Princess Peach: Showtime! Reviews
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.
Full of personality and variety, Princess Peach Showtime delivers a performance that’s better than the sum of its parts, with some shallow mechanics lost in the glitz of its cabaret show. The challenge is definitely geared towards youngsters, but even experienced players will find it difficult not to be charmed.
Princess Peach: Showtime! sees Nintendo finally give everyone's favourite imaginary princess the rollicking adventure she deserves. We had expected a rather throwaway offering here, a bunch of minigames and Mario-lite platforming maybe, but what we've got is one of the better kid-focused games on Switch. There's creativity, style, and fun to spare here, with levels packed full of secrets, cool outfits, and enough new mechanics to ensure nothing ever outstays its welcome. Come for the fashion, stay for the boss battles, slo-mo bullet dodges, and cardboard horse chases. Besides a few niggling performance issues, this is Nintendo on rather cracking form. Encore!
It's too soon to tell if Princess Peach: Showtime! will do for the character what Luigi's Mansion did for Mario's brother, but I find myself hoping we'll see Nintendo and Good Feel revisit this concept in the future. Hopefully by then they'll have ditched some of the weaker transformations, and give the graphics an overhaul worthy of royalty.
In this platformer, the focus is not on the difficulty of the individual levels, but on the many surprises that await me with Peach's creative outfits and transformations. The Sparkle Theater, Princess Peach and the game environments are detailed and lovingly designed. Even though the levels can be played through quickly, collecting coins and hidden stars gives me the motivation to play through them several times. It's a rather easy game, but a real feel-good experience.
Review in German | Read full review
Princess Peach: Showtime! further proves that it doesn't require Mario to show up to save the day because Princess Peach can hold her own.
Maybe this comes off as unfocused or contradictory. I had fun, but Showtime failed to hook me somehow. The stage variety is both a weakness and a strength. I like switching between concepts so frequently. But this comes with a cost, namely a depth deficiency. You’ve got tons of mechanics that take no time to learn. Stages oscillate between easy and enraging. There’s a giant list of collectibles that come in exactly two varieties. Even so, the raw concept is still cool. Giving Peach a whole closet full of roles is a great idea, albeit one I wanted more out of. If you give Princess Peach: Showtime! a chance, who knows? You might have a pretty good time.
Princess Peach: Showtime is quite cute, it has special colors, activities and themes that attract not only the young audience, but also those whose years have left their marks only on their outward appearance.
Review in Greek | Read full review
Princess Peach: Showtime! delivers surprising variety in gameplay and shows Peach in several roles like cowgirl, ninja or mermaid. Even though the game lacks in difficulty and replayability the target audience of younger and predominantly female gamers will find an entertaining Jump'n'Run with Nintendo's most prominent Princess. Everyone else gets a easy to digest game for short timeframes like a bus ride.
Review in German | 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.
