Make room, Mario! Princess Peach lets it loose in her solo adventure

Princess Peach doesn’t have an easy time: she is repeatedly kidnapped by the supervillain Bowser and has to wait until Super Mario frees her and returns her to her castle.

Occasionally she can be selected and controlled as a character in some Mario games, but true solo adventures where she takes the spotlight are very rare. So it was high time that she finally got a worthy video game in which the lady can really come into her own.

The show must go on

The woman in pink visits the Funkeltheater because she simply wants to treat herself to a fun and entertaining time. But as soon as she enters the foyer and talks to cute characters, the disaster begins: a masked villain has taken control of the entire building and is causing chaos on the various stages. All the actors’ guilds have been kidnapped and the theater is now used as the setting for a particularly tragic tragedy.

Now Princess Peach takes on the challenge of cleaning up in each scene with different costumes, i.e. special abilities, and freeing the cursed creatures. She receives support from theater guard Stella. This gives the princess a magical ribbon that gives her access to the worlds and can save the enchanted actors and put on special costumes.

From cowgirl to mermaid

In more than twenty levels on different floors, Peach can resort to ten predetermined transformations that give her a special ability in each environment: as a fencer, kung fu master or flying superhero, she can pack a punch and really make it rip. As a master thief, cowgirl or ninja you sneak around and do gymnastics and as a figure skater, detective, pastry chef or mermaid you put on the rather strange costumes that sometimes raise eyebrows.

In each individual section, not only do prisoners have to be released and a final boss defeated, but crystal stars must also be found, that is, earned. These are necessary so that Stella can open a door on the different floors so that the game continues. In addition, magical fantasy creatures must be freed so that everything flows nicely and the final battle with the supervillain can take place properly.

The mood arises

“Princess Peach: Showtime!” has become a colorful mix of mini-levels, almost all of which are presented in a different outfit and surprise. When Peach throws punches with her fighting limbs, swings the cowgirl whip or attacks with her rapier, the mood kicks in. When she then takes on the role of detective and has to solve a case in a museum, the genre variation is welcomed with open arms.

Even in the quiet parts, where people sing underwater, dance on the ice or bake cookies and decorate cakes in the kitchen, a smile will be put on your face. In these sections the tolerance limit for sugar content must be particularly high. Because the very large glitter and glitter trowel is used here.

Looking for replay value

The quieter parts, which work according to a certain rhythm, not only provide the necessary variety, but also ensure that the game cannot be completed faster. Because time with “Showtime!” Unfortunately it’s over very quickly.

The levels are short, the difficulty level is far too low and you won’t find a real challenge. The replay value is also limited, unless you want to decorate the theater after the credits, try on new clothes, collect the remaining crystal stars and try again to beat one record or another together with the boss opponents.

An incredibly good and entertaining time

Conclusion: I would have loved to spend more time with Princess Peach, but unfortunately the credits rolled across the screen far too quickly. The levels were way too short, way too easy and overall I didn’t really feel challenged. And yet I had an incredibly fun and entertaining time in this sparkling theater, which showered me with cuteness, glitter and sugar and always managed to surprise me with its playful ideas.

The different costumes provide variety in the game mechanics and a lot of charm and humor in this colorful, crazy theater world that can only come from Nintendo.

“Princess Peach: Showtime!” is available for the Nintendo Switch from March 22 and is intended for children aged 7 and over.