DotEmu kicks of the iPhone release of 17 Japanese arcade classics with possession battler Avenging Spirit

Having previously worked on bringing retro games such as R-Type and Gobliiins to iPhone, French outfit DotEm has now turned its attention to some of the classic arcade releases of Japanese outfit Jaleco.

Indeed, its deal covers 17 titles, which will only be revealed on a per game basis, with 1991 original Avenging Spirit, the first to be launched onto the App Store.

The action platformer has you playing the ghost of a young boy killed by agents of a mysterious crime organization. Now, as a wandering spirit, with the ability to possess others, you're summoned by your girlfriend's father to save her from those same criminals.

There are six levels in which you have to choose which enemies to possess in order to then defeat the others. There's a Freeplay training mode, while in the main Arcade mode you have five credits to try and unlock all the levels.

Being a ghost, you can't die of course, but equally you can't unlock new levels either. Still, once you've unlocked a level, you can start the game from that point.

High scores and achievements are supported by Game Center, while the game works in a fullscreen mode with virtual control stick, or if you prefer the purity of the original, you can select a windowed mode in the original resolution.

Avenging Spirit requires a third generation iOS device (iPhone 3GS or better) to work, and is priced at 99c, €0.79 or 59p for a limited time.

You can see how it plays in the following video.

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