Princess Peach takes the spotlight in the upcoming Princess Peach: Showtime! for Nintendo Switch. After spending some time with this wholesome adventure I’m pretty excited to play it even more. It’s shaping up to become one of the most unique adventures set in the Mushroom Kingdom to date. Want to know more? Let’s jump in!
Break a leg!
Our story starts in the Mushroom Kingdom where a couple of Toads go to see a special show in the Sparkle Theater together with Princess Peach. What was supposed to be a fun night out quickly evolved into a disaster when the wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch invaded and took over the theater. With the Princess trapped inside this could have been your ordinary damsel in distress situation where Super Mario had to save the princess from the evil, not in this game! With the help of the theater’s guardian Stella, Princess Peach decides to reclaim the theater on her own, she’s the leading lady this time, and boy, is she ready!
During my time with the game, Princess Peach stepped into different plays as the leading character and although the controls are as straightforward as they get, the gameplay itself is very fresh and full of variation. Before we jump into the gameplay, let me quickly explain the controls as they are absurdly easy to master. You have your thumbstick to move around, a button to jump, a button for your special ability, and shoulder buttons to strike a pose. That’s it. It’s one of the easiest games to control, making it extremely accessible for all audiences. It’s targeted at a younger audience clearly but in all honesty, I had a blast playing it thanks to its unexpected moments.
Transformations for days
If you’ve seen the trailers, you already know this game is about transformations and it’s here where the charm and variation of the game can be found. During my demo, I played four different transformations, all altering the flow and general gameplay of the levels. I started as Ninja Peach in a more stealthy level where I had to quietly take down my enemies. Ninja Peach is flexible and fast-paced to give you a fair shot at succeeding in your mission. Wall-jumping and using special props to hide in the scenery are the key elements of surprise which resulted in a more stealthy yet still action-packed level. One moment I was playing as a ninja, the other moment I transformed into Swordfighter Peach in the next level. As Swordfighter Peach, I had to face small hordes of enemies all at once. Might sound similar to the Ninja transformation but the Swordfighter offers way more combat and correct timing of your dodges. If you time your dodges correctly, you’ll have a small window of opportunity to attack the more heavily armed enemies. I also faced my first boss of the game as a Swordfighter, a classic boss where I had to learn the pattern of attack and time my dodges precisely to inflict some damage. Nothing too hard but fun nevertheless.
After completing the Swordfighter level, I stepped into the Wild West as Cowgirl Peach where I could grab items and enemies from a distance using my lasso. This altered the gameplay again and also the flow of the level itself. Unlike the Kirby games, where you use your powers on more linear platform levels, the transformations of Princess Peach also come with drastic changes in the levels themselves. As Cowgirl Peach, I chased down some enemies on the back of my horse while jumping over obstacles and dodging attacks of my enemies. The biggest shift in gameplay came with Patissiere Peach where I was decorating cakes and cookies in fun mini-games. No platform segments here, just fun mini-games. As Patissiere Peach I also noticed that the cookies I was baking were the same as in the classic Yoshi Cookie game, a fun Easter Egg for Nintendo fans! I played the game for a bit more than one hour and it’s pretty amazing to see what I did in that hour, it feels like I played four different games without ever feeling like a mini-games collection. This feels like a completely new adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom and I love the innovation it brings with it.
With ten transformations in the final game, I only scratched the surface of the different gameplay styles and I can’t wait to discover what the other transformations will bring to the table. I did get to see a sneak peek at Figure Skater Peach where timing seemed crucial to perform all those spins and jumps.
Gorgeous new style
Princess Peach: Showtime! is a gorgeous-looking game on Nintendo Switch thanks to its adorable style. Since the game is set in a theater and you’re playing through several plays, the world is crafted with a lot of cardboard and small ropes to keep everything in place. It looks and feels like a combination of Yoshi’s Crafted World and the Paper Mario franchise without completely copying one of those styles. I love how creative the time got with the visuals of this game and how they play around with all of the possibilities that come with it. It’s one of those games that you play with a constant smile on your face, making it one of the most wholesome adventures in the Mushroom Kingdom so far. I’m really curious to see the worlds and stages I haven’t seen yet.
Early conclusion:
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Princess Peach as the main character but it feels like Princess Peach: Showtime! will be her time to shine. After my first hour with the game, I can only conclude that I’m surprised by the variation and innovation that comes with the transformations of Peach. It’s a wholesome adventure for everyone to enjoy and although I don’t think it will be one of the longest games out there, I’m pretty sure it will be fun from start to finish. Can’t wait to jump into the final game next month!
