Review: Princess Peach Showtime!

I was late to the party with my review of Super Princess Peach, so I decided to be more timely with her latest installment, Princess Peach™: Showtime! for the Nintendo Switch that launched last Friday. The game is a mix between the dress-up elements of Time Princess and the gameplay elements of Disney Princess Enchanted Journey/My Fairytale Adventure. Although it provides more of a challenge than the Disney Princess games of the past as one might expect of a Super Mario Bros. title, it can easily be completed in a full day, which makes the steep price tag questionable. Still, Princess Peach's newest title is visually pleasing, entertaining, and fun to play.

The game begins with Princess Peach entering a large theater run by the Sparklas, generic muppet-like creatures that populate the Showtime! worlds. As soon as she arrives, a magic tornado blasts her tiara off her head. A talking star named Stella appears and replaces it with a magic hair ribbon that allows her to transform into starring roles in the various shows that the theater performs. She soon learns that the tornado was caused by the wicked Madame Grape, who has sent grape-like minions from the Sour Bunch to terrorize every show in the theater. It is Peach's job to use the powers of the roles her magic hair ribbon provides to defeat the Sour Bunch, rescue the original Sparklas in each role, and restore the theater to its former glory.

There are ten primary "roles" that Peach can transform into with a surprise bonus role at the end. Each play has two main acts and a finale in the basement, where she rescues its original Sparkla star. Though this game is clearly targeted toward girls, roughly half the roles that Peach transforms into are action-oriented, likely to avoid the same criticism that Super Princess Peach received for using emotion-based powers in the only female-led Super Mario Bros. title at the time. However, the non-fighter roles, which include a baker, a mermaid, a figure skater, and a detective have the most variety and visual appeal. My favorite transformation is a shimmery pink and blue mermaid that allows Peach to use her siren song to control the fish around her to rescue mer-Sparklas trapped in giant clamshells to perform in a concert.

This game is relatively easy with each show in the theater taking roughly 10-15 minutes to complete. It provides less frustration than its predecessor, Super Princess Peach, but it is not impossible to lose like it is in the Disney Princess Enchanted Journey/My Fairytale Adventure duology. The game offers assistance to players who are struggling by offering a Heart Charm to provide extra health or even an option to spend all your coins to complete a level. While this may be considered cheating, it is a boon to players who don't care about certain roles and only want to unlock the floor that contains their favorite role. The game encourages replay by adding post-credit minigames like a Sparkla that hides within each show and an extra shop to buy decorations for the theater, but there isn't much reason to repeat stages unless you are a completionist who wants to find every star and hidden item.

The biggest appeal of Showtime! is the visuals. It is a dress-up game first and foremost and does an excellent job of portraying stylized costumes for Peach in each role. The surprising lack of pink prevents her from looking too similar to Barbie, another famous character who has taken on a large variety of roles, but fans of Peach's signature pink dress will enjoy the variety of new fabrics that can be purchased for her and Stella's default looks at the theater's store. Another cute visual in this game is that every time Peach transforms into a new role, her signature dress glows pale blue, making it look almost identical to Disney's Cinderella, who is widely considered the OG transforming princess. There is also ample opportunity for Peach to show off her unique looks with magic spotlights that appear in each level where she can strike a post and be transported to a bonus area to collect additional rewards.

Princess Peach: Showtime! is a visually stunning and entertaining game with a mix of light action and dress-up elements. Its light story allows plenty of opportunities for humor and gags, especially in the detective levels. It is a very different game from Super Princess Peach in terms of both story and gameplay. While the short playtime and hefty price tag might give some gamers pause, it's a delightful and frustration-free experience for fans of casual gaming and princesses. What did you think of Princess Peach Showtime? Did you have a favorite transformation? Share your thoughts in the comments below!