On June 21, 2023, Nintendo first unveiled a new Mario spin-off game for the Nintendo Switch titled “Princess Peach: Showtime!” In most Super Mario series games, Princess Peach takes the role of the “”, with her rescue from the clutches of Bowser serving as the main objective in the largely minimal story of the games. While Showtime was not the first game to feature the iconic princess in a starring role (a title that goes to 2005’s “Super Princess Peach” for the Nintendo DS), it was seen as a major step forward for the franchise’s growth, following the highly successful “. ”
Despite the initial excitement upon the reveal, the game was met with a middling reception when it was released earlier this year in March of 2024. On , the game has a score of 74/100, which is described as “mixed or average”. While not a terrible rating, it’s a far cry from the usual highs the franchise is known for. For instance, the last mainline entry in the series, “”, has a score of 92, which is described as “universal acclaim”. Unfortunately, “Princess Peach: Showtime!” can feel painfully lackluster and tedious in its design.
The most obvious problem with the game’s design is its lack of a cohesive gameplay loop. The base of the game places it in the 3D action-adventure genre. The game’s central gimmick, however, is that the levels all have different gameplay styles to mimic different genres of theatre. While this might sound fun on paper, it ends up making everything feel disjointed. Some levels are fun to play, while others are boring. There are 10 of these different styles in the game, with each only getting 3 levels to call their own. By dividing so many different concepts into such a short number of levels, nothing gets the time it needs to reach its full potential.
On top of the concepts feeling underbaked, the levels are childishly easy too. The Mario series has always been family-friendly. It appeals to children but has a large audience of teenagers and adults who have continued to enjoy the series for generations. This game, however, rarely throws anything of real challenge at the player. Many moments that could have been fun to play are relegated to cutscenes that essentially play themselves, save for a button press or two. While it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing to release a game made for younger children exclusively, it was advertised alongside other games with wider demographics in Nintendo Directs. On top of that, the game sold for the same $60 price tag as much of Nintendo’s other offerings on the Switch system.
The one strength of “Princess Peach: Showtime! is its presentation”, which takes inspiration from the art of theatre. Each level is visually designed to look as if it’s an actual stage play, giving it a unique flare that sets it apart from the rest of the Mario franchise. However, it does make me question if this should have been set in the Mario universe at all. Aside from Princess Peach being the main character and a few Toads showing up, this could have easily been an original game. Some of its shortcomings could have been more forgivable if it hadn’t been tied to a historic intellectual property (IP).
Overall, “Princess Peach: Showtime!” is plagued by core design issues and ideas that fall short of their potential, and probably isn’t worth the high price tag for the shallow depth of its content. You’re better off playing one of the many other games from the Mario franchise’s vast and iconic history.
