Well, it has certainly been a week for retro re-release news. Hot on the heels of yesterday’s Sunsoft/Toaplan event, comes the announcement that Jaleco’s long-running Ninja JaJaMaru series is set to receive a trio of compilations.
Due in 2023 from ININ Games and City Connection, these collections are coming to PS4 and Switch, with an assortment of physical releases and cart reproductions available to pre-order next week via Strictly Limited Games.
Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle – Deluxe Edition will include six games, including a colourised version of 1990’s originally monochrome Sekai Daibouken, and the brand new retro inspired The Great Tokai Battle from 2022.
- Ninja JaJaMaru-kun (1985, Famicom/NES)
- JaJaMaru’ no Daibouken (1986, Famicom/NES)
- Oira JaJaMaru! Sekai Daibouken (1990, Game Boy)
- Ninja JaJaMaru – Gingadaisakusen (1991, Famicom/NES)
- Super Ninja-kid (1994, Super Famicom/SNES)
- Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle (2022)
This collection will be available both digitally and at retail.
Ninja JaJaMaru: The Lost RPGs will be a digital only release, including localised versions of Ninja JaJaMaru: Ninpouchou and Ninja JaJaMaru: Gekimaden – Maboroshi no Kinmajou. These two RPGs have never left Japan before, although the former was once planned for a US release under the name of Taro’s Quest.
- Ninja JaJaMaru: Ninpouchou (1989, Famicom/NES)
- Ninja JaJaMaru: Gekimaden – Maboroshi no Kinmajou (1990, Famicom/NES)
Again, digital only, JaJaMaru: Legendary Ninja Collection will include all games previously mentioned – all 8 games in one exhaustive collection.
Aside Super-Ninja Kid on SNES and Ninja Taro on Game Boy, the Ninja JaJaMaru-kun series has never seen much exposure in the west, so it’s pleasing to see the series finally leaving Japan. While we imagine most of the action games will hold up, we do have some reservations about the JRPGs – screenshots fail to inspire much confidence, upstaged even by the Game Boy entry.