On March 22, Princess Peach: Showtime! will give us a standalone Peach game, rather than relegating the princess to the role of side character in yet another Super Mario Bros. title. We haven’t gotten a solo Peach game since 2005 (and that one was pretty shallow and insulting), so this is long overdue. The upcoming action adventure game for Nintendo Switch is due out in March, but everyone is curious about what it will entail and how many outfit changes Peach will get during it (it’s a lot).
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Pre-order Princess Peach: Showtime: Amazon | Best Buy | Humble Bundle
We got an in-depth look at Princess Peach: Showtime! during a September 2023 Nintendo Direct, and more recently, saw that the Switch will get special, flower-pink Joy-Cons to celebrate the release. Two separate transformation trailers gave us an idea of just how many different looks and abilities Peach will have in the game, as well. But what else do we know about the upcoming Peach game? Let’s get into it.
Princess Peach: Showtime! release date and Joy-Cons
Princess Peach: Showtime! drops for the Nintendo Switch on March 22, 2024. You can pre-order the game on the Nintendo Switch eShop and other retailers, as well as left and right pastel-pink Joy-Cons (previously this colorway was only available in a duo that included one yellow controller and one pink one).
Princess Peach: Showtime! trailer
The September 2023 Nintendo Direct gave us our first look at Princess Peach: Showtime! by way of a trailer, which starts with Princess Peach and some Toads heading to the Sparkle Theater to watch a play. But before the curtains rise on the production, the bad guys (Grape and the Sour Bunch) show up and ruin the show. Peach and the theater’s guardian, a floating star named Stella, have to stop her, and we see how Peach and Stella will work together in the game—Peach can use Stella’s ribbon-esque appendages to reach faraway objects or slap baddies.
But the dynamic duo of Peach and Stella isn’t the core gameplay conceit here—it’s actually Peach’s collection of Sailor Moon-like transformations, whereby her entire outfit changes and she gains new powers for each look. It’s very Barbie-core.
Princess Peach: Showtime! setting and story
From what we’ve seen, it appears that the theater setting will serve as a backdrop and centering mechanic for the story—as Peach and Stella try to reclaim the theater from Grape and the Sour Bunch, the stage design will shift and change as if new shows are being put on. This will also tie into Peach’s outfit transformations, which are sure to be cosplay fodder in 2024 and beyond.
Other than that, it’s unclear what’s going on here—did Peach try and see a show solo to give herself a reprieve from Mario? Was she, perhaps, considering an acing career? Is she the theater’s biggest donor?
Princess Peach: Showtime! transformations
So far, between the two different Princess Peach: Showtime! trailers, we’ve seen the princess turn an impressive amount of looks (which each have their own unique set of abilities). On February 14, Nintendo released an “Act II” Transformation trailer that revealed four more transformations. Here’s all the ones we know of so far:
- Ninja Peach: Peach wields two kunai that she can use to dash forward and slash at enemies. She’s very lithe and fast, and also appears to be able to procure fake grass to hide behind.
- Cowgirl Peach: Peach can ride a horse and use a lasso, all while wearing chaps.
- Swordfighter Peach: Peach has a thin sword she can hack-and-slash baddies with, and a feathered cap, of course.
- Detective Peach: Peach can use her magnifying glass to find clues and a notebook to jot down details or take testimony from other characters.
- Patisserie Peach: Peach dons a chef’s hat and can bake and decorate cakes.
- Kung Fu Peach: Peach can gracefully jump high in the air and spin around poles, kicking baddies with each rotation.
- Figure Skate Peach: Peach glides across ice dressed kinda like Elsa from Frozen and can swing baddies around with her as she pirouettes.
- Dashing Thief Peach: Peach dons a mask and cloak and gets a grappling hook.
- Mermaid Peach: Peach goes underwater and gets a tail and a beautiful voice.
- Mighty Peach: Peach gets super-strength and a cute, ‘60s-inspired superhero outfit.
Princess Peach: Showtime! gameplay
Though the format of Princess Peach: Showtime! differs from traditional Super Mario Bros. games, it does appear that this upcoming title will mainly focus on platforming elements, with Peach’s transformations changing up how you can traverse a level. Princess Peach: Showtime! is a single-player game.
Princess Peach: Showtime! releases for Nintendo Switch on March 22, 2024. It costs $60.
Pre-order Princess Peach: Showtime: Amazon | Best Buy | Humble Bundle
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