Princess Peach: Showtime! finally lets Peach be the star again in a charming, simple adventure

20.02.2024 - 15:55 / polygon.com / Nintendo

For the first time in nearly two decades, Princess Peach is starring in her own game. Her new adventure has a familiar-feeling Super Mario-style set up, though: There’s been a kidnapping, and it’s up to a hero from the Mushroom Kingdom to save the day.

The kidnapee in the case of Princess Peach: Showtime! is a playhouse, the Sparkle Theater, which has been taken over by a villain known as Grape and her henchmen the Sour Bunch. With the aid of a cute ribbon fairy named Stella, Peach embarks on a series of stage plays and performances in order to free the theater from its captors.

Thanks to Stella — roughly Showtime’s version of Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey — Peach can transform into a variety of theatrical roles. In a stage based on a Japanese period piece, Peach can become a ninja, utilizing stealth mechanics and a pair of deadly daggers to knock out guards. As Ninja Peach in a hands-on session, I avoided spotlights that would reveal my position by sneaking through grass and using a bamboo snorkel while hiding underwater. I felt a little like Ninja Gaiden’s Ryu Hayabusa as I wall-jumped onto rooftops and slash-stabbed foes.

In another stage, I became Patisserie Peach, a baker who whipped up cookies in timing-based minigames and decorated cakes with a piping bag. This was much more challenging than being a ninja, surprisingly; while dangling over a giant cake, I tried to match a pattern of buttercream decorations as instructed by some friendly bakers.

Showtime expands Peach’s repertoire in a variety of ways. By acquiring a special ribbon power-up in each play-themed stage, Peach can transform into a cowgirl, a swordfighter, a figure skater, a kung fu master, and more. Nintendo recently revealed that Mermaid Peach, Mighty Peach, and Dashing Thief Peach are also in the game.

Playing as any of these transformations is quite simple. There are really only two buttons players need to worry about: jump and ability. As Cowgirl Peach, my actions involved throwing a lasso to wrangle Sour Bunch lackeys and barrels I could throw. In the case of Swordfighter Peach, the actions are stabs and swipes with a saber. In certain situations, Peach can also riposte an enemy’s attack, but I found most of these moves felt automatic. As Ninja Peach, any time I was caught by a guard, I simply lost a heart’s worth of life (Peach appears to have five, normally) which I could easily recover later.

Whatever penalties exist in Princess Peach: Showtime! are forgiving. This is a game that feels aimed at a younger audience who may find Nintendo games like Super Mario Odyssey or Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze slightly too challenging. Perhaps that challenge intensifies somewhat in later levels.

For longtime Nintendo fans looking for a