A royal adventure
Princess Peach shows off her skills in a new game, Showtime.
If you’ve played some of Nintendo’s popular Mario games, you’ll almost certainly have met his friend Princess Peach. Now she’s starring in her own game for the Switch console, called Princess Peach: Showtime!
She is more than just a princess here, though. The game’s plot has Peach trying to save a theatre from a villainous acting crew called Grape and the Sour Bunch.
How does she save it? By leaping onto the stage – but each time playing a different role. Her transformations include Ninja Peach, who’s good at sneaking about and surprising enemies; Cowgirl Peach, who rides on a horse waving a lasso; and Swordfighter Peach, who can leap and duel like nobody else. Detective Peach uses her magnifying glass to solve mysteries; Figure Skater Peach is an ice skater; Patissiere Peach bakes giant cakes; and Kung Fu Peach is a martial arts expert.
Each stage (level) has different gameplay depending on which
Peach you are at the time and that character’s special skills. For Swordfighter Peach, that means running, jumping and swinging your sword to make it through the stage. However, as Ninja Peach you have to be craftier, hiding behind scenery such as bushes and walls before jumping out to surprise people. Patissiere Peach’s stage is more of a puzzle where you have to decorate cakes with icing.
The game isn’t too difficult, so you’ll be able to work your way through it and unlock costumes and stages at your own speed. Whichever Peach you are, you just move, jump and press an “action” button.
Like the best Mario games, there are lots of secrets to find as you play, from coins and power-ups to entire secret rooms. This also gives you a reason to replay stages if you’ve missed these extra bits, making the game last longer.