Ninja JaJaMaru
Image: Jaleco

ININ Games has announced via a press release that it will publish three collections based on Jaleco's classic jump-and-run series Ninja JaJaMaru.

This will bring games like JaJaMaru' no Daibouken and Ninja JaJaMaru - Gingadaisakusen to the west for the very first time, in addition to Ninja JaJaMaru RPGs like Ninja JaJaMaru: Ninpouchou and Ninja JaJaMaru: Gekimaden - Maboroshi no Kinmajou, which have now been fully localized into English.

Localization isn't the only benefit of these rereleases either, with two of the collections also featuring a brand-new colorization of Oira JaJaMaru! Sekai Daibouken, which is a 1990 Game Boy title that was only released in the US and Japan, as well as the 2022 release Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle.

If this all sounds confusing, here's a slightly clearer breakdown of each of the different collections and what they entail.

The Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle Deluxe Edition, which will be available both digitally and boxed, will feature the following games:

  • 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)

The Ninja JaJaMaru: The Lost RPGs collection, meanwhile, contains the two following titles:

  • Ninja JaJaMaru: Ninpouchou (1989, Famicom/NES®)
  • Ninja JaJaMaru: Gekimaden - Maboroshi no Kinmajou (1990, Famicom/NES®)

Then, last but certainly not least is the JaJaMaru: Legendary Ninja Collection, which includes all of the above in one single package:

  • Ninja JaJaMaru-kun (1985, Famicom/NES®)

  • JaJaMaru no Daibouken (1986, Famicom/NES®)

  • Ninja JaJaMaru: Ninpouchou (1989, Famicom/NES®)

  • Ninja JaJaMaru: Gekimaden - Maboroshi no Kinmajou (1990, 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)

Pre-orders for the physical editions go live on August 21 at midnight CEST, via the Strictly Limited website.

For most people, the Ninja JaJaMaru-kun series will only really be familiar due to the presence of the first game, Ninja JaJaMaru-kun, on the Nintendo Switch Online service. So these new collections will likely give players a chance to get better acquainted with the rest of the titles. We can't wait to try them out for ourselves!

Are you going to pick a copy? Let us know in the comments below!