The classic action game Ninja JaJaMaru-kun will be soon launching as a 5-game package called the Ninja JaJaMaru-kun Collection, which also includes a new game for the series titled Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle.
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun tells the story of a Princess Sakura who is taken prisoner by the evil “Catfish Pirate”. She then requests for the help of Ninjakun, who had previously helped with defeating the evil army at Demon Castle. However, Ninjakun is not available to come to her aid. so her calls for help falls upon Ninjakun’s younger brother, the titular Ninja-Jajamaru-Kun. The younger sibling eagerly accepts the challenge and heads out to each of the Catfish Pirate’s numerous lairs to rescue the princess from her captor. However, there will be many foes along the way that are prepared to stop him.
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun plays similarly to a platformer. Ninja-Jajamaru-Kun will start each stage at the center and lowermost part of each lair. At the beginning, enemies are distributed evenly on each floor and the player must defeat all enemies by using throwing stars without being struck by enemy projectiles. Being hit by enemy projectiles costs the player a life, but they are allowed to jump or bounce off the enemies’ heads.
A number of power ups will be available by breaking random bricks. However, in some cases, these bricks contain bombs that the player needs to avoid. If the player collects three different power ups, they will receive the giant frog summon ninja technique. Also, at each stage, Princess Sakura will throw one Sakura petal down to the floor. If the player manages to collect three of them, Ninja-Jajamaru-Kun will be taken to a bonus stage where players can fight against the Catfish Pirate. Defeating the Catfish Pirate awards the player bonus points, while losing means moving on to the next stage without rewards.
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun: The Great Yokai Battle employs the same concepts from previous games, but also provides 20 different playable characters with various abilities, while including split-screen multiplayer support.
Ninja JaJaMaru-kun Collection will contain the six titles below. No news has been announced regarding platform availability or release date yet, but the collection has been rated previously for consoles (Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch).
- Ninja JaJaMaru-kun (1985, Famicom)
- JaJaMaru no Daibouken (1986, Famicom)
- JaJaMaru Ninpouchou (1989, Famicom)
- JaJaMaru Gekimaden: Maboroshi no Kinmajou (1990, Famicom)
- Ninja JaJaMaru: Ginga Daisakusen (1991, Famicom)
- Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle (New)
