Princess Peach – Showtime! review: From victim to heroine

Showtime! gives her the stage in an adventure that spotlights her completely – no Mario, no Bowser, no Luigi, not even the usual enemies. Nintendo has invented a fresh world in which Peach can be the hero, instead of a sidekick or victim. Perhaps you couldn’t call it a triumph for feminism but even the new villain is a woman – a wicked character called Grape and her gang of bandits, the Sour Bunch.

Grape and her misfits have overrun a theatre, disrupting the many mini-plays being staged across its several floors. Peach is summoned to the rescue, pursuing the marauding gang around the various theatrical sets.

Step back a bit and you’ll realise the structure of Showtime! is not that far removed from many a Super Mario or Kirby adventure in 2D. You’ll whack baddies, engage in light platforming, collect coins and search for hidden trinkets. However, much as Mario’s most recent and successful outings exploited modifier costumes, so too Peach dons new outfits to grant her special abilities.

You don’t get to choose which is used where but the princess cycles through 10 “characters” in dozens of levels. One mission might involve stealth, so her get-up involves ninja gear, complete with bamboo snorkel for sneaking underwater and camouflage to mimic a background. Another casts her as a pastry chef so cake decoration becomes the main task. Other roles include detective, cowgirl and kung-fu expert.

Not every character is a success but there’s enough variety in the 30-odd levels to ensure boredom rarely threatens. Some missions let her rock her voluminous frocks – a collection that can be expanded with a bit of shopping. Wherever she goes, she brings light and joy back to the theatre’s inhabitants with a flick of her magical ribbon, empowering timid creatures or bringing plants to life.

Showtime! targets a younger gamer with its fundamentally simple mechanics. There are rarely more than two buttons to worry about – although, confusingly perhaps, their functions can vary between levels. With a generous supply of heart lifelines, most players will only feel the challenge acutely during the clever boss battles.

Peach’s adventure may not possess the sheer wit and flair on show in Nintendo’s most recent tour de force, Super Mario Bros Wonder, but it acts as a long-overdue promotion for a promising heroine.