The “Tokyo Game Show 2026” was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba from September 17 to September 21 (the in-person event on the 21st was canceled due to a typhoon).Here’s our hands-on report on the new hack-and-slash action game *Jajamaru’s Hyakki Yagyo Den*, co-developed by City Connection and Amazing, which was showcased as a playable title at the City Connection booth.
Great visuals! Great action! Even the demo version was surprisingly polished.
This title was first announced at City Connection’s 20th-anniversary event held in late 2025. It’s a hack-and-slash action game where you control Jajamar-kun from a quarter-view perspective to defeat enemies, acquire weapons, and ultimately take down the boss at the deepest part of the dungeon.In the demo, players could take on “Shami,” one of the four bosses, which also included “Tsubuyan,” “Guruoni,” “Diro,” and “Shami.”
When I moved Jajamar-kun around the stage, I found the gameplay highly engaging, with plenty of feedback for the player—from the dust cloud effect that appears as Jajamar moves and the “piko-piko” hammers that scatter when destroying objects on the map, to the hit stop when landing attacks on enemies,and the fun of managing the post-attack stun—all of which provided a wealth of feedback to the player, making the controls a joy to use. In terms of action, the game features not only jumps and normal attacks but also ninja techniques that deal massive damage to enemies, as well as a dash for emergency evasion.
Weapons can be obtained from treasure chests scattered across the map. The selection is diverse, ranging from ninja swords to axes, claw gauntlets, chain hammers, and sledgehammers.These weapons have different grades, and higher-grade equipment is labeled with terms like “impressive” or “sturdy” and is color-coded for easy identification.
Weapon characteristics vary by type; axes, for example, have high attack power but a long recovery time, making them difficult to handle. On the other hand, the chain hook has a wide attack range and a short recovery time, but deals low damage—making it unsuitable for boss battles, though it excels in fights against large groups of weak enemies.
Additionally, Jajamaru has his own level; as you level up, his HP, attack power, defense, and the strength of his ninja techniques all increase. The hack-and-slash elements—leveling up, equipping rare weapons you’ve obtained, and growing stronger to take on even tougher enemies—were firmly integrated into the game’s fun.
The background graphics not only feature a cell-shaded style but also use color contrast with the pixel art of Jajamar-kun and the enemy yokai, making each character easy to distinguish. When you start the game, you proceed from the back of the factory into its interior.There’s also a mid-boss battle along the way, where Pinbo appears to block your path. In this mid-boss battle, you can proceed by completing a series of challenges presented in waves.
Wave 1 is “Defeat All the Yokai!”—where you must defeat every enemy that appears; Wave 2 is “Destroy the Target!”—where you must destroy a giant lantern; and the final wave is “Defeat the Boss!”—where you must defeat the mid-boss, Pinbo.It was quite challenging on my first try; I took damage from the large number of enemies and found myself in tight spots quite often. That said, I managed to break through by attacking while maintaining distance from enemies, managing their stun frames, and unleashing special moves repeatedly.
The interior of the factory, which you enter after the mid-boss battle, is divided into multiple floors, and large numbers of enemies appear as you progress through each one. There are also stage gimmicks hidden here and there, including gift boxes that explode when hit, electric shock generators, and puzzle-like mechanisms that let you obtain rare items.You can also proceed while viewing a map on the screen. This exploration offers the joy of discovering weapons and armor, and the thrill of obtaining a higher-grade weapon is truly special.
Upon reaching the deepest part of the map, the boss, “Shami, the Electric Shamisen Musician,” appears. The enemy’s attacks are indicated by square-shaped warning zones, so they can be avoided relatively easily once you understand the attack patterns. However, the boss’s attacks—including area-of-effect and moving attacks—evolve from the early to mid-game stages.
The boss battle is challenging without being too difficult, and I found the tactical back-and-forth of managing my character’s stun frames to be incredibly fun. This is because the attack patterns are designed to force the player to use every move their character has, making it feel like I was fighting at full strength. Clearing the Shami battle marked the end of the demo.
From the early stages all the way through the boss battle, the game strikes a great balance between risk and reward—encouraging you to attack aggressively while still being mindful of the risk of taking damage. Even as a demo, I was impressed by its high level of polish. This title is definitely one to watch in 2027.
"Jajamaru’s Hyakki Yagyo Den" is scheduled for release in 2027 on PS5, PC (Steam), and Nintendo Switch 2.
