Ninja Jajamaru-kun (World) (Ja) (Virtual Console)

In Ninja Jajamaru-kun, players take on the role of the ninja Jajamaru on a quest to rescue Princess Sakura, who has been kidnapped by the demon Namazu-dayuu. This is a single-screen action-platformer where Jajamaru must confront various enemies.

Each stage takes place on a fixed screen, with Jajamaru able to move freely across different platforms. Jajamaru's primary weapon is shurikens, which can be thrown horizontally or vertically. The objective of each stage is to defeat all appearing enemies. Enemies will continuously spawn from holes on the screen until a certain number are defeated.

Players can break brick blocks on the screen to reveal power-up items. These items include coins (for score), bombs (destroy all enemies on screen), shuriken wheels (enhance shuriken power), and most importantly, ninja scrolls. Collecting three scrolls summons Gama Pakkun, a giant frog that Jajamaru can ride to become invincible and attack enemies for a short period. However, if the player picks up a bomb when they already have two scrolls, the scrolls will disappear.

After defeating a sufficient number of enemies, a sub-boss will appear. Defeating this sub-boss completes the stage and progresses the player to the next. The game features a total of 21 stages, each increasing in difficulty and introducing different enemy types. The graphics and sound are simple yet iconic of the NES era, creating a challenging and addictive gameplay experience.