altered Beast is a two-dimensional, platform-style game. You play the part of
a great hero that Zeus brings back from the dead. Your mission is to rescue
Athena, daughter of Zeus. If you are successful, your status will be elevated
and you will get to sit amongst the gods. Of course, the journey to this
rescue will be full of deadly enemies who want nothing more then to stop you.
Of course, no journey would be complete without the obligatory boss fight at
the end of each level. You will travel through five levels in order to have
the showdown with the big boss himself and rescue Athena. Sometimes it is
better to be a live coward then a dead hero.
____________________
/ 6.1 The Controls /__________________________________________________________
--------------------
The controls on this game aren't too complicated. They will require practice
in order to become proficient with them.
- An eight-way joystick
- A punch button
- A kick button
- A jump button
To perform various fighting moves, use the following combinations):
+---------------------++---------------------------------------------------+
| DESIRED MOVE || CONTROLS REQUIRED |
+---------------------++---------------------------------------------------+
+---------------------++---------------------------------------------------+
| PUNCH || PRESS THE PUNCH BUTTON |
+---------------------++---------------------------------------------------+
| CROUCHING PUNCH || PRESS THE JOYSTICK DOWN AND PRESS PUNCH |
+---------------------++---------------------------------------------------+
| KICK || PRESS THE KICK BUTTON |
+---------------------++---------------------------------------------------+
| LYING DOWN KICK || PRESS THE JOYSTICK DOWN AND PRESS KICK |
+---------------------++---------------------------------------------------+
| JUMP || PRESS THE JUMP BUTTON |
+---------------------++---------------------------------------------------+
| HIGH JUMP || PRESS THE JOYSTICK UP OR DIAGONALLY UP AND PRESS |
| || JUMP |
+---------------------++---------------------------------------------------+
__________________________
/ 6.2 The Playing Fields /____________________________________________________
--------------------------
Altered Beast involves going through different lands as you journey toward your
destiny to rescue Athena. Each screen is basically the same, it is just the
hazards and structures that change. I have included an example of what the
playing screen looks like:
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| |
| PLAYER #1 SCORE HIGH SCORE PLAYER #2 SCORE |
| PLAYER #1 LIVES PLAYER #2 LIVES |
| REMAINING REMAINING |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| |
| / |
| ( ) ( ) |
| | | |
| YOU->|/ --|<-ENEMY |
| | | |
|_______________/_\_____________________/_\_________________________|
| / \ / \ |
| |
| |
| [ ][ ][ ]<-ENERGY LEFT |
| |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
You control your character through the different levels.
_______________
/ 6.3 Scoring /_______________________________________________________________
---------------
Scoring in this game is relatively hard since there are a lot of things you can
get points for. Here is the scoring table:
+------------------------+--------+
| OBJECT OR ENEMY | POINTS |
+------------------------+--------+
+------------------------+--------+
| BIRD | 300 |
+------------------------+--------+
| BULL WARRIOR | 500 |
+------------------------+--------+
| DEMON WARRIOR | 300 |
+------------------------+--------+
| FLYING DEMON | 500 |
+------------------------+--------+
| FLYING DEMON WITH MAUL | 500 |
+------------------------+--------+
| FROG | 0 |
+------------------------+--------+
| GOAT WARRIOR | 300 |
+------------------------+--------+
| HEADLESS SKELETON | 100 |
+------------------------+--------+
| INSECT WARRIOR | 100 |
+------------------------+--------+
| SNAKE | 500 |
+------------------------+--------+
| SPIKED BALL | 100 |
+------------------------+--------+
| TURTLE | 500 |
+------------------------+--------+
| UNICORN WARRIOR | 300 |
+------------------------+--------+
| WOLFS (BROWN OR WHITE) | 1000 |
+------------------------+--------+
| ZOMBIE | 100 |
+------------------------+--------+
You also get points for clearing an area. These bonuses range from 20,000
points to 100,000 points depending on how fast you cleared the level and
enemies killed.
You start the game with 2, 3, or 4 men. When you run out of men, the game
is over. You can continue the game for additional money.
****************
******************************** U N I T III *********************************
****************
+======================+
| 7. PLAYING THE GAME |=======================================================
+======================+
This game consists of five levels. They are linear in nature so you can't go
back to a level and the game will (for the most part) scroll from right to
left. I have set the levels up accordingly:
__________
/ Level # /
----------
Enemies : What enemies you will encounter
Beast : What kind of beast you will become. You will need to kill the
white wolves to collect the blue spheres. Three such spheres
will allow you to transform.
Beast Attacks: 1. What the punch attack does
2. What the kick attack does
General strategies.
_______________
/ 7.1 Level 1 /_______________________________________________________________
---------------
Enemies : Zombies, Headless Skeletons, Wolves, Demons, Flying Demons
Beast : Werewolf
Beast Attacks: 1. Throws a fireball
2. Allows a fire rush attack
You start off in a graveyard on this level.
- You will immediately be assaulted by zombies and headless skeletons. Watch
out for the tall, granite blocks since they usually release one of these
enemies.
- About a third of the way through this level, the boss will appear briefly.
You will also have to start dealing with the demons.
- About two-thirds of the way through, the boss will again appear briefly.
You will now have to contend with the flying demons.
- At the end is boss battle number one:
+-------------+
| BOSS BATTLE |
+-------------+
A pretty easy boss. It takes about 15 hits to put him down.
- This boss will throw five to seven heads at your location. The best way to
counter this threat is to stay in one place and go into the gaps between the
heads.
- When the heads quit falling, hit the boss a couple of times and repeat the
above process.
_______________
/ 7.2 Level 2 /_______________________________________________________________
---------------
Enemies : Frogs, Snakes, Birds, Wolves, Flying Demons
Beast : Weredragon
Beast Attacks: 1. Electrified body
2. Breath weapon
You will be going through the swamps on this level.
- A big hazard are the frogs. They will latch onto your characters head and
drain their energy. Rapidly move the joystick left and right to shake them
off.
- To kill the snakes, you have to hit either their rattle or head. You will
be warned of their location by a rattle either sticking out of the ground or
the air above.
- About half way through, you will briefly encounter the boss.
+-------------+
| BOSS BATTLE |
+-------------+
The boss transforms into a giant plant with eyes.
- He will launch ten eyes, which will slowly drift toward your character. You
must destroy all of these eyes to get to the boss himself.
- In order to score hits, you must hit the central eye. You have to be quick
since this boss will put up another wall of eyes to block your attacks.
- It takes about 20 hits to eradicate this plant.
_______________
/ 7.3 Level 3 /_______________________________________________________________
---------------
Enemies : Insect Warriors, Demons, Turtles, Birds, Wolves
Beast : Werebear
Beast Attacks: 1. Breath weapon
2. Spin attack
You are now entering the caves. The biggest danger is all the crevices. Make
sure you keep to the ledges and avoid falling or getting knocked off of them.
- The Insect Warriors are pretty easy to take care of although they can cause
considerable problems if you are on a ledge.
- To defeat the turtles, you must first get them out of their shell.
- The demons and birds present the greatest hazard since they will knock you
off the ledges.
- A good tactic for all the enemies is to let them follow you. Then jump over
a crevice and they will fall in.
+-------------+
| BOSS BATTLE |
+-------------+
This battle is a little harder. You will have to move around quite a bit to
avoid taking damage.
- In order to affect this boss, you must push the cauldron all the way back to
the wall until the dragon's head is sticking straight out.
- This boss launches rings of fire and ice so you must quickly push the
cauldron back, get in your hits, and retreat quickly to avoid this attack.
- After 25 hits, this boss is toast.
_______________
/ 7.4 Level 4 /_______________________________________________________________
---------------
Enemies : Zombies, Headless Skeletons, Wolves, Flying Demons with mauls
Beast : Weretiger
Beast Attacks: 1. Throws a ball of energy
2. Does an up/down energy attack
You have entered what appears to be a city.
- You have already dealt with most of these enemies. Just use the tactics you
used from the first level to take care of them.
- The flying demons present a moderate threat. They will dive down on your
character when you are stopped. The best way to deal with them is to entice
them to attack then hit them when they are rising up again.
- The boss briefly shows up halfway through this level.
+-------------+
| BOSS BATTLE |
+-------------+
Another rough boss battle. This time he takes the form of a blue dragon's
head.
- You must hit this boss from underneath to affect him. He moves in a slow
circle so time your jumps accordingly.
- He spits out a solid stream of fireballs. You can duck under most of them.
For the ones you can't, just jump toward the boss.
- In addition to fireballs, he also launches one or two small red dragons to
further harass your character. These can be taken out with normal attacks.
- After 30 hits, you can send this boss packing.
_______________
/ 7.5 Level 5 /_______________________________________________________________
---------------
Enemies : Goat Warriors, Unicorn Warriors, Bull Warriors, Spiked Balls,
Wolves
Beast : Golden Werewolf
Beast Attacks: 1. Throws a fireball
2. Allows a fire rush attack
The final level, you will be some ruins.
- You will encounter some pretty vicious enemies on this level. They each
have strengths to their credit.
- The Goat Warriors are quick. They come in for a quick strike and
retreat.
- The Unicorn Warriors jump around and make difficult targets to get a bead
on.
- The Bull Warriors can level your character in a single blow if you aren't
careful.
- The Spiked Balls will continuously roll into your character until
defeated.
- All these enemies work in tandem to wear your character down quickly and
they tend to appear in mixed groups so you will have to do a lot of hitting
and running to survive them.
+-------------+
| BOSS BATTLE |
+-------------+
The final boss and appropriately the toughest boss.
- The boss appears as a large warrior in the shape of a rhino. He has two
attacks:
- The first one is basically going toe-to-toe with your character and
beating the stuffing out of him.
- The second is a charge. The charge will be proceeded by steam coming out
of the rhino's nostrils.
- You will have to constantly move around to avoid this bosses attacks. You
can defuse the charge and send this boss backwards by hitting him as he is
charging.
- The boss starts out as a gray color. He will turn red after about 30 hits.
He will then turn purple after another 30 hits. 30 more hits and you have
accomplished your goal.
Congratulations, you are now a god.
****************
******************************** U N I T IV *********************************
****************
+================+
| 8. CONCLUSION |=============================================================
+================+
Altered Beast was a different type of game. Granted, it still involved quick
thinking and reflexes, however, the premise was fresh. You had to go through
all these different levels, meet fantastic (and not so fantastic) creatures to
accomplish your goal. In addition, you had to ensure you got all the power-ups
so you could transform into a beast which could devastate the enemies and put a
severe hurting on the boss. Endless quarters and hours were spent on this
machine just to get to the end. Although it had a low number of levels, the
challenges within each level were enough to keep one quite busy. Un-
fortunately, it is very rare to find this machine anywhere. However, through
the miracle of emulation, a whole new generation is realizing what we "old"
folks enjoyed those many years ago. In addition, www.shockwave.com is bringing
many of these classic games back. Check out their site to see what ones are
there. I hope this guide helps you in being able to get the most amount of
gameplay for this game. If you do have other ideas or thoughts, please e-mail
me and share them. Who knows, maybe I'll start a Q&A Chapter in this guide if
enough people ask the same questions. Anyway, thank you again for reading this
guide.
To see other FAQ's I have written please go to:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/recognition/32691.html
~~~ No trees were harmed in the making of this FAQ ~~~
