Play Yu Yu Hakusho : Ghostfiles : Spirit Detective Online

Yu Yu Hakusho: Ghostfiles: Spirit Detective came out for the Game Boy Advance in 2003, developed by Sensory Sweep and published by Atari. It was part of that wave of games based on popular anime, landing right in the middle of the GBA's lifespan when portable gaming was really hitting its stride. You step into the shoes of Yusuke Urameshi, a teenage delinquent who becomes a Spirit Detective after a selfless act costs him his life.

You control Yusuke through a series of side scrolling areas, moving screen by screen to explore locations from the anime like Sarayashiki Junior High. The main goal is to investigate supernatural disturbances, which involves a lot of talking to characters, finding key items, and engaging in combat. Fights are a mix of simple platforming and beat 'em up style brawls where you punch and kick enemies, eventually unlocking special spirit abilities. The pacing can feel a bit slow with the amount of backtracking, and the difficulty spikes during some boss encounters. Playing it feels like a straightforward, hands on trip back to the early 2000s anime game scene.