REVIEW: Princess Peach Showtime makes the princess the hero of the hour!

Princess Peach Showtime has finally arrived and places Mario's Princess as the star of a game of her own. Check out our full review below!

A princess who likes to get her hands dirty

Few may know, but Princess Peach Showtime It is not the first title in which the Princess took on the role of protagonist. In 2006, she took over as head of Super Princess Peach, a platform game in which it was her turn to save Mario and Luigi. Considered by some a release with a certain tone of machismo for making the girl's emotions her powers, it ended up forgotten by the general public.

We must also not forget its important role in Super Mario Bros. 2, way back at Nintendinho, when she was part of the main cast for the first time, or the many times she participated in the crazy races of the series' games Super Mario Kart and the amazing board games of the many Mario Parties. She even put on the cleats to play baseball and our beloved football in other titles, but alone, in her own game, she had few opportunities to truly shine. 

This is where the great opportunity to Princess Peach Showtime to establish itself as the Princess's first major game. And he hits the nail on the head, without the need to appeal or have even a hair of Mario's mustache. This new chapter of the story brings with it all the charm, elegance and empowerment of the character in a very fun adventure. 

Open your wings, the big star has arrived!

Far from being difficult to play, it is an excellent choice for the more inexperienced audience, but even so, it does not leave aside the most ardent fans, bringing all the splendor and spirit of the Super Mario franchise, but with Peach's face, highlighting her qualities and elements that make her a unique character among all those who make up the group. And this is not just because she is a woman, something that Super Mario Bros. - The film explored very well: the Princess is also a warrior, just in her own special way.

It all starts when the Princess receives an invitation to visit the Esplendor Tower, a renowned theater house in the Mushroom Kingdom. Upon arriving, she ends up embarking on a journey through magical stages when the evil Rubi and her Uvaparsas Troupe invade the place and steal her crown, capturing many of the poor Ribaltinos, the friendly beings who take care of the Tower. 

It's up to Peach to deal with the bandits, and to do so, she counts on the help of Estela, a friendly talking star capable of changing our heroine's costume with the power of her hair ribbon, giving the regent of the Mushrooms sensational powers. Will this duo be able to get the job done? 

Each phase of Princess Peach Showtime takes place in a different theater piece, divided into several screens. In them, you can find hidden stars, used to buy dresses for the Princess and Estela in the Tower lobby. The big news is that in every part of the game, a new costume is revealed, giving our protagonist incredible and super cool magical powers. Some, like the swordswoman, require no explanation, but others, for example the confectioner, require more attention, because they are used in skill minigames.

There are also times when Princess Peach Showtime It challenges you as a player, especially when you want to collect everything that can be caught in all the plays, as the objective is not always obvious. It's often hidden in plain sight, but as objects in the levels tend not to stand out, extra attention is required to complete the to-do list and really see everything the game has to offer.

Unexpected parallels with other Big N games

Like every good new Nintendo title, this one also has boss fights, and I would venture to say that the ones here are some of the best and most creative since Luigi's Mansion 3, starring the brother of the most famous plumber in video games. In fact, it's not just the bosses that the two have a lot in common, but also the progression structure of the two adventures. With both Peach and Luigi it is possible to play the stages in any order you wish, and they are divided into groups, to then give access to more locations in the theater, in case of Princess Peach Showtime.

Although neither are games with great challenges, the parallel between them continues when it comes to quality and pure friendliness. This second title starring the Princess exudes charm and good humor, not only because of the girl, but also because of the various jokes and puns contained in the script which, by the way, was very well localized for our language. Just look at the name of the villain troupe and you can get an idea of ​​how hard the translators worked to adapt practically everything from Princess Peach Showtime to make it as funny and round as possible.

All these new powers and games would be nothing if the game itself wasn't fun to play and for that it gets a good 10. With simple but very varied gameplay, every stage brings a new proposal, which adds to Peach's show a somewhat assorted tone of different flavors. Obviously, some will like the screens with more action more, while others will prefer those focused on minigames, but there is so much to see and do that there really is a bit of everything, a real salad.

Show of colors and joy at all times

If there is one aspect in which Princess Peach Showtime It's a bit of a technical flaw, with performance drops at times, some of which are somewhat unexpected, such as during loading screens, and at others, when there's a lot going on at the same time. These are isolated points, but still present, that we notice even more in a game as beautiful as this one.

And really, it is one of the most visually exquisite, not losing anything to other exclusive releases for the Switch. Characters are well animated and even with a more limited look, they manage to convey a lot of personality, including the great villain, Rubi, who is basically a giant mask. 

The Princess is by far the one with the most details, which is to be expected. All of the costumes give her completely new animation cycles, not to mention how the developers managed to make them all match her way of being without losing characterization and functionality. And even without saying much other than shouting and short isolated phrases, this is easily one of the times she communicates and expresses herself the most with us, the player.

In terms of the soundtrack, Princess Peach Showtime, even without counting on the classic songs from the Super Mario universe, it manages to take us into it and at the same time maintain its own identity, all its own. For each of the plays' themes, the music accompanies the action very well, without overpowering what is happening, but also without fading into the background. It's the type of musical that matches Nintendo's standards, standing out in a few of the stages, but nothing that screams *classic* as a Super Mario Bros. 3 of life.

Price and availability

Princess Peach Showtime arrived in stores and on the eShop on the 22nd. The game's physical media can be found at the new standard price for Switch releases, R$349. If you choose to buy the digital version, it's worth doing some research to get more affordable prepaid cards, but the label will be the same as the one on the cartridge.

And don't forget that this game is part of the list of titles that can be purchased with voucher from the eShop that gives access to two digital copies of games from the catalog through the Nintendo Switch Online subscription. So, if you have one of them lying around in your pocket, you can spend it on Princess Peach Showtime. 

And then? Is Princess Peach Showtime worth it?

For those looking for their new great distraction on the Switch, this is a game that will bring exactly that, a gift wrapped in lots of color and good humor at all times. Is it a difficult game? Far from it, but it's a lot of fun, and there's a lot of content to unlock and enjoy if you want to continue playing after the curtain closes and the story ends.

Princess Peach Showtime is another of Nintendo's releases that arrives on the Switch with a theme that from afar would only please a portion of the public, but the result is a game that will easily fall in favor with everyone, as it is a game that elevates the character to a level far beyond being a mere victim to be saved by Mario, but rather someone capable of calmly managing alone.

Gone are the days when Peach was just someone to beautify the final screen of a game, or serve as a supporting character, a special appearance in a presentation in which the spotlight falls on the friend in the red jumpsuit. She's here to stay and if Princess Peach Showtime It's a sample of what this girl is capable of, bring more and more games with her as the protagonist, yes!

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Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim