Princess Peach: Showtime! Review
Princess Peach: Showtime! is a vibrant adventure that spotlights the iconic Princess in her own starring role, my full review.
Princess Peach: Showtime! marks a rare occasion where the iconic Princess takes centre stage in her own adventure. It’s been 35 years since she was a playable character in Super Mario Bros. 2 and almost two decades since she starred in Super Princess Peach on the Nintendo DS. Thankfully, she is back on her own adventure, and it offers up a lot of fun ideas. This latest entry developed by Good-Feel Co., veers away from the traditional Mario-centric narrative to shine a spotlight on Peach herself.
"This latest entry developed by Good-Feel Co., veers away from the traditional Mario-centric narrative to shine a spotlight on Peach herself."
Her adventure offers a mix of multiple gaming genres like action, stealth and role-playing. With unique gameplay elements, a fresh story, and a focus on Peach's heroism, this game offers a fun, family-friendly experience aimed at a younger audience. I’ll be delving into the colourful world of Princess Peach's latest adventure in this full review.
Princess Peach: Showtime! Details
Platform(s): Nintendo Switch
Developer(s): Good-Feel Co., Ltd.
Publisher(s): Nintendo
Genre: Action / Adventure
Mode(s): Single-player
ESRB Rating: E10+ (Everyone 10+)
Princess Peach: Showtime! Story Premise
Princess Peach: Showtime! transports you to a vibrant world where Peach takes center stage. The game unfolds entirely in a theatre setting, with Peach tasked with saving the show from the clutches of Grape and the nefarious Sour Bunch. We don’t get much in the way of motivation from the baddies, but it does set up an exciting premise. The setting provides a backdrop for a narrative that’s both familiar and new, filled with daring rescues, intriguing mysteries, and the undeniable charm Peach brings to her role as the lead character.
"The setting provides a backdrop for a narrative that’s both familiar and new, filled with daring rescues, intriguing mysteries, and the undeniable charm Peach brings to her role as the lead character."
Each “stage” of the game sees you performing an act in a play where Peach takes on a new role, each offering a different set of abilities. The story is very light but sets up a fun, creative, gameplay premise.
Princess’ new moves
Princess Peach: Showtime! 's gameplay combines traditional platforming with new mechanics centered around Peach's unique costume abilities. You’ll navigate through various stages, each offering varied challenges that test your reflexes and light strategic thinking. The control scheme is simplified, clearly targeting a younger audience. The accessible controls for younger players and variety of gameplay kept players of all ages engaged in my household.
"The accessible controls for younger players and variety of gameplay kept players of all ages engaged in my household."
The game strikes a nice balance between being welcoming and offering light challenges for a variety of gamers.
Costume change
The game introduces costume changes for Peach, granting her different abilities essential for overcoming obstacles and defeating enemies. The story starts with Peach donning a Swordfighter's outfit (think a “Puss-n-Boots” style outfit from Shrek) to save the day. This costume gives her the ability to thwart foes with her trusty rapier.
Later, she moves on to a variety of different stage outfits, including a Cowgirl, Ninjutsu, Superhero, and more. Each has different abilities that move along the stage performance and story. I won’t spoil all the tricks up Peach’s sleeve, but by the end of the story, she has ten outfits and multiple dresses to collect.
Princess Peach: Showtime! Screenshot Gallery
Graphics and performance on stage
Visually, Princess Peach: Showtime! offers quite a bit of visual flair. Each level has colourful environments and characters, bringing the game's theatre theme to life. Some small animations and enemies look like they are handcrafted for a stage performance, which has a nice effect. A spotlight always shines on Peach as you play, doubling down on the whimsical stage performance charm. You’ll also face certain enemies with strings attached to them, like a marionette, being controlled by stagehands.
However, despite all the game’s charm, I found the visuals occasionally blurry, losing sharpness in detailed scenes, especially in handheld mode. Despite these moments, the art direction successfully creates a fun, engaging world. Performance-wise, the game does experience occasional frame rate dips and resolution drops, particularly noticeable during certain scenes, reflecting some of the Nintendo Switch's hardware limitations.
Final Thoughts on Princess Peach: Showtime!
Overall, Princess Peach: Showtime! is a nice change of pace from Nintendo, spotlighting one of its most iconic characters in her own adventure. The game delivers a fresh narrative, simple mechanics, and a creative world. However, it’s not without its flaws, with graphical and performance issues that detract from the overall experience. Despite these setbacks, the game is a vibrant, fun-filled adventure that new and long-standing fans will enjoy. It represents a significant moment for Princess Peach and a potential new direction for Nintendo to explore further.
Princess Peach: Showtime! Pros
+Creative gameplay with multiple genres
+Vibrant graphics and a unique, theatre-themed world
+Narrative focusing on Princess Peach
Princess Peach: Showtime! Cons
-Inconsistent frame rate and resolution drops
-Some gameplay elements may feel repetitive over time
-The graphical fidelity can be inconsistent
Overall Assessment of Princess Peach: Showtime!
Gameplay: 8/10
Graphics: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Replayability: 6/10
Overall Rating: 29/40 (73%)
A copy of the game was provided by Nintendo for the purpose of this review.
About the Author - Matthew "Dapper Tux" Rondina
Matthew has been involved in all things gaming since the 8-bit era. He is a veteran of the video game and tech industry who has been passionate about technology and gaming for over 20 years. In addition to being the Managing Editor of dappertux.com, he has bylines with Best Buy, Cineplex Entertainment, Mobile Syrup and Walmart. Follow Matthew’s gaming + tech adventures on multiple social platforms with the handle @dapper_tux via "X", Instagram, Threads, TikTok and join in on the fun!
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