The player takes on the role of a dead man in Avenging Spirit. A victim of ruthless gangsters, the player's character is killed and his best girl is stolen away as the game begins. The hero must save his girlfriend but he is only a ghost now, incapable of interacting directly with the rest of the world. The object of Avenging Spirit is to rescue the kidnapped girl by inhabiting the bodies of living people and creatures encountered along the way. Some creatures are particularly quick or agile, while others may be especially tough or heavily armed. By possessing the bodies of various hosts, the ghost hero gains access to these different abilities. This can make a big difference when moving through a tricky area of the scrolling platform levels or facing a particularly dangerous enemy. ~ T.J. Deci, All Game Guide