Just when you got “Peaches” out of your head…
Princess Peach and some loyal Toads are about to enjoy a performance at the Sparkle Theater when the wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch bust on the scene to flip the script! These bad actors kidnap the stars of each play, terrorize the other cast and crew, and leave Peach trapped inside as they steal the show. To curtain-call this tragedy, Peach must team up with the theater’s guardian, Stella. Using the power of Sparkle, Peach must take the stage of each play inside the Sparkle Theater and transform to match the performance.
Princess Peach has been rescued by Mario more times than I can remember, but since she started having a bit more gusto in the Super Mario Bros Movie, it makes sense for her to have her own game where she doesn’t need rescuing, but instead is the rescuer. Ok, it’s not to save Mario, but instead she must rescue stars of plays in a theatre while taking on key roles during the levels, which take place on a stage that is constantly changing.
Peach can take on a number of roles such as a swordfighter, a patisserie chef, a detective, a figure skater and a good few more to boot. Each has their own unique ability and the levels based on them are all in the theme of the role for it to make any sense. For example, the swordfighter role sees Peach storm a castle with her sword, while the chef role will see Peach make and decorate cakes against the clock.
The theatre has a good few floors and each contains 4 acts of 4 different plays to complete before taking on a boss. The levels are well designed and fun to play, plus the different roles mix things up by changing the formula each time, so you can’t get too familiar with the controls before a new role comes along or you’ll play a second act of another and have to remember how it handled beforehand.
Bosses are interesting and funny, plus some are not quite the cakewalk you’d think they would be. The game isn’t the toughest out there, but I did die a few times through carelessness or in the case of being a detective, constantly accusing the wrong people which causes you to lose health.
It’s a very whimsical game with some impressive visuals and interesting level design. The framerate does have a few issues. It definitely slows down when loading a level and the curtain swaying in the background struggles, but it mostly stays around the 30FPS level. I didn’t come across any glitches and the audio is overly impressive.
The Verdict
Princess Peach: Showtime! is an amusing, enjoyable experience from beginning to end. A free demo is out if you want to try before you buy and while a few framerate issues rear its ugly head from time to time, its still another must have title for the Switch.