Ninja-Kid II is this week’s release in Hamster Corporation’s Console Archives line of emulated retro console titles for modern formats, following on from last week’s release of Sonic Wings Special, on which we previously reported.
If you don’t recognize the title “Ninja-Kid II” that might be because the game was originally released as “ja-kun: Ashura no Shō” in Japan, and as “Rad Action” in North America, but of we’re honest, we hadn’t heard of it under those titles either!
Ninja-Kid II was originally released on the Famicom/NES in 1988, by UPL, and it is a sequel to the 1984 game Ninja-kun: Adventure of Devil Castle.
In addition to the NES version of Ninja-Kid II that’s been used for the Console Archives release, Ninja-Kid II was also released as an an arcade game, and for the MSX home computer.
Hamster Corporation describes Ninja-Kid II thusly: “in this action game, you embark on an adventure across diverse fields—including mountains, oceans, and caves—to defeat your greatest and most powerful foe, Ashura. Despite its cute art style, the game offers hardcore ninja action, featuring wall-kicking and intense battles using a wide variety of weapons.”
The Console Archives version of Ninja-Kid II was released on Nintendo Switch 2 and PlayStation 5 yesterday (March 19, 2026), priced at $7.99 USD (or local equivalent).
