PUBLISHER Nintendo
DEVELOPER Nintendo
PLATFORMS Switch
RELEASE DATE 03.22.2024
Though Princess Peach has been playable in way too many Mario games to mention here, the Mushroom Kingdom’s pink potentate has almost never starred in a game of her own. In fact, if you can believe it, the upcoming Princess Peach: Showtime! for the Nintendo Switch is just her second-ever turn in the spotlight, after 2006’s Super Princess Peach.
And this time around, that spotlight is literal. That’s because Showtime! follows Peach on an adventure in the Sparkle Theater, which has been taken over by the evil sorceress Grape and her Sour Bunch. To save the day, the princess teams up with the theater’s guardian, Stella, a character resembling a star atop a bow.
What’s exciting about Princess Peach: Showtime! isn’t just the focus on its leading lady, but the fact that it looks to be truly original among games set in the Mushroom Kingdom. Super Princess Peach was just a 2D platformer built around a new set of abilities, including, uh, getting too emotional and crying—no joke.
But Showtime! is much more than Peach having another go at the genre that Mario built. In fact, it’s difficult to sum up all the things you’ll be doing in a single genre. Sure, there’s still a bit of jumping around and fighting enemies, but the princess will also get into duels, decorate pastries, and hunt for clues to solve a mystery, thanks to a clever system that lets her switch between different roles, each with a new outfit and abilities. Mario Lite this is definitely not.
