For the first time in more than 15 years, Princess Peach has stepped into the spotlight by herself in Princess Peach: Showtime! The game does some fun things with Peach and it’s a good one for young gamers, but it might be too simple for some.
Here is the long and short on Princess Peach: Showtime!
Short review
Overall rating: 3.5/5 stars
Pros:
- A starring role for Princess Peach. Peach gets her own game for the first time since 2006. It’s a refreshing take.
- The main roles of Peach. The game takes place in a theater and involves Peach taking on different roles to solve problems. Some of them, like Swordfighter Peach, Mighty Peach and Detective Peach, are a lot of fun.
- Simple yet engaging. This is a great game for young gamers.
Cons:
- Underdeveloped sections. Some of the sections of the game, such as when Peach takes on the role of Patissiere Peach, felt too much like a minigame.
- For any higher level gamers, there isn’t really any challenge.
Long review
Pros:
A solo Peach story
In Princess Peach: Showtime! Peach and Toad head out for a night at the theater. When trouble comes in the form of a squad of fruit-based bad guys, Peach takes up the task of getting the theater back. Playing as Peach, you’ll run around the theater in the game, taking on different roles to set things right.
Fans have been clamoring for more women-centered games for a long time, and rightly so. Nintendo has done a good job of moving Peach into more active roles lately, making her playable in Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario Bros. Wonder, and now with a central role in Showtime!
With Peach in the central role, it gave the game a whole different vibe from recent Mario games. It was a nice change of pace.
Lots of different Peaches
As stated before, the heart of the game is Peach taking on different roles to free the individual stages from the influence of the bad guys. There is Swordfighter Peach, Kung Fu Peach and Cowgirl Peach, among several others. My favorites were Swordfighter Peach and Detective Peach. (If Nintendo came out with a Detective Peach game, I would play it without hesitation.)
All the variety off the different themes and missions made for fun play and really showcased what the future of Peach games could look like.
Great for young gamers
Showtime! is a great game for younger gamers. The story is entertaining, isn’t too scary, and the violence never goes beyond that of a tame cartoon. The mechanics, even though there are lots of them, are pretty easy to pick up, too. The game does a good job of easing you into it and then letting you have fun, which could keep your kids entertained for hours.
Cons:
Minigame sections
While there were a lot of good parts of Showtime! I honestly wished I could have skipped the Patissiere Peach plays. While the rest of the plays felt exciting and fulfilling, these plays felt more like minigame sections. I found them boring and repetitive and I just wanted to get them out of the way. If I saw one on a floor, I usually did it first so I could get to better, more fun levels.
Not so great for other gamers
Sometimes a pro of a game can also lead to a con. The game is great for young players, but anyone much older or advanced will find that Showtime! isn’t much of a challenge. I beat the game in under five hours. Yes, I know I am a grown man, but that is still pretty quick to get through a game. If you’re looking for a game that’s simply a pleasant playthrough, this could be a good one. But if you like a little pushback from your games, this isn’t it.
Is Showtime! worth your time?
At the end of the day, I enjoyed playing Showtime! It was entertaining and a fresh take in the Mario series. But it is definitely meant for younger players. As Showtime! runs for the weighty price of $59.99 on the Nintendo Store (you can currently get it on Amazon for a few dollars cheaper), you’ll want to make sure it’s right for you or your kids before you buy it.
Princess Peach: Showtime! trailer
You can watch the trailer for Showtime! here: