I mean, what even needs to be said? It's one of the most iconic games of not only the entire fifth generation, but the entire 3D platformer genre. And how could it not be? It's got some of the best visuals of any game of the time, some of the best music of any game of the time, the rush of collecting treasure and flaming enemies is satisfying to experience, the design of all the stages perfectly accommodates Spyro's then-innovative gliding ability and make exploration exciting, and the flight stages are a fun speedrun challenge. Sure, the game's only got about four hours of content to experience and the dialogue is infamously lazy ("Thank you for releasing me", anyone?), but those are elements that can be easily overlooked. For how short it is, even for the time, it's damn fun. It was fun back then and it's still fun now. I'd say go play it if you haven't already, but you already have played it. And you know how good it is too.

A

What is there to say about this game that hasn't already been said?

Well, other than it's kind of overrated. NES-simple in terms of the depth of its gameplay. And the bosses are so easy a monkey can beat them.

But outside of that, this game has earned its reputation as one of the SNES' most iconic games. Stunning visuals that still look impressive to this day, an unforgettable an expertly-crafted soundtrack from David Wise, fun gimmicks in nearly every stage, and bonus stages that are as fun to play as they are to find. I'd say it's a must-play, but you already knew that. And you've probably already played this game too.

B

One of the better fourth-gen mascot platformer games not called Sonic or Mario, this game has impressive visuals and sound, and for a game that can be best described as 'slower-paced Sonic', it plays quite well. But damn, is the knockback in this game ridiculous. Most of your deaths in this game will be from getting knocked back into spike pits during the harder platforming sections. It's still a great game, like I said, it excels in the technical aspects. But if you decide to play this game, be aware the kind of difficulty you'll be dealing with is of the cheap variety.

B+

I know this game played an important role in Sega's history, both in developing arcade games and in developing home console games. I also understand that this game has a fanbase, mostly among people who remember this game being a launch title and the original pack-in for the Sega Genesis. However, I am not part of that fanbase.

There's only like 15 minutes worth of content to experience in total with this game, which was pathetic even for 1989, but this game spares no expense in dragging its barren content out, with sluggish gameplay and artificial difficulty, the latter of which stems from your character being pitifully weak when not in beast form. And good luck trying to enjoy beast form, by the way. You'll mostly only have it for bosses, which can be defeated in mere seconds once you figure out their often-easily-exploitable weaknesses.

It also doesn't help that this game has horrid sound mixing. Quiet and blandly-composed music is drowned out by scratchy, compressed voiced samples, which makes this game an assault on both the mind and the ears.

Want to play a good Genesis launch game? Play Thunder Force II. You'll get more out of that one than you ever will this one. Altered Beast is a milestone title in Sega's history, but it's for good reason that this game had been pushed to the wayside in favor of better titles, such as Sonic the Hedgehog and Streets of Rage.

D

Y'know, I've wondered what Road Rash would've been like had it received a SNES release. And this seems to be one of the closest games on the system to it. But let me tell you, if this clunky, choppy, broken mess of a game is anything like what a SNES version of the game would be like, then I'm glad the series stayed off Nintendo's fourth-gen system. This game feels like a bastardized, poor man's version of Road Rash, devoid of the strategy, responsive control, and talented sound design that made that game so classic. What this game has instead, is muffled and grating sound design, confusing and sloppy controls, and tediously slow gameplay. The latter of which is something I shouldn't be saying about any racing game. I'll admit I find it impressive how much 3D they fit onto this 4-megabit cartridge, but that's where the positive things I have to say about this game end.

D

My personal favorite version of this Amiga-originating puzzler. Sunsoft brought their A-game in porting this game to Sega's fourth-gen platform.

B+

PBs:
30:05 (Fun)
54:26 (Tricky)

More than possibly any other in history, this game was and still is more than just a game. It was and is a historical event. This game united the world during one of the darkest periods in modern history, providing an escape to a colorful world of fun characters and a simulation of normalcy, in a world that had changed overnight to something anything but the normal we had known. And even as the pandemic has winded down, the game still has dozens of hours worth of content, and several ways to play. Talk to villagers, catch insects, go fishing, grow crops, farm for bells and supplies, travel to other islands, and in the recent DLC, design vacation homes for the villagers, with several options for customization. I've played over 300 hours of this game over the nearly two years it's been out, and I haven't got bored of it. It is bottomless in its replay value, as well as the cultural impact it's made. It is not only one of my favorite games ever made, but I'd argue one of the most important video games ever made, and easily one of if not the most iconic game on the Nintendo Switch. A truly historic game that has made its mark on history for all the right reasons.

A+