Avenging Spirit

Avenging Spirit is a side-scrolling arcade action game released by Jaleco in 1991. After the protagonist is shot dead by gangsters, he returns as a ghost and must rescue his kidnapped scientist girlfriend before his spirit energy runs out. The core mechanic is possession: the ghost can inhabit enemies and seize their weapons and abilities, turning gunmen, ninjas, wild animals, and robots into temporary hosts — leaping to a new target when a body is destroyed. Stages range from city streets and underground passages to boss battles inside a mansion. The body-swapping gameplay is what defines the experience and has given it cult-classic status in the arcade canon.