| The Famicom manual's cover gives the cartridge code ASM-9J. Its back page names 株式会社アスミック (Asmik Corporation) of Shinjuku, Tokyo, as publisher (発売元), prints "©1989 ASMIK ©1988 SEGA", and marks the cartridge "FOR SALE and USE IN JAPAN ONLY", forbidding export, commercial use, and rental. | image 1, cover, read on the page imageimage 28, back page, read on the page imageimage 28, back page, read on the page imageimage 28, back pageimage 28, back pageimage 28, back page, read on the page image | Manual |
| The Famicom manual's story: in an age when heaven and earth were still in chaos there lived a race of beast-men (獣人族) with the powers of both man and beast, who could change into warriors by force of spirit; they wished to rule the earth and become gods, and Zeus sealed them in a stone monument. More than a thousand years later Zeus's daughter, the goddess Athena, led an army to the aid of the underworld god Hades and was captured by the underworld's demon. A single man came out of a stone monument near Zeus's temple: "Go, beast warrior! Go and rescue my daughter Athena!" | image 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, storyimage 4, story | Manual |
| In the Famicom manual, when the LIFE gauge runs out the player loses one life, and when every life is lost the game is over. After a game over, Start on the title screen's CONTINUE continues from the start of the last stage played, up to three times. To rescue Athena the player must clear 8 stages, where monsters and bosses in the shape of demons wait. A boss transforms too when the player meets it as a beast-man; while the player is still human it does not attack, until its third appearance, when it attacks either way. | image 5, starting the gameimage 5, starting the gameimage 5, starting the gameimage 5, game overimage 11, stagesimage 11, stagesimage 11, stagesimage 5, game overimage 11, stagesimage 5, game overimage 5, starting the gameimage 11, p. 10, 魔神, read on the page imageimage 11, p. 10, 魔神, read on the page image | Manual |
| The Famicom manual gives a free-play method: hold down on the control pad on the title screen and press Reset; when FREE PLAY is shown, the player can continue any number of times from the start of the last stage played. | image 5, free playimage 5, free playimage 5, free playimage 5, free play | Manual |
| In the Famicom manual, up on the control pad jumps and pressing it twice in a row makes a high jump; left and right move, and down crouches. A punches and B kicks. Up and A punches while jumping, up and B kicks while jumping, down and A crouches and punches, and down and B kicks enemies coming from the sky. Start starts the game, and pressed during play pauses it until it is pressed again. Famicom Tsushin's preview recommends the kick for its longer reach. | image 6, p. 5, controls, read on the page imageimage 6, p. 5, controls, read on the page imageimage 6, p. 5, controls, read on the page imageimage 6, p. 5, controls, read on the page imageimage 6, p. 5, controls, read on the page imageimage 6, p. 5, controls, read on the page imageimage 7, p. 6, controls, read on the page imageimage 7, p. 6, controls, read on the page imageimage 7, p. 6, controls, read on the page imageimage 7, p. 6, controls, read on the page imageimage 6, p. 5, controls, control pad, read on the page imageimage 6, p. 5, controls, read on the page imageimage 6, p. 5, controls, Start button, read on the page image | Manual |
| In the Famicom manual, each Spirit Ball the beast warrior takes powers his body up from Normal Body to Muscle Body to Maximum Body; one more at Maximum Body brings his spirit to its limit and he transforms into a beast-man, with new moves and much greater attack power. Spirit Balls form inside the albino (white) Rattle-tail wolf and come out when it is beaten; one taken as a beast-man restores one segment of LIFE. | image 8, transformationimage 8, transformationimage 8, transformationimage 8, transformationimage 9, Spirit Ballimage 9, Spirit Ballimage 8, transformationimage 9, Spirit Ballimage 9, Spirit Ballimage 9, Spirit Ballimage 9, Spirit Ball | Manual |
| No North American NES release of Altered Beast appears in Nintendo of America's list of licensed NES games, and the Famicom cartridge is marked for sale in Japan only. | image 28, back page | Publisher |