Princess Peach: Showtime! preview - A delightful first act
Almost 20 years after headlining her very first game, Super Princess Peach on the Nintendo DS, the Mushroom Kingdom’s iconic royal ruler is back in Princess Peach: Showtime! on Switch.
The concept of the game is simple: during a trip to Sparkle Theatre, Peach is ambushed by the villainous Grape and her Sour Bunch goons, who kidnap all the actors and turn each performance into a tragedy. Alongside the theatre’s guardian star Stella and a wardrobe of costumes that would make a drag queen jealous, it’s up to Princess Peach to save the show.
Let's get this show on the road
With a royal invitation in hand (and after stuffing my face with Peach-themed cupcakes), I was able to try out a handful of levels at a recent event hosted by Nintendo in London. Each of these stages features a different Peach transformation, and I got to try out four of them in total: Ninja, Cowgirl, Patissiere, and Swordfighter.
Click to enlargeThese transformations don’t just give everyone’s favourite pink princess a new outfit - they also give her special abilities and influence the world around her. In the first level I played, Peach donned a Cowgirl outfit complete with a lasso that could be used to round up the Sour Bunch goons and grab barrels to fling at an end-level boss. There was even a spot of horse riding to break things up.
As Swordfighter Peach, you get a sword (shocking, I know!) that can cut down overgrown vines and take out armoured enemies. The third level I got to play featured Patissiere Peach, where I was tasked with picking ingredients, baking batches of cookies, and icing giant rotating cakes to match a specific pattern against the clock - which was fun in a WarioWare kind of way.
Click to enlargeMy favourite transformation of the four was Ninja Peach. This stealth-focused stage requires you to avoid the gaze of the Sour Bunch by blending into backdrops, hiding in the tall grass, or even diving underwater while using a stick of bamboo as a snorkel. Ninja Peach can also wall jump and run along walls, adding some platforming variety to the level.
Of all the transformations I tried, this one felt like it had the most potential to be a full-length game - so I hope it gets fleshed out a bit more in the final release.
All the world's a stage
Every level in Princess Peach: Showtime! takes place on a stage, so all of the props and backdrops appear as though they're made from crafty materials like metal, wood, or cardboard. It's a fun, vibrant visual style in a similar vein to Paper Mario, and it's delightful to see how Peach interacts with the environment around her.
Aside from the main goal of saving the show and its stars, each level is also packed with secrets to discover, including 10 hidden Sparkle Gems. Chances are you won't find all of these on your first run, which should add some replay value to the experience for completionists like myself.
Click to enlargeOne of the biggest issues I can see people having with this game is the difficulty level. I’d put it on par with something like Yoshi’s Crafted World, meaning there's a lot of hand-holding and not much room for failure. This is clearly a game intended for a younger audience, and I imagine it will be a great introduction to the wider Mario universe for kids.
Final Thoughts
That’s not to say older fans won’t appreciate the classic Nintendo charm that's on display or the chance to step into Peach’s high heels (or cowgirl boots), but don’t come expecting a challenge.
My concern that Princess Peach: Showtime! might be a case of style over substance hasn't been completely alleviated, but I'm charmed by what I've seen so far. Time will tell if the full game can deliver the goods, but right now, it's shaping up to be another lovely addition to the Switch's library of fun, family-friendly games.
Previewed on Nintendo Switch.
