26It’s finally happened! The beloved Princess Peach Toadstool has finally broken out of her side-character typecasting to have her own game on a mainline Nintendo console. Princess Peach: Showtime! released on the Nintendo Switch on March 22, 2024.
As one of those gaybies who always chose Peach in every Mario Bros game from the NES to the Switch, I was really happy to dive into this princess-led original adventure. Prior to this entry, the scant few games where Peach was the main character were on handheld systems like the DS’s Super Princess Peach in 2006.
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The story of Princess Peach: Showtime! revolves around the many stage productions taking place at the Sparkle Theater, which is under attack by masked figures. Imbued with the fabulous powers of her trusty ally and theater guardian Stella, Peach is ready to don the many different roles to protect theater; each with its own fashionably fierce ensemble.
But, is it Fashion?
Honestly, I am not a fashionista and that doesn’t matter, because the costuming department at the Sparkle Theater knew exactly what they were doing. The outfits for Princess Peach are functionally her powers. Not only does Princess Peach get her signature pink dress with the white gloves and blue jewelry that match her eyes, she also gets access to various patterns and colors for her signature look throughout the game, and they all look so good that not even the most fashion-clumsy among us (me) could make her look bad.
This isn’t the first game to let a grown-ass gay man play dress up with a heroine, of course, but it is fun to finally be able to do so with Peach. My inner child was very happy with this, and the options therein. Once you start playing the game, you learn that each production at this theater has its own costume for the leading role. There are ten in total; let’s break them down.
“Traditional” Combat Peach
Half of the Princess Peach: Showtime! outfits comes with its own form of unique combat. Swordfighter Peach, Ninja Peach, Cowgirl Peach, Mighty Peach, and Kung Fu Peach.
Swordfighter Peach uses a sword to slice through enemies. The game calls this one “a chic ensemble that is perfect for elegant swordplay.” It’s very straightforward in looks and play, and comes with a matching blue hat with pink feathers.
Ninja Peach utilizes stealth to clear levels and take down the baddies. If you play the game for any reason at all, it should be for these levels. The level of camp is so over the top that I can’t help but to laugh at what “stealth” must mean at the loud, overwrought Sparkle Theater.
Cowgirl Peach “comes complete with a rope and a ten-gallon hat”… some badass chaps and a matching vest. On these levels, Peach uses her old-west expertise to lasso enemies and throw them at other enemies. (You didn’t think she’d have a gun, did you?)
Mighty Peach dons a space-aged power suit that “increases the wearer’s strength 30-fold.” She can punch just about anything, or use this power to pick up heavy items, (at one point, Peach picks up a bus!) and launch them at enemies.
Kung Fu Peach, oddly enough, is the only Peach with eye shadow. I’m not sure why, but I’m not mad about it. Kung Fu Peach levels are fun because her main attack is just kicking the shit out of everything and everyone. The Kung Fu ensemble “increases the wearer’s fluidity and strength.”
Cropped images of Detective Peach, Patissiere Peach, Dashing Thief Peach, Figure Skater Peach, Mermaid Peach all posing for the camera.
Non-Combat Peach
While the combat productions are pretty fun, the non-combat levels are also a really good time, and open up a variety of minigames. Patisserie Peach, Dashing Thief Peach, and Detective Peach focus on strategy and puzzle solving.
Patissiere Peach is an adventure because—and I’m brave for admitting this, surely—I did not know the meaning of the word “patissiere.” Basically, she’s a pastry chef. For this stage production, Peach must bake cookies to satisfy the hangry baddies. The game describes this look as “a cute, checkered ensemble that is all the rage among bakers.” These levels are not my favorite but, they are a nice break from combat.
Dashing Thief Peach. Yes, you read that correctly; this look gives Carmen Sandiego vibes, and it’s no wonder this is the outfit Nintendo ran with in ad campaigns. Peach dons this “superbly sleek ensemble outfitted with a mask and cape” to collect stolen artifacts.
With her magnifying glass in hand, Detective Peach uses her intuition and general badassery to solve crime. This Sherlock Holmes inspired detective look is described as “an ensemble for the most astute and those dedicated to justice.”
Figure Skater Peach posing for the camera.
Mermaid Peach posing for the camera.
The Cream of the Crop
The last two Peach ensembles hold very special and dear places in my gay little heart. Imagine the two gayest personas any gaybie or theybie could obsess over. For me, and apparently the creative directors at Nintendo, those would be Figure Skater Peach and Mermaid Peach. I’ve put these two in their own category because they are my favorites, but they also change game navigation and mechanics a bit more than the others.
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Figure Skater Peach is a blast. Skating around on ice, twirling and jumping with all of the grace of a real figure skater. This breezy ensemble “enables the wearer to perform flawlessly.” There are no crumbs left after Peach hits the ice—maybe the best the look in Princess Peach: Showtime!
Mermaid Peach is a singing delight; guiding fish with her voice to solve puzzles in the depths of the Sparkle Theater. This ensemble “allows the wearer to glide through water with grace and ease.”
In Conclusion
Princes Peach: Showtime! is so much more than just a fun game of dress-up. The game mechanics are simple yet enjoyable. The various things you collect are plentiful enough that you don’t need to collect every single sparkle to beat the game. And the enemy is unique enough to feel different from the other Mario-verse games.
The biggest downside for me is that it just felt like it was too quick of a play through. Maybe some will like its short runtime, but a full retail price game taking only 8 hours to complete, particularly with such light difficultly, is a little rough. That being said, this is a great game if you’re feeling burned out after a long day at work or you need a welcome break from something like Baldur’s Gate 3.
Pros:
- Fun new varied game mechanics compared to other Mario-verse games
- Peach is a badass and no longer just a “damsel in distress”
- Ninja Peach. Ninja! Peach!
- A unique world that expands on a character we already know and love
- A simple, relaxing game that’s easy to get into
- Whimsy and style that both fits Mario’s universe and feels perfectly defined for Peach
Cons:
- If you’re not careful you’ll finish the (full price) game in one sitting
- Lots of quick cut scenes that you can’t skip
- I would love to be able to change the colors of the various ensembles
Overall: 70/100
Sources: MarioWiki
