I finished Princess Peach Showtime last night, and I came away with a resounding feeling of “that was all right”.
It was decent. It was fine. It was okay. I enjoyed it well enough. But it didn’t set my world alight. At the same time, it wasn’t bad. I didn’t hate it. I don’t feel the need to rant and rave about things it may or may not do “wrong”. It was just… fine.
That’s a bit of a shame, though, given that this was the first time Peach had taken the starring role in a game since 2005’s Super Princess Peach on Nintendo DS. I’m not entirely surprised that Princess Peach Showtime ended up being how it is, particularly after playing the demo, but I do feel like there could have been a bit more to it. So let’s talk about that!
I like Mario games, but I enjoy it more when Nintendo gives their other characters a bit of time to shine independently of the portly plumber. Which is why I’m so intrigued by Princess Peach: Showtime!, a game that seems to have been attempting to distance itself from the “platformer” designation in favour of… what?
Well, a demo came out for it yesterday, so I downloaded it today and gave it a play over lunchtime. The demo is pretty brief, consisting of just the game’s introductory sequence and two individual levels — one for Peach in her Swordfighter costume and another in her Patissiere outfit — but it was enough to intrigue me.
Let’s take a closer look, and ponder what I hope to see in the full game when it comes out later this month.
