Showtime! Review – Roles of a Royal Lifetime

It feels like Princess Peach has been waiting for her big breakout role for a while now. Nintendo clearly has an inkling that “lady who keeps getting kidnapped by turtles” is a character description in need of a bit of an update as she was given a significant role in the Super Mario Bros. Movie and is playable more often than not in newer Mario games. Unfortunately, she still hasn’t received that solo adventure she deserves, with 2005’s Super Princess Peach not leaving much of an impression. Well, nearly two decades later Princess Peach: Showtime! sees the Mushroom Kingdom monarch take to the stage again.

Does Princess Peach: Showtime! give its titular heroine her proper star turn? Or is this play in need of a retooling? Take your seats; it’s time to find out.

Princess Peach: Showtime! opens with our pink-clad protagonist deciding to take in a bit of culture (sans that philistine Mario) but just as she arrives, the glitzy Sparkle Theater is taken over by the nefarious Madame Grape and the Sour Bunch. Peach decides to take matters into her own gloved hands and teams with the theater’s guardian Stella to put things right.

In practice, this means playing through a series of 2.5D sidescrolling stages, each centered around a transformation and set of powers for Peach – a total of 10 in all (Swordfighter, Kung Fu, Ninja, Cowgirl, Detective, Patissiere, Figure Skater, Mermaid, Mighty, and Dashing Thief).

Controls are kept intentionally simple, with all actions handled with two buttons – A for jump, and B for all attacks and actions. Even in cases where one of Peach’s forms grants multiple abilities, the game’s developers still find a way to keep the two-button control scheme. For instance, with Swordfighter Peach you attack with B but also parry enemy strikes by pushing the same button. This may seem overly simplistic at first, but clearly Nintendo is aiming to be welcoming to a younger, less-experienced audience, which is fair. The more you play, the more you realize Showtime’s main focus isn’t exacting moment-to-moment action, but rather, variety.

Peach’s various transformations aren’t just cosmetic window dressing, they all play quite differently, which is reflected in the levels devoted to each. Kung Fu Peach is all about kicking butt, Ninja Peach gets by using stealth, Detective Peach must unravel old-school point-and-click style mysteries, Mermaid Peach commands sea life with her voice like a mashup of Ariel and Aquaman, and so on. All these different gameplay styles are not only unique, they’re easy to grasp and fun to play. The fact that there’s really no dud among Peach’s 10 transformations really is an accomplishment.

Each of Peach’s transformations gets a trio of stages devoted to them, and the second and third often do something unique with the premise rather than simply rehashing the first stage. Some of the challenges you’ll face include chasing down a runaway train as Cowgirl Peach, dealing with an eerie ghost ship as Mermaid Peach, and taking on a giant alien robot as a kaiju-sized Mighty Peach (to name just a few). The intensity ramps up as you work through each transformation’s stages, with the game delivering some surprisingly epic moments and maybe even a little bit of challenge along the way.

Interspersed with the regular stages are a number of boss battles, which are, like the rest of the game, nicely varied and creative. Of course, this all culminates in a showdown with Madame Grape herself, and while I won’t give anything away, this game’s finale goes a lot harder than you might expect. I predict this game is going to inspire more than its share of memes and fan art.

All of this is brought to life via a carefully crafted presentation. The theatrical theme is carried throughout the game in clever ways, with levels looking like stage sets and bosses dangling from strings like marionettes. Peach herself has never been so full of life, even in the Super Mario Movie, with each of her transformations having a completely unique set of animations. Whether Peach is striking a dramatic pose as a Dashing Thief or idly rocking on her heels in Patissiere form, it’s hard not to be charmed.

Unfortunately, this visual razzle-dazzle does come at a cost, as Princess Peach: Showtime! only runs at 30fps and performance hiccups are relatively frequent. Given this game isn’t about split-second action, this is hardly a deal breaker, but this isn’t necessarily the level of technical polish we’re used to seeing from games featuring major Nintendo characters.

The other thing that may be a sticking point for some folks is the game’s length, as you can roll credits in around 5 or 6 hours. That said, there’s a fair amount to circle back for, including Sparkle Gems, unlockable cosmetics, and some additional post-game activities. There’s probably 10 to 12 hours of content here for those aiming for 100 percent completion. Again, this game has a certain demographic in mind, and I could easily see a lot of younger, less experienced types who just want to replay their favorite stages becoming season ticket holders.

This review was based on a copy of Princess Peach: Showtime! provided by publisher Nintendo.

Princess Peach: Showtime!

Princess Peach: Showtime!

Princess Peach: Showtime! is a treat, offering fun, approachable, and excitingly diverse gameplay as well as the most appealing (and downright cool) version of Nintendo’s heroine to date. The game is fairly brief and has some performance hiccups, but its target audience of younger players, and those just wanting to see Peach ditch the damsel role, will likely be too busy applauding her latest turn in the limelight to care.

Buy for $59.99 from Amazon

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