Peach Showtime is a fun-filled addition to the Mario world. Creative and diverse level design that is slightly reminiscent of Paper Mario, with the environment all being imaginative set design (and I mean theatre set design) with interactive pieces of the environment, or set, breaking apart and showing glimpses of the plywood supporting it. As someone who served their time in theatre and production, this brought a shuddering smile to my face. With each level having a different theme of classic entertainment genres the player is constantly excited to uncover what the next level is going to be.
Character design is top-notch and continuously keeps the player aware of the environment. With each boss being unique with no one move set being the same it is fun to discover. Finally, the Princess herself shows off her acting range, and that she isn’t just a damsel in distress but an anime magic girl. Each level, or show, has its lead role and Peach plays them all. Ninja, Hero and Sherriff/Cowgirl to name a few, with each lead role comes a new costume along with a new move set to learn. The best thing about it all is the classic magic girl cutscenes where Peach does a dance sequence with poses as her classic pink dress glows white “blinding” the player before Jojo (bizarre adventures, not the one with a podcast) posing the house down with her new fit for the level.
Now in no way is this game difficult. The attack patterns of bosses are predictable and really, REALLY easy to get to know. The controls for Princess are comprised of two buttons that jump and attack, making it super intuitive and easy to learn. Does this impact the overall enjoyment of the game? No. Showtime sets itself apart by camping it up and making it fun. What I appreciate most about this is that instead of incessant tutorials taking you out of the gameplay but is available via an unintrusive button prompt. Overall this is a fun game for those who love the franchise or are looking for some lighthearted fun. Overall Princess Peach Showtime is a breath of fresh air in a scape where games that 1% of players will experience a little success.
OUR RATING:
3/5
Cute, fun, engaging and creative!
