The series has changed with the latest fashions! A look back at the history of "Ninja Jajamaru" as the series celebrates its 35th anniversary with the appearance of a new title! Game Legend Storytelling! Part 2]

The "Ninja Jajamaru-kun" series is a title with a unique fate: first introduced in 1985 by Jaleco as the protagonist of the Family Computer game "Ninja Jajamaru-kun," Jajamaru-kun was initially the protagonist of UPL's arcade game "Ninja-kun: The Adventure of Magic Castle," and the younger brother of Ninja-kun. On December 12, 2019, City Connection will release his latest title, "Ninja Jajamaru Collection" for Nintendo Switch. Jamaru Collection" was released.

In this issue, we take a look back at the "Jajamaru-kun" series, which successfully celebrated its 35th anniversary this year, through "Ninja Jajamaru Collection".

Ninja Jajamaru" featuring the energetic ninja Jajamaru-kun

The "Jajamaru-kun" series, of which this collection is a part, is one of the few games in which the main character is the "little brother" of another company's game. From 1984 to 1992, when UPL was still going strong, "Ninja-kun" and JALECO's "Jajamaru-kun" were developed in parallel. This is a very rare case in which two brothers were active as the main characters in games of different manufacturers.

In "Ninja Jajamaru-kun," Jajamaru-kun fights to save Princess Sakura, who has been kidnapped by monsters.

He uses shurikens, jumping, and body blows as weapons, similar to his older brother in another game, "Ninja-kun: Adventure in the Castle of Magic," but the way he moves around is very different. In addition to the stage being horizontal instead of vertical, Jajamaru-kun cannot freely descend to the lower levels if there is a floor under his feet. If he meets many enemies on the same level, there is a high possibility that he will not be able to escape immediately and will be shot down, and even if there are affordable enemies on the lower level, he cannot jump down and hit them with his body. And the same is true for the yokai who cannot freely descend. In other words, in a sense, the game requires a stricter control of the relationship between the upper and lower levels than in "Ninja-kun: Adventure in the Castle of Magic". On the other hand, various items appear from the floor, which can be destroyed by head-butting. The items include a trolley that can run over enemies, a medicine that makes you invincible, and a bomb that will kill you if you take it (!). bombs, and more.

The small ninja "Komaru-kun" and the "Gamapackun," which appears when certain items are arranged, are particularly powerful, allowing the player to control a giant toad for a certain amount of time and eat monsters. This is the exhilaration of ninjutsu. In other words, this game inherited the atmosphere of "Ninja-kun: Adventure in the Castle of Magic," but with the limitation of not being able to go down freely, and with a powerful item that can be cleared in one fell swoop if you are lucky, it presented a game that is easier to understand. Perhaps in recognition of these aspects, "Jajamaru-kun" became a series of games.

The following year, 1986's "Jajamaru's Great Adventure" retained the flashy power-up elements, but became a side-scrolling action game in which the objective is to reach the goal. This is a major change from the previous title, which focused primarily on battles with monsters. Of course, the enemy-eating Gamapackun continues to appear, and has established himself as a good partner for Jajamaru-kun.
The number of enemy types has also increased, and the confrontation with the Four Heavenly Kings, including the "Kai-Mushi Monk," "Thunder Pants," "Xavier," and "Rasha-Men," is particularly powerful. In this shooting game-like system, Jajamaru-kun shoots the four heavenly kings in the air with a shuriken that he shoots upwards. The battle is truly a Ninpo battle as the players fight their way out of the way of enemy attacks such as bombs, lightning, scythes, and flames. In the battle against Namazu Tayu, the player fights while riding on a toadstool. Normally, the toadstools are hidden in the stage and must be found, but in this case, they appear from the very beginning, giving the battle an exciting atmosphere that is appropriate for a decisive battle.

In 1988, "Jajamaru Ninpocho" became an RPG. The enemies were the same yokai as before, but the combat was command-based plus turn-based. While most RPGs at the time were set in a Western world of swords and magic, this one has been rearranged to fit the Japanese "Jajamaru-kun" world.

The game is a Japanese RPG, in which the user listens to "prayers" from Grandma ITAKO, records his/her state, and uses mysterious "ninjutsu" (ninja techniques) ...... instead of magic.

Jajamaru-kun uses a variety of ninjutsu in this work. The "Warakashi no Jutsu" makes enemies laugh and disables them, the "Teki Musubi no Jutsu" turns enemies into rice balls, and other comical ninjutsu. These ninjutsu are described in text, stimulating the player's imagination and emphasizing Jajamaru's ninja side as he plays tricks on his enemies with a variety of ninjutsu.

Jajamaru's partner is Princess Sakura. She is now a combat member who uses ninjutsu for recovery and support, as well as a bow and arrow. This is a big change from the past "kidnapped" role of just waiting for help, and it is a big change that she herself is now helping Jajamaru-kun. This is the "strongest tag team" in the RPG genre, which is well suited to depicting the cooperation of multiple friends.

At the same time, the visual aspect of the game has been enhanced. Jajamaru, who used to wear a hood, is now a handsome man with wild hair. Princess Sakura, too, has changed from the fragile appearance seen in the previous illustrations to a more energetic and dependable figure. The illustrations have a nice children's manga feel to them, and many people may have been impressed by the "Jajamaru-kun" world. Namazu Tayu," who had been a nemesis of the "Jajamaru-kun," also becomes a friend and takes an active part in piloting a submarine. The thrill of exploring the wide expanse of the ocean with his help can be described as a good old-fashioned RPG.

The game consists of four chapters, with chapters 1-3 freely selectable, and each time a chapter is cleared, the player's level and other information are initialized. The unique aspect of the game is that the player can repeatedly experience the feeling of the early stages of the game, when he or she has to make do with a small income to raise money for lodging and equipment, and steadily becomes stronger with each level-up.

In 1990, "Jajamaru Gekkamaden: Gen no Kinma Shiro" was an action RPG. JALECO was determined not to release "Jajamaru" with the same system as the previous game. It is not clear if JALECO was so particular about this, but it can be said that the game is easy to understand for those who are new to the series.

Jajamaru's weapons are weights and a limited number of shurikens and bombs. The weights not only attack enemies, but can also be used to retrieve fallen items, which is typical of the ninja.

The ninja can also use the weights to attack enemies as well as to retrieve items that have fallen from the ground. However, there are enemies in the dungeon that will send you back to the entrance just by touching them, and the way the difficulty level is set in this area is unique to the NES era. The key is to judge the placement of enemies immediately after switching screens, and if you can run through, continue on; otherwise, go back and let the enemies reposition themselves. Although you regain energy after defeating a certain number of enemies, you often take damage while trying to conserve medicine, giving you the sense that you are dancing in the palm of the game designer's hand, in a good way.

A boss awaits at the far end of the map, with unique attacks. The final boss, "Daimaju," has an interesting twist: its tentacles, torso, and head are each separate bosses to express its enormous size. This was an idea unique to the NES era, which could not handle large characters as is the case today.

By defeating the bosses, players obtain "spirit techniques," which allow them to perform ninja-like actions such as "Doton no Jutsu," which allows them to burrow into the earth, "Fireball no Jutsu," which shoots fire, and "Bunken no Jutsu," which allows them to summon their alter ego. Humorous is the "Enemy Dango no Jutsu," which turns enemies into dumplings to restore their strength. As in the previous "Tekimusubi no Jutsu," the ninja who turns his enemies into food is amusing in a children's manga-like way.

Four months later, "Oira Jajamaru! The World Adventure" was released for the Game Boy four months later, and Jajamaru, who could now throw shurikens straight up, was playing an active role in the game. It was indeed the year of Jajamaru.

In 1991, "Ninja Jajamaru: Ginga Daisakusen" appeared, a side-scrolling jump action game following in the genre of "~Ninpocho". Jajamaru and Princess Sakura finally ventured into space. The items and techniques used in the game are mechanical, as the game takes place in space. Dressed in space suits called "cosmo suits," they fly through the air using the apparently mechanical "Hoba Hoba no Jutsu," and use "cosmo ninjutsu" such as the "Mecha Mecha no Jutsu" to eat their enemies with their robot-like "Metal Gamapackun.

It is quite a transformation from period drama to science fiction. The weaponry has also changed from the familiar shuriken to a hammer, a bold change of image.

Jajamaru is a dash, and Princess Sakura, the other player character, has excellent jumping ability, and she can move to another location by entering a pipe in the stage. ...... "Like the national side-scrolling action game, every time you find a pipe, you want to try to see if you can enter it or not. The title was released during the mature period of the Famicom (NES), so it has excellent graphics, and the large Jajamaru and Princess Sakura are a joy to watch as they move about.

An interesting original idea is the "Helpful Demon Beast. When you match the alphabet items that appear in the stage, four types of magical beasts will appear, depending on the type of item. They support the player by throwing items from outside the screen frame. The effects vary, such as increased speed and jumping power, but if the alphabet is not aligned, the "Failure Demon Beast Scum" will appear. It is comical in that it does not really do anything.

The series took a brief hiatus with 1997's "Ninja Jajamaru-kun: Onigiri Ninpocho" (for PlayStation and Sega Saturn), in which Jajamaru navigates a 3D corridor-like stage, followed by 2004's "Jajamaru Jr. (Game Boy Advance) in 2004, "Ninja Jajamaru Kun" (social application game for cell phones) in 2011, and "Ninja Jajamaru Kun: Princess Sakura and the Secret of the Fire Dragon" (Nintendo 3DS) in 2013, and finally "Ninja Jajamaru Collection" including the new title "Jajamaru no Yokai Dai Kessen" will be released in 2019. Finally, "Ninja Jajamaru Collection" will be released in 2019.

This makes us wonder, "What is the "Jajamaru-kun" style? The genres range from action to command-type RPGs.

The genre has changed from action to command RPG, action RPG, side-scrolling action, and 3D action, and the setting is basically historical drama, but there are also science fiction titles.

In the end, what makes "Jajamaru-kun" unique is the appearance of the energetic and strong ninja Jajamaru-kun and the cute heroine Princess Sakura. Jajamaru's appearance has changed in various ways, from wearing a hood, to revealing his true face, to wearing a hood again, to equipping himself with a weight, to wearing a space suit but not removing his hood when he goes out into space. ...... Being a ninja means that his physical prowess and his spectacular exploits with his mysterious ninjutsu are convincing without the need for explanation. This is why the series has been able to flexibly incorporate a wide variety of weapons and elements.

In this context, one answer to the question, "What is the "Jajamaru-kun" style? One answer to this question is provided by the new "Jajamaru's Specter Battle," which is included in the "Ninja Jajamaru Collection. This title follows the system of the original "Ninja Jajamaru-kun," but features a speedy and flashy development and a modern element of character collection.

As in "Ninja Jajamaru-kun," players must exterminate the monsters that infest the tiered stages, but in this title, players can freely descend to the lower floors, making head-stomping surprise attacks even more important and thrilling. Both allies and enemies are HP-based, and since they do not fall down so easily after being hit by attacks, the game is hotly contested. The game is speedy and modern, with combo bonuses awarded for defeating enemies that appear in rapid succession.

The items are all highly effective. The familiar trolley and toadstool, of course, but there are also ninjutsu such as releasing large amounts of water and deploying a flame barrier, and if you are lucky enough to pull off a powerful item, it will make the game a whole lot easier.

A must-see is the "Jareko Mark. When you take it off, you can transform into any Jareko character from the past and attack enemies unilaterally in an invincible state. The Clariscar in "City Connection" shoots oil cans, the batter in "Burn! Professional Baseball" batsman home-runs his enemies with a bunt, and more for JALECO fans.

And fascinating are the characters with their various performances. In addition to Jajamaru, this title features a number of ninja friends. They include "Purple Jaja," who uses poisonous shurikens to make enemies shiver, "Yellow Jaja," who automatically collects "kintsuzu," a point-scoring item, and "Green Jaja," who shoots bouncing beans. Particularly impressive is the "Momojaja," which throws kunai in multiple directions, just like the aforementioned Game Boy version. The kunai have an extremely long range and can fly through walls, making it interesting to use them as snipers to shoot at enemies from safe zones.

In addition, this time the yokai can be used as their own machine. The Kakutan is slow, but has a lot of energy, so it can be used to attack aggressively, and the Pinbo can be used to shoot into the upper floors after collapsing the ceiling because its eyeballs bounce around after being shot.

As you play the game, the gold and tamashii you obtain are converted into "jarecoins," which you can use to unlock new characters and new elements. The hood is blue for some reason. The hood is blue for some reason).

Even if you don't clear a stage, you will be motivated to try again, as the gold coins and tamashii you obtain will be redeemed for JALECOINS, and there are many unlockable elements, such as unlockable characters and setting materials from previous games.

Jajamaru no Yokai Daisensen," a modernized version of the first in the series, "Ninja Jajamaru-kun," has provided one answer to the question of what makes Jajamaru-kun tick, and the reboot of the Jajamaru-kun series seems to have been a success.

The company is currently considering updates to expand the "fun" aspect of this title. We look forward to further development of this casually enjoyable ninja action game.

(Text by Shinichi Yanamoto)

Product Information

Ninja Jajamaru Collection" for Nintendo Switch

On sale now

Package version price: 4,200 yen (excluding tax)

Downloadable version price: 3,619 yen (excluding tax)

Ninja Jajamaru Collection" for PlayStation 4

Release date: Undecided

Release date: Undecided ・Package version price: 4,200 yen (excluding tax)

Downloadable version price: 3,619 yen (excluding tax)