Help Princess Peach save the Sparkle Theater in this unique adventure game.
Princess Peach Showtime will be released on Nintendo Switch on March 22, 2024. Nintendo gave SuperParent the chance to play the game before it’s released.
Princess Peach Showtime is a platforming and adventure game featuring Princess Peach, one of the main characters from the Super Mario video game franchise.
The game takes players to the Sparkle Theater, which is taken over by the evil sorceress Grape and her henchmen known as the Sour Bunch. Players will work with a friendly character named Stella to defeat Grape and the Sour Bunch and save the Sparkle Theater and the actors trapped inside.
Princess Peach Showtime features level-based gameplay, with each level allowing players to complete a short “play” at the theater. Each play allows Peach to become a character in the theatrical production by transforming into a role, or “costume” that matches the play’s story.
For instance, one of the game’s first levels challenges players to rescue a king who has become trapped in his castle after his kingdom is overrun by thorns. In this level, Peach will become “Swordfighter Peach,” and will be able to use a sword to cut the thorns and defeat enemies.
In addition to taking on the Swordfigther role, players can become Figure Skater Peach, Dashing Thief Peach, Mermaid Peach, Cowgirl Peach, Patissiere Peach (a baker), Kung Fu Peach, and more.
With so many different roles available to experience, the gameplay here is incredibly varied and unique. Some levels (like those featuring Swordfighter Peach or Kung Fu Peach, as examples), offer more fast-paced gameplay that’s focused on action and combat, while other levels offer slower gameplay and may have puzzles or mini-games to complete.
With each level featuring a unique gameplay experience, some stages are naturally more challenging to complete than others. Peach has a limited number of hearts, and will lose a heart if she takes damage, fails during a mini-game, or completes other negative actions. Players can collect additional hearts as they progress through stages. Players also have the option to turn on a special “Heart Charm” that gives Peach three extra hearts during a stage and makes stages easier to complete as a result.
If Peach ever loses all of her hearts or otherwise fails during a level, players can try again from a recent checkpoint, rather than being required to start the level over from the beginning.
As players complete levels, they can collect Sparkle Gems by completing specific actions. Some Sparkle Gems are earned automatically as players progress through a level, while others can be earned by finding them in hidden locations, interacting with certain objects, and more.
At certain points in the story, players will need to have collected a specific number of Sparkle Gems in order to continue. If players haven’t collected enough Sparkle Gems, they can replay previous stages in an attempt to collect more.
Players can also collect coins as they make their way through levels (including when they replay levels), which can be spent on new outfits for Peach and Stella. These outfits aren’t additional “roles” for Peach; instead, they’re cosmetic changes that alter Peach and Stella’s appearance throughout the game.
Finally, the game features boss battles for players to complete, which may challenge players to use observation skills to determine how and when to attack the boss enemy in order to defeat it.
We enjoyed Princess Peach Showtime from beginning to end, though with such varied gameplay, we found some of Peach’s roles to be more entertaining than others, which is likely to be the case for everyone. For instance, while we particularly enjoyed the Kung Fu Peach and Figure Skater Peach roles, other players will likely find their own favorites among the great variety here.
That being said, the game has a few roles that focus on pressing buttons at the proper time to complete actions, which can be challenging. This is particularly true for the Patisserie Peach role, which was the most difficult to master. We expect these gameplay segments that require fast reflexes may be even more challenging for younger or inexperienced players.
Overall, the gameplay in Princess Peach Showtime is wonderfully clever and charming, with adorable characters to interact with and rescue throughout the journey. We highly enjoyed the experience.
Princess Peach Showtime is a single-player experience. The game doesn’t support multiplayer gameplay.
In addition, parents should know that the game’s dialog is presented through text, rather than voice acting. The game auto advances through much of this text, rather than waiting for players to press a button when they’re done reading. This may make it difficult for younger players or slower readers to keep up with the game’s story if the text advances too quickly.
It’s also worth pointing out that players must press a button to bring up the “Controls” screen for each of Peach’s roles in order to learn more about the actions Peach can take in that role. We would have preferred if the game displayed these controls automatically each time a new role is activated.
Finally, parents should know that while some of Peach’s roles have a more mature tone (like the Swordfighter Peach role), the game doesn’t feature realistic violence or gore. Instead, defeated enemies disappear into a puff of purple smoke.
Plus, while the “Dashing Thief Peach” role may make it sound like Peach becomes a criminal, this role focuses on disabling locks and security systems in order to “steal” something back that Grape and the Sour Bunch have already stolen. So, in this role, Peach isn’t so much a thief as she is a retriever of stolen items.
Princess Peach Showtime is a fun and clever platformer and adventure game with a wonderful selection of unique levels to experience.
We would love to see some of Peach’s roles expanded upon in some way, either through a sequel or through downloadable content (DLC) that allows players to enjoy even more short stories in this colorful world. For now, though, we recommend families pick this one up for their Nintendo Switch collection.
Princess Peach Showtime will be released on March 22, 2024 for $59.99. The game is rated E10+ for Everyone 10+ by the ESRB.
A free demo for Princess Peach Showtime is also available to download on Nintendo Switch. This demo allows players to try a portion of the game without purchasing it.
Disclosure: Nintendo gave SuperParent a code for Princess Peach Showtime for coverage purposes.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
