Princess Peach Showtime Review and Costume Rankings
Princess Peach Showtime Review!
Princess Peach: Showtime! is a unique concept that has Nintendo doing what it does best: creating a fun and whimsical experience. Unfortunately, classic Nintendo execution and refinement aren’t at the level we have become accustomed to, which would have placed this game among the best Nintendo Switch titles based on concept alone. However, as is, Princess Peach: Showtime! is somehow more than you think you will get and less than you expect at the exact same time.
Your reception of Princess Peach Showtime will depend on your expectations coming into the game. If you’re expecting the next incredible Nintendo franchise that is ultra refined in every aspect, you might end up slightly disappointed. However, if you go in expecting a light hearted fun time that is ultra accessible for the whole family, that have occasional bumps in the road, you will be delighted.
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The concept of Princess Peach: Showtime is genius as it allows for a multitude of themes as Princess Peach needs to rescue a theatre from the throws of evil and in the process of doing so, needs to changes costumes to fit the different themes. I wish they would have pushed into more ideas that veered farther away from platform centric ideas like the Patisserie Peach and Detective Peach Stage as a lot of the platform stages felt similar.
If you are also creating a first party Nintendo platformer, there will inevitably be comparisons to other platformers that have come before it. The biggest issue with Princess Peach: Showtime is that she doesn’t always feel as responsive as you want, especially for a Nintendo title, who have made some of the best feeling games of all time. The Princess can feel a little sluggish at times and some of the level designs are clunky.
Peach can get stuck behind boxes, have difficulty traversing platforms and upon finding a secret spotlight, the princess will descend underneath the floor, but upon return, Peach drops back into the main stage from above. There are lots of little deficiencies like this, which are insignificant and the majority of gamers won’t notice a lot of them consciously, but subconsciously, these are the little details that Nintendo has been known for, and are exactly the type of attention that make the difference between being a game you never forget or one you enjoy and move on.
Princess Peach: Showtime! also has a very low skill There is also a very low skill requirement. Princess Peach Showtime never asks for more skill out of you. Most Nintendo games offer multiple levels of challenge for people of different skill sets and age groups. In Super Mario Odyssey and Wonder, if you want all the coins and seeds your skills need to progress with the game. Princess Peach doesn’t have that same skill requirement as the game progresses. Peach just requires more persistence instead of more skill.
Verdict
Ultimately, Princess Peach is overflowing with charm that has plenty of fun to offer, although it does lack gameplay depth and refinement to make it an iconic Nintendo classic, it’s easy to see that the foundation is here for something much better, because the possibilities for a theatre based Princess Peach franchise moving forward are endless.
However, Princess Peach: Showtime! isn’t exactly targeted towards the more advanced gamer, so the best thing to do is to leave you with this five year old review.
“Super Powers make everything fun, they're the best. Princess Peach is boring when she doesn’t have them. This game is the best. 10/10”
Finally, the moment everyone wants to know:
Princess Peach: Showtime! Costume Rankings
10. Mighty Peach - Mighty Peach is a perfect analogy for the rest of the game. Excellent concept that lacked execution. The side scrolling shoot em up part was such a clever idea, but ultimately felt too clunky. There was a huge opportunity to be inspired by some of the greats like R-Type or Gradius that have ultra tight controls and were made decades ago
9. Mermaid Peach - Mermaid Peach felt like the strangest stage of all. Trying to get the fish to do what you want was sometimes frustrating. Points off for abandoning the stage aspect with strings attached to everything.
8. Detective Peach - Lots of credit is given for any stage that steps outside of the platformer bubble, but even though Detective Peach was a great idea and the puzzle solving had potential, the game constantly gave you the answers before you begin.
7. Figure Skater Peach - Figure Skater Peach worked well as a concept, but the gameplay on ice was quite basic with everything needing a spin.
6. Kung-Fu Peach - Kung Fu Peach had some fun timing sections fighting the Kung Fu Master and the stage had some verticality with pipes and poles to use too, but had very little challenge.
5. Patisserie Peach - Patisserie Peach was the best executed stage without platforming. A few more mini games would have went a long way and it felt like there was too much mixing.
4. Cowgirl Peach- Cowgirl Peach made me nostalgic for Sunset Riders, which is always a good thing. Set pieces were fun and there was more skill required on this stage.
3. Sword fighter Peach - Sword Fighter Peach felt like the first concept created for the game as it felt the most refined out of all the stages. It was a great introduction to Princess Peach Showtime and the Matrix style dodges were always enjoyable.
2. Dashing Thief Peach - Dashing Thief features arguably the best platforming out of all the stages. This is likely thanks to its higher challenge level with its minimal frustration.
1. Ninja Peach - Princess Peach in a stealth game is a lot more fun than you might think. Lots of bonus points given for how adorable it is when she hides in grass, against a wall or under water. These levels also include plenty of verticality.