“Princess Peach: Showtime!” marks the first time since 2005’s “Super Princess Peach” where the leader of the Mushroom Kingdom, Princess Peach, is the lead protagonist of her very own game. The game follows the Princess as she goes to the Sparkle Theater for a nice evening out, when suddenly, a masked villain takes over, turning the Sparkle Theater into an evil palace. The player, as Princess Peach, must save the show with a variety of costumes and powers before evil consumes the theater.
Nintendo continues to step up the graphical quality of its games despite its underpowered Nintendo Switch. The character models look incredibly solid, making for a feel equivalent to the recent film released by Illumination. It feels as though Nintendo attempts to merge the quality of their intellectual properties into one mold. This works in terms of crafting brand recognition, but when it comes to creative and unique art styles, this oversimplification of design makes for very unmemorable games.
That being said, the set pieces in “Princess Peach: Showtime!” make up for the bland character designs. Each stage of the game feels like a stage play, which hasn’t been a part of Mario games since the 1980s. The costume designs for Princess Peach feel like costumes made for theatrical use rather than for characters. It’s clear the mechanics and art direction focused on the costumes and set pieces.
Mario games are known to engage all ages. Their accessibility is part of the Nintendo charm. However, “Princess Peach: Showtime!” feels almost too easy. The game doesn’t do much to increase difficulty throughout the playthrough, resulting in a pretty mindless experience. Some players may enjoy this, but for many, it makes for an unmemorable experience.
“Princess Peach: Showtime!” feels like nothing spectacular. It’s sad that Princess Peach’s first solo adventure in years is a mindless concept made to fill store shelves for the seven-year-old Nintendo Switch. Despite that, it’s still a well-made experience, but gamers should expect more from Nintendo considering their top-notch creations.
7 ½ broken legs out of 10.
