Princess Peach Showtime gameplay, and everything you need to know
Princess Peach Showtime is out now
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Princess Peach: Showtimeis out now, and strays from the traditional location of the Mushroom Kingdom which we typically see inMariogames. Instead, this adventure offers a new experience with Princess Peach where you’ll take to the stage in an entirely new style ofMariogame.
We’ve now playedPrincess Peach Showtime. You can read our thoughts in ourPrincess Peach Showtime review. In it, we praised the game’s adorable visuals, great boss fights and approachable difficulty.
Here’s what you need to know about Princess Peach Showtime, including how it differs from a standardSuper Mario Bros. title.
Princess Peach Showtime - cut to the chase
Princess Peach Showtime release date and platforms
Princess Peach: Showtime!released exclusively onNintendo Switchon March 22, 2024. Due to being aMario Bros. adjacent story, it was only ever going to be a Nintendo system exclusive.
As the first Princess Peach-central game for the series in 18 years, it’s got some pretty big boots to fill. The lastMariogame to feature Princess Peach as the protagonist,Super Princess Peach, was released in 2005 forNintendo DS. While it doesn’t quite rank as one of the verybest Nintendo DS games, it’s still worth checking out if you’re looking for a pretty-in-pink game to spend your time playing while you wait for the launch ofShowtime.
Princess Peach Showtime trailers
The most recent trailer forPrincess Peach: Showtime!walks us through the story of the game, where Peach and two toads are visiting the Sparkle Theatre after receiving a flyer for a play. However, when they arrive, the Wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch appear before the trailer begins to show us some in-game footage of Peach jumping into action to save the theatre. The video ends with the release date reveal. Check out the full trailer below:
Princess Peach Showtime gameplay
As the gameplay in the trailer above shows, throughoutPrincess Peach: Showtime!you will take on several different roles through different costumes, each with unique abilities that will help you progress through the game and face off with the Sour Bunch. Stella, the guardian of the theatre also serves as Peach’s form of attack within the game, breaking parts of the set that are blocking you from progressing through various levels.
Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.
Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.
However, Stella alone isn’t enough to completeShowtimeand save the plays that have been stolen, which is where Peach’s theatrical abilities come in incredibly handy - Peach can take on several alter egos during the game and these are the key to success.
Depending on which play you are working toward saving, Peach will have an outfit change and take on numerous different abilities to coincide with each new area. For example, the newest trailer shows off Kung-Fu Peach, who is quick to attack and engages in fast combat similar to swordfighter Peach, whereas Detective Peach relies on her ability to discover clues and solve mysteries rather than getting so hands-on with the Sour Bunch. These different settings and abilities are bound to shake up the in-game content and keep things exciting rather than the game following the traditional platforming element ofMariotitles.
In addition to this, each setting appears to have a number of mini-game-like sections, such as what appear to be quick-time events during combat, or icing a cake as Patisserie Peach, so we’re anticipating a lot of variety within the different areas you explore and Peach’s many forms. A lot of these minigames appear to function similarly toMario Party, where things are timed and fast-paced to keep players on their toes, all without disrupting the pace of the game.
Finally, it seems as if a boss fight concludes each stolen play, which is incredibly similar to reaching the end of a world within a traditionalMario Bros.game and facing off with the boss in Bowser’s Castle. Because of this, we are questioning if each stolen play will serve in a similar way as these worlds, and if this is the start of a series ofPeachgames.
Princess Peach Showtime story and setting
The story ofPrincess Peach: Showtime!follows Princess Peach in the theatre, facing off against the Wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch who have taken center stage and made Peach’s perfect performance a terrible tragedy. Because of this, she will have to adorn her best costume and save the play.
Stella, the theatre’s guardian, has noticed what has happened and wishes to help Peach in her endeavors and gifts her a ribbon, which grants Peach a series of abilities that become essential during the adventure and helps perform attacks.
As the title of the game suggests,Princess Peach: Showtime!is set on stage, and takes place at the Sparkle Theatre, which is reflected through the various levels and abilities Peach will adopt throughout the story. Going off the trailers we’ve seen so far, it seems as though Peach won’t venture out of the theatre, and each new setting and play Peach is attempting to save will be constructed using set pieces to coincide with the theme and ability active.
We’ve had a brief look at some of the plays Peach will have to save, such as a museum and a bakery, but we’re hoping to see a look at more of the settings we can expect to explore the closer we get to the release date, hopefully with another in-game trailer a few months before the game launches.
Princess Peach Showtime news
Princess Peach: Showtime! box art has been altered, changing Peach’s appearanceThe box art forPrincess Peach: Showtimehas been updated, altering Peach’s appearance to look more like herSuper Mario Bros Moviecounterpart rather than her in-game appearance. Whether this will also be altered within the game itself is yet to be announced or spotlighted in a Nintendo Direct or trailer.
Princess Peach: Showtime! receives a title and a release dateFollowing an incredibly short announcement trailer,Princess Peach: Showtimehas received a more in-depth trailerexploring the story and setting for the game, alongside several in-game features and abilities we can expect Princess Peach to take on during the game. In addition to this, the game has received its full title -Princess Peach: Showtime- and a release date of March 22, 2024.
A Princess Peach game is in the worksWithin the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, an untitled Princess Peach game was announced. We didn’t see any in-game content, nor did we receive a title or a release date, and the trailer itself was incredibly short.
If you want to enjoy some of Nintendo’s older games, you might want to check out our lists of thebest Nintendo 3DS gamesand thebest GBA games. However, if you’re looking for some games to keep on your radar that aren’t exclusive to Nintendo Switch, it’s worth checking out ourupcoming gameslist too alongside thebest Nintendo Switch games.
Kara is an Evergreen writer at TechRadar Gaming. With a degree in Journalism and a passion for the weird and wonderful, she’s spent the last few years as a freelance video game journalist, with bylines at NintendoLife, Attack of the Fanboy, Prima Games, and sister publication, GamesRadar+. Outside of gaming, you’ll find her re-watching Gilmore Girls or trying to cram yet another collectible onto a shelf that desperately needs some organizing.
NYT Connections today — hints and answers for Saturday, November 9 (game #517)
From Dishonored to Mafia: Definitive Edition, some of my favorite games are free right now for Amazon Prime members
Arcane season 2 confirms the hit series isn’t just one of the best Netflix shows ever made – it’s an animated legend that’ll stand the test of time
