Ninja JaJaMaru returns in Yokai Night Parade for PC, Switch 2, and PS5

Clear River Games and City Connection have announced Ninja JaJaMaru: Yokai Night Parade, a new hack ‘n’ slash action RPG headed to Steam, Nintendo Switch 2, and PlayStation 5. No release date is set yet. It is a spiritual successor to Ninja JaJaMaru: The Great Yokai Battle, and the latest entry in a series that traces back to the 1980s and the old Jaleco catalog, now owned by City Connection.

The pitch is “Yokai x Hip-Hop”: Japanese folklore crossed with 90s street culture. The story sends the ninja JaJaMaru into an otherworldly dungeon chasing the kidnapped Princess Sakura, where he fights through a parade of yokai. Combat mixes platforming with aerial stomps, multi-hit melee combos, and ranged attacks with no ammo limit, plus nine ultimate skills that each carry five upgrade tiers.

Clear River Games is the retro-leaning Swedish publisher (part of the Freemode Group under Embracer) that trades in physical editions and revived classics, so an old Jaleco property landing in its hands makes sense. The Steam page is live for wishlisting, a playable demo is on the floor at gamescom in Hall 10.2, and the game gets its first public showing at the Pixel Arcadia digital showcase. The one thing worth watching: whether that 90s hip-hop styling is real texture or a coat of paint over a standard modern ARPG.