Princess Peach: Showtime! Reviews
While Super Princess Peach on the DS was criticised for reducing a female lead to being very literally controlled by her emotions, Princess Peach Showtime only works to allow her to embody so many different roles because there isn’t really a defined character underneath it all. For all its faults, 2023’s Super Mario Brothers Movie at least gave us a Peach who was driven, confident and capable – if Nintendo needs tips on how to build a Princess who could helm a game on her own, they should just ask Anya Taylor-Joy for tips. For now, I don’t see Showtime making it to Broadway – but I might still check out the matinee if there’s nothing else going on.
Despite its technical woes and pervasive simplicity, there's just enough of a spark in Princess Peach Showtime! that it had won me over by the time the curtains closed. It might not be deserving of a standing ovation but it's certainly got the stage presence to attract an audience. It's good, light, family fun that's consistently charming and perfectly cast.
Princess Peach: Showtime! finally gives our first Nintendo Diva the spotlight she has long deserved, and almost shockingly, once again brings us a Nintendo experience that feels both comfortably familiar and thrillingly different. Despite some weird frame-rate issues and a few costume changes that are less memorable than others, the amount of charm and satisfying simplicity oozing out of Princess Peach: Showtime! makes it a stage performance worthy of applause and adoration. Let's hope this first true starring role for Peach isn't her last.
Princess Peach Showtime is a nice break away from our favourite plumber and his brother and while I enjoyed this as an older gamer, it definitely does have a more younger gamer appeal. Even so, it's quite a clever premise and if you're looking for something a little different, check out the demo via the Nintendo store and if you like it, Princess Peach Showtime might be the fun you're looking for.
Princess Peach: Showtime! is an exemplar of Nintendo's game design philosophy, delivering an innovative and cohesive gaming experience that challenges expectations and recalls the essence of video games.
Review in Italian | Read full review
With its emphasis on action, exploration, and a heaped helping of theatricality, Princess Peach: Showtime! showcases that our dear Princess is more than comfortable in the spotlight. If the odd performance issues subside, it may just be ready for a standing ovation.
Princess Peach: Showtime! feels like a safe release from Nintendo, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing: it’s fun, it’s inventive, and it looks wonderful. Its quirky level designs and Peach’s range of fancy costumes will no doubt put a smile on your face but ultimately, there’s little more here than that — a pretty, if shallow, Nintendo adventure that’s best played in 30-minute bursts.
Good-Feel knew exactly who they were making this for and they succeeded, but it would have been nice if there were some substance for gamers who grew up with Peach too.
Princess Peach: Showtime! had the potential to be much more than it is. It’s upsetting that it’s so simple and easy, and feels like a waste of the sheer amount of creativity that went into the concept of the theater, plays, and costumes. It’s that creativity that’s preventing me from giving this game a lower score. But on the merits of its gameplay alone (and the fact that it’s not a very long game — I completed it in about 15 hours), this isn’t Nintendo’s strongest showing.
The first mainline game for Princess Peach in nearly two decades is a charming adventure with some solid ideas and excellent boss battles. Princess Peach: Showtime demonstrates that the heroine is worthy of being a leading protagonist on her own merit, despite a few performance issues.
Princess Peach Showtime! is full of wonderful bits and pieces, all showcasing a staggering variety of extremely well implemented gameplay styles which come together as a very fun full game. It stumbles a little in terms of performance (perhaps some irony there in relation to theatre) but pulls itself back up. A Stella(r) second outing for Nintendo's leading lady and one that comes recommended regardless of age or any other features people use to create target audiences.
I went into Princess Peach: Showtime expecting Nintendo-quality filler. A game to pad out the year’s release schedule without being a particularly memorable effort by the company. Instead, we get a wonderful, playful and clever little game that allowed Nintendo to make Peach a multifaceted hero without needing to subvert all those years spent building this incredibly valuable character. This feels like it could be the start of another very valuable property for the company.
What it lacks in depth and challenge, Princess Peach: Showtime! makes up for in variety and charm, making it an excellent entry-level point to its various gameplay styles for younger and less experienced players. Its appealing presentation style is let down only slightly by a surprisingly poor framerate during loading and transition screens that can hopefully be fixed with a performance-focused patch in the future. Although it never quite reaches the heights of a more focused gameplay experience, the variety of gameplay presented in Princess Peach: Showtime! make it an easy recommendation to make.
"I actually enjoyed playing it, despite its ease, and I don't see the point in limiting it to a younger audience. It suits everyone who wants an easy platform game after a hard day's work or who is looking to try a Nintendo product at various levels.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Princess Peach: Showtime! is worth it for families and young players, it is a charming and colorful introduction for the most famous princess in the gaming world.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
Princess Peach: Showtime! does some good things, but in the end it falls short. This platformer is full of good ideas, but the problem is that they remain just that: ideas. It's as if its developers had put together a bunch of proofs of concept in a single game without worrying about the most important thing: that they form a fun product and turn out to be more than the sum of all its parts.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Nintendo just knows how to do these things. And perhaps that's part of the problem. It's a quality game, and it's a lot of fun. But it won't bring you anything you didn't already know. Also, the game is very short and you can finish it in two days.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
I loved the many mini-adventures within Princess Peach: Showtime! and hope that it inspires folks to enjoy the theater with its imagination-fueled campaign full of dress-up challenges that'll make you believe you can be anything you set your heart to. 👸
To conclude, Princess Peach: Showtime! offers a unique and fresh experience in the Super Mario world. If you’re a fan of Princess Peach or looking for a different game, it’s worth checking out. Grab your best snacks, choose a front-row seat, and enjoy this fantastic story.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Princess Peach: Showtime, with its simple and immediate controls, bright colors, incredible variety of costumes (which although with mixed results, keep the gameplay fresh and diverse) and all-too-simplified difficulty is clearly aimed at younger gamers. That said, if you want to play something easy and lighthearted to relax, Princess Peach: Showtime!, without a shadow of a doubt, will put you in a good mood.
Review in Italian | Read full review