There have been many great classic arcade games that have received a re-release in the last few years, either in the form of Arcade Archives, Arcade compilations, or other re-release series. Now Ratalaika Games has worked with City Connection to re-release the Jaleco classic Avenging Spirit. Ratalaika Games has worked to re-release a number of other retro games like Gleylancer and Gynoug and have done a great job with those, so how did this game turn out?
Avenging Spirit’s re-release sees two versions included, a consolized version of the game that adds in features such as rewinding and other small touches, and the original arcade version of the game. Both the western and Japanese versions (known as Phantasm in Japan) are included, and there are plenty of neat touches added to make this a complete experience. But how does the game play?
At its core, Avenging Spirit is a run ‘n gun platformer with a twist. You play as a spirit who must possess enemies in order to attack and progress, and a large amount of enemies results in a large cast of characters you can control. There are two main life bars to keep an eye on, one for the body you are possessing and one for the spirit form that will run out if you are outside of a body.
Avenging Spirit has a great art style and fun music, and a surprising amount of secrets to find, and the characters all feel different. Some characters you can possess are heavier for instance, which means they cannot jump as high and will fall faster but can take more damage, while some are faster and lighter, jumping higher but cannot take as much damage. One aspect where the Game Boy version improved on the arcade release was that it let you switch bodies at will, whereas this version requires you to stay in a body until it dies, but then again it was originally an arcade game meant to take your quarters.
Overall, this is an amazing package. One of the most underrated and unique run ‘n gun games, with a great art style and premise, amazing music and more, all put together in a release that adds in multiple new features. A lot of work was done here, and the care and attention put in clearly shows. If there is one complaint, it is that the game does not pause when exiting to the system home menu, but hopefully, a patch can fix that.
Avenging Spirit is hopefully the start of a new line of arcade re-releases because Ratalaika has done some truly amazing work here. Highly recommended.
Disclaimer: A review key was provided