Family Computer software “Ninja Jajamarukun” See all photos
Speaking of ninjas, they are representative characters that Japan is proud of, along with samurai. For this reason, many games have been created in which they are the main characters. There are a lot of ninja-themed games on the Famicom, but if I were asked to name the most iconic one, I’d say Ninja Jajamarukun (Jaleco), which celebrates its 38th anniversary today. comes to mind.
■Jajamaru makes a big move to save Princess Sakura with actions inspired by Ninja-kun!
“Ninja Jajamarukun”, released on November 15, 1985, is a spin-off of the popular arcade game “Ninja-kun Magic Castle Adventure” (later released by UPL and Jaleco for the Famicom). The main character is Jajamaru-kun, Kun’s younger brother. I’ve played arcade games with ninjas as the main character, such as “Ninja-kun: The Adventure of the Magic Castle” and “Legend of Shadows” (Taito), but the one that left a lasting impression on me was “Ninja Jajamaru-kun.” I think it’s because it’s the first ninja game I played on the Famicom.
“Ninja Jajamaru-kun”
The game is a side-scrolling action divided into four stages, and the stage is simply cleared by defeating all eight enemy characters that appear. There are blocks of different colors on the ceiling of each level, and if you headbutt them, they will break and you will be able to climb up to the upper level. Enemy characters can be defeated by hitting them with shuriken, but the enemy often attacks and is counterbalanced. This is where Ninja-kun’s body attack comes into play. If you run into an enemy character, you will be stunned and unable to move, so you should aim for that. However, Jajamaru-kun may be knocked unconscious by being hit by an enemy, allowing you to enjoy thrilling action.
“Ninja Jajamaru-kun”
■Oyuki, Pinbo, Karakassa and Kakutan… enemy characters that are cute and have cute movements.
Jajamaru’s purpose is to rescue Princess Sakura, who has been kidnapped by the ninja clan’s traitor, Namazu Tayu. Namazu Tayu is a villain who manipulates monsters to commit evil deeds, and of course the enemy characters that appear are all monsters such as Oyuki the snow woman, Pinbo the one-eyed boy, and Karakassa the umbrella ghost. They act as enemies and block Jajamaru’s path, but all of them have cute and attractive shapes.
“Ninja Jajamaru-kun”
As for the attack method, Jajamaru has a motion of throwing a shuriken, but the monsters basically attack from a distance while moving, so they look the same as normal, but they have a fainting motion after being hit or stepped on, etc. , and the way she looks when she’s being attacked are all so cute and irresistible. Personally, I find Oyuki very cute, even cuter than Princess Sakura, who went to rescue her. There are scenes where she shows off her role as a princess in the bonus stages, but in the regular stages she’s just next to Tayu, so she might be a bit of a pitiful heroine.
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