The ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom gets a video game all to herself but is this a command performance or a royal stitch-up?
Given how rarely any of them talk, and when they do it’s only ever in subtitles, it’s hard to get much of a grasp on the personalities of the core Mushroom Kingdom crew. Mario is purposefully an empty vessel, brave and foolhardy but otherwise lacking in distinct personality traits. Donkey Kong has a bit more going on, as he’s regularly portrayed as brash and vindictive, but it wasn’t until the Luigi’s Mansion series that the other Mario bros. could be described as anything other than ‘the green one’.
Luigi’s Mansion is not only a great trilogy of games but has done wonders for giving Luigi a proper sense of character and we’d hoped that Princess Peach: Showtime! would do the same for Peachy. Especially as her only previous starring role, in 2005’s Super Princess Peach, portrayed her as an emotionally unstable heroine that starts crying, literally, at the press of a button.
There are still some sexist undercurrents in Showtime, as it revolves around Peach constantly changing clothes (a strangely common trope for female-led video games, as seen in everything from Final Fantasy X-2 to Assassin’s Creed Liberation). Worse than that though is the fact that it’s such a shallow and patronisingly easy game, with Peach’s rare centre court appearance aimed only at the very youngest of Nintendo’s fans.
We often complain that there’s not enough quality video games aimed at children, but it does seem a shame that almost the only time Peach gets a starring role, it’s in a game that makes Kirby look like Dark Souls. What’s worse is that her only characterisation is that she’s kind and… that’s it really. We weren’t expecting the post-modern irony of the Paper Mario series (thankfully The Thousand-Year Door is being remastered this May) but here you don’t even get the generic sass of The Super Mario Bros. Movie.
The plot for Showcase is equally simplistic, with Peach paying a royal visit to an island theatre, which has been overrun by Madame Grape and the Sour Bunch. What they’re after and who they are is never explained though, just the fact that they want to make every play a tragedy.
Rather than turning Much Ado About Nothing into a performance of Macbeth, this is used as an excuse to cast Peach in a variety of different side-scrolling adventures, as she plays the part of everything from a gentleman thief and Power Rangers style superhero to a Sherlock Holmes knock-off and a mermaid.
The theatre concept is all a bit odd really, as a cinema would’ve made much more contextual sense, but the game has some fun making all the non-human characters appear as wooden puppets, suspended from the rafters. Although that invites some unflattering comparisons with unfairly forgotten PlayStation 3 exclusive Puppeteer.
There are 10 main costumes for Peach to wear but you only ever use one per level, which also shares the same theme. So there’s Swordfighter Peach, Ninja Peach, Cowgirl Peach, Patissiere Peach, Dashing Thief Peach, Figure Skater Peach, Detective Peach, Mighty Peach (the Power Rangers outfit), Mermaid Peach, and Kung Fu Peach.
The first time you encounter each costume you start off playing in Peach’s usual pink dress (which you can unlock different patterns for) and are accompanied by a Sparkle called Stella. Stella is the guardian of the theatre, or something, and has essentially godlike powers, to do everything from inspire bravery in other characters to make crops grow instantly – although given you’re supposed to be playing a part in a play it’s unclear whether any of that is actually real.
Either way, the primary use of Stella’s powers is to one-shot kill members of the Sour Bunch, as they menace you and the other actors, and to interact with background objects. Once you get to the costume, about a quarter of a way into the level, you concentrate purely on its powers. A number of them, like the Swordfighter and Kung Fu outfits, turn the game into a sort of simplified scrolling beat ‘em-up, while others are more unique.
Peach has no attacks in her Patissiere costume and instead collects ingredients, bakes muffins, and ices cakes. As a detective she also doesn’t hit anyone and instead engages in a very simple graphic adventure, where you have to use logical deduction and visual clues to find thieves. It’s very simple but an engagingly unusual thing to play with kids.
The Mermaid one has you controlling shoals of fish and engaging in simple rhythm action mini-games, while the figure skating one sees you performing tricks to un-hypnotise fellow skaters. The Dashing Thief levels are perhaps the best because they involve a little bit of everything, including simple puzzles and platforming with a grappling hook.
There’re two stages for each costume and then a third special one where you rescue the original actor for the role, which are usually presented as shorter and more abstract levels that take place in Madame Grape’s shadow world. Most stages can be completed in 15 minutes or less, so it’s not a massive game but there’s a fair amount of replay value as each level is filled with collectibles – although unskippable cut scenes means repeating them is more onerous than it needs be.
There are two central problems with Showtime, the first being that while it’s relatively charming the script is extremely bland. Given how funny things like Bluey and Peppa Pig can be, the fact that this is aimed at kids is no excuse for its anodyne storytelling. Especially as the use of subtitles, instead of spoken dialogue, once again feels more like cost-cutting by Nintendo than a stylistic choice.
The situations are often mildly amusing but in gameplay terms everything is very superficial and while there are plenty of fun ideas, like the ninja camouflage techniques and a brief 2D shooter section as Might Peach, none usually lasts for more than a few minutes, before quickly being replaced with something equally underdeveloped.
Variety is always a virtue, but Showtime feels disjointed and unfocused, not to mention extremely easy. There are only two main action buttons (jump and each costume’s special move) but rather than making the game accessible it can actually be quite confusing when things end up being context sensitive. There’s a boss battle at the end of one level that we’re still not sure how we beat, which makes it impossible to explain to a child when they’re trying to do it.
The best parts by far are the larger scale boss battles between floors of the theatre (not the ones at the end of most levels) and we can only assume they were done by a different person, as they’re weird and inventive in a way none of the rest of the game is.
However, on a technical level, Showtime is also a disappointment, as while the visuals are appropriately cute there’s a syrupy feel to the movement, as if the frame rate is about to give out at any moment. It never does but compared to Luigi’s Mansion 3 this feels cheap and low tech.
Peach as an action star could definitely have worked with a tighter focus and a better script but neither is evident here. Kirby And The Forgotten Land is a far better choice for introducing younger children to console video games. Or indeed Kirby’s Epic Yarn and Yoshi’s Crafted World, both of which are superior 2D platformers by the same developer, that are also aimed at less experienced players.
Hopefully it won’t be another 19 years before Peach gets a game to herself again but whatever comes next it needs to be clearer in purpose, both in terms of gameplay and in defining her character. Princess Peach needs her Luigi’s Mansion moment, but this is not it. Showtime is not a royal disaster, but a character as prominent as Peach deserves better than the very mild thrills on offer here.
Princess Peach: Showtime! review summary
In Short: A disappointingly shallow and unfocused adventure that is aimed solely at a young audience – and even they’re likely to feel somewhat bored and patronised by the end.
Pros: The presentation is cute and there’s some surprisingly good boss battles. A lot of variety, with plenty of unique ideas…
Cons: …most of which are never built upon and quickly go to waste. Lack of spoken dialogue and weak script are disappointing. Absolutely no challenge and yet it can be strangely confusing at times.
Score: 5/10
Formats: Nintendo Switch
Price: £49.99
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: GoödFeël
Release Date: 22nd March 2024
Age Rating: 7
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