Mar 29, 2024 - 09:08
By pocket-lint.com

Princess Peach: Showtime is short, sweet, and over too soon

The Super Mario Bros. Movie surprised audiences by putting Princess Peach in a prominent role rather than portraying her as a prize to be saved from Bowser. Since then, gamers have been anticipating her highness's first-ever starring role in a console game. Princess Peach: Showtime finally made its grand debut on the Nintendo Switch, but does it offer enough to please everybody?

I was so excited that I pre-ordered my copy months before any reviews were available. As a fan of most Mario games, I was confident that Showtime would meet the high-quality standards Nintendo is famous for. However, I wasn't sure if the experience would be sweet yet evanescent like cotton candy, or if it'd be more satiating and keep me coming back for more.

I can honestly say Princess Peach: Showtime lived up to my expectations, but you should know what you're getting into before you pay full price for the game.

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Princess Peach: Showtime

Princess Peach: Showtime! is a 2024 action-adventure game for the Nintendo Switch. Based on the Mario franchise, it is the first game to feature Princess Peach as the main character since Super Princess Peach.

Platform(s) Switch Released March 22, 2024 Developer(s) Nintendo Genre(s) Action-Adventure $60 at Nintendo eShop

Setting the stage

A game that imitates art

Pocket-lint

While Peach is trying to enjoy a play at the Sparkle Theater, the stage gets hijacked by a group called the Sour Bunch led by the ghastly Grape. The Princess must then team up with the theater's guardian, a talking ribbon named Stella, to save the imprisoned patrons so the show can go on.

Following the short introduction, Princess Peach follows a formula familiar to 3D Mario game fans. Each floor of the theater has four levels, or «plays,» for Peach to save, then you fight a boss and move on to the next floor. What sets Showtime apart is that each level almost feels like its own game.