Game review 03 April 2024, 10:09

author: Giancarlo Saldana

Princess Peach: Showtime! Review: Setting the Stage

Peach finally has her own game after years in Mario’s shadow. With new transformations that give her a slew of abilities, is that enough to make her game a hit?

The review is based on the Switch version.

Looking back in the company’s history, Nintendo’s leading lady hasn’t had many games to call her own. Sure, you can select her as a playable character in a number of titles, but with the exception of Super Princess Peach, the iconic princess has played various supporting roles rather than been the star of her own game. To remedy this, Nintendo has cast her as the leading actress in a game that finally puts her in the spotlight again.

Princess Peach: Showtime! gives us a glimpse of what Peach is capable of as a main character and takes place in a giant theater where we get to see Peach’s acting chops as she takes on various roles with varying abilities. It’s not too difficult, not too complicated, and not that long, but it does feature plenty of action and sparkle. What we end up getting is a show with great production values that keeps you hooked until the final scene but one that drops the curtain a little too soon.

Lights, Camera, Action!

Akin to a Mario title, Showtime! feels very much like a Nintendo game without having Mario actually make an appearance. Taking place in a theater on a remote island, the game takes you away from the Mushroom Kingdom and gives Peach a fresh setting—so don’t expect to see familiar characters besides Toad. Peach is the star here, and while you may be followed by a sentient ribbon named Stella that gives you the power to transform, there is no denying the princess is in charge.

The story itself is simple in nature but sees Peach help the denizens of this remote island restore their theater after the villainous Madame Grape kidnaps their venue’s leading actors. As you make your way through the theater, you’ll discover doors that lead to different plays featuring unique worlds filled with their own backdrops, actors, and a special transformation for Peach to utilize. Think of each world as a play that unfolds before your very eyes and Peach as that play’s understudy who steals the show when the real star goes missing.

Each of Peach’s transformations lends her a different playstyle adding to the variety of ways each level lets you play them. In one play, for example, you’ll be a swordfighter and use a saber to slice and dice enemies from all directions. In another, you’ll don a chef’s hat and mash buttons to mix ingredients to make cookies to feed and cure your possessed friends. While most worlds will have you exploring them from left to right, they also have their own unique way of playing them and also come with their own themes and pacing.

While some are more action-oriented than others, some are more puzzle-like in nature. My favorite plays were the Dashing Thief and Ninja ones as they contain the most action but also some of the best-looking cutscenes. There was also something relaxing and methodical about the Mermaid and Detective levels that require you to examine your surroundings to figure out the way forward. Adding to the variety, levels in each floor can be completed in any order and unlock a boss battle before you move onto the next floor.

Child’s Play

These worlds you explore aren’t that difficult either, but the game does give you three levels or plays featuring each transformation that gradually increase the complexity of each one. In your first level as Ninja Peach, you’ll get used to the controls and figure out how to avoid searchlights as you sneak into an enemy’s base, but by the end of the third play, you’ll be doing this from all directions and on a bigger map. The game’s puzzles, if you can call them that, are nearly nonexistent as they can be solved within seconds and make you realize the game is geared towards a younger audience. Kids may slowly appreciate the increased difficulty and how the game puts it all together the more you play, but adults will still breeze through it all pretty quickly.

What is difficult, however, is completing the game and collecting all the sparkle gems that lie in each play. Think of gems as special coins or stars from the Mario games that you get for completing certain requirements in each level. Some you get just by making it through the level, but for others you need to defeat all enemies you encounter or not take damage during certain scenes. Plus, if you accidentally take the wrong turn or forget to explore an area before proceeding to the next one, you’ll be stuck and need to either restart the entire level or kill yourself and hope you respawn before the last checkpoint. While this does encourage replayability, the game doesn’t exactly tell you how to get each one so you’ll need to take your best guess to determine what the game wanted you to do and make sure you do it then or else be forced to replay the entire level.

Despite their frustrations, these gems add a good challenge and also unlock more goodies I won’t spoil after you complete the game. As you play, you can also collect coins in each level you can use to purchase dresses and outfits for Peach and Stella. These don’t serve any actual purpose but give younger players the chance to play “dress up” with them and add to the fun of collecting as many coins as possible.

Glitz and Glitches

One of Showtime!’s best features is just how beautiful the game looks no matter where you are. Each level has a unique theatrical look to it so you really do feel like you are on stage taking part of a large-production show complete with backdrops, show pieces, and spotlights that follow your every move. Even certain enemies feature strings attached to them making them look like marionettes being controlled by some hidden stage hand. The color palette of each play and the spectacle in how certain scenes just blend together give the game an impressive look that you wouldn’t expect considering its basic gameplay. Even bosses you’ll face are simple to defeat but so creative in design.

It is unfortunate, then, that the game does suffer from graphical issues and frame-rate drops during many scenes. The Switch is old, but it’s made bigger games work in the past so seeing longer than usual loading times is disappointing. Even the swirling visual that you see when a new scene loads freezes up and stutters making you wonder if your game is actually freezing on you. Luckily the game doesn’t have any other issues besides these, but they do sour the experience considering they pop up during every level.

Final Thoughts

Princess Peach Showtime! only lasts around six hours and a couple more if you want to collect everything. It’s a breeze to get through and doesn’t offer much difficulty beyond collecting all those pesky gems, but it manages to give us a sampling of Peach’s potential as the star of future games. Featuring a good mix of action and relaxation, the game gives you plenty of variety even though it stays within the realm of pleasing a younger audience.

Peach’s transformations are simple but give her a whole new range of skills you would never know she had until now. It’s a shame the game ends when it does as certain levels are quite fun and engaging. Considering Mario Odyssey was accessible to all ages but still offered hours of fun and adventure, there is no reason why Peach’s exploits should only be limited to starring roles in make-believe plays.