Princess Peach: Showtime! is a refreshingly different Nintendo Switch game

Princess Peach has come a long way from her days as a damsel in distress (seriously, how awesome was she in “The Super Mario Bros Movie”?), but she still tends to play a supporting role in many of Nintendo’s flagship games. That all changes with Princess Peach: Showtime!, which puts the iconic pink-wearing princess in the starring role — several of them, in fact.

Much as Peach has carved her own path as a character over the years, Showtime isn’t just a Mario game with Peach as the hero. This unique adventure is as charming as it is varied, effortlessly morphing from a stealthy ninja action romp to a frantic baking simulator to an interactive ice-skating competition. After playing about an hour of Princess Peach: Showtime! (and getting my hands on those sweet new pink Joy-Cons), here’s why I think this whimsical variety show is worth being on Nintendo Switch owners’ radar when it launches on March 22.

A new type of adventure

The premise of Princess Peach: Showtime! is classic Nintendo stuff — a sentient star named Stella and her group of squishy-looking actor friends (or “Theets”) have lost their beloved theater to a no-good villain named Grape, and Peach is there to save the day. This sets the stage (sorry) for Showtime’s unique gameplay, as each world has Peach taking on a different role in order to rid the Sparkle Theater of these literal bad actors.

I didn’t hesitate to start with the ninja-themed level, because who doesn’t want to throw shurikens as Princess Peach? This world put a big emphasis on stealth gameplay, as I had to carefully sneak around and surprise attack members of Grapes’ Sour Bunch to avoid getting caught. It felt like a whimsical take on what you’d see from a game like Metal Gear Solid or Ghost of Tsushima, and what it lacked in challenge, it made up for in charm. The more deliberate stealth sequences eventually gave way to an action-packed platforming crescendo with lots of fun moments — particularly every time Peach sliced through an enemy in dramatic slow motion.

I then moved on to something completely different and played a level that transformed me into Chef Peach. This particular world put a bigger focus on exploration and puzzle-solving, eventually wrapping up in a frantic dessert challenge that forced me to bake cookies without burning them (I burnt them often) and icing a series of cakes under a tight time limit (it’s harder than it sounds). While my skills aren’t going to win me “The Great British Bake Off” anytime soon, I got through just enough cakes to clear the level at the last second.

Other transformations I got to try included Cowgirl Peach (lassoing enemies and engaging in chaotic horse chases is as fun as it sounds), Swordfighter Peach (another cool action level with dramatic slo-mo moments), and, in what was one of my favorite sequences, Figure Skater Peach. Being tasked with jumping and spinning based on a series of on-ice prompts was more fun and challenging than I expected, especially when it became part of a boss fight in which I had to rally my Theet friends and encircle the bad guy in style.

In typical Nintendo game fashion, each level was packed with collectibles, and I was often rewarded for going off the beaten path. The gameplay didn’t feel quite as airtight as a traditional Mario platformer, but it was also more varied and still plenty of fun (I can see competitive speedrunners having a blast with the faster-paced side-scrolling sequences).

While it feels good to play, Showtime! is unfortunately the latest Nintendo release that seems to push the aging Switch to its limits. Cutscenes often became choppy, and while I love the game’s vibrant art style, the visuals don’t quite work the same hardware-defying magic that we’ve seen on the ultra-polished Super Mario Bros. Wonder or Tears of the Kingdom. Here’s hoping these moments of slowdown are minimal on the final release, and not as prevalent as they are on titles like Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

My hands-on session also gave me a chance to try out the new pastel pink Joy-Cons that are launching alongside the game on March 22. There’s not much to say about them; they’re pink Joy-Cons, and they look beautiful. If you’ve been looking for a uniform set of pink controllers for your Switch — whether or not you’re a Princess Peach stan — it certainly won’t hurt to add these to your collection.

The takeaway

After a year of massive Mario and Zelda games that built on familiar formulas, it was refreshing to play something a little more low-key and off the beaten path with Princess Peach’s new adventure. I’ve certainly never played a game that shifts from ninja action to quirky cake-themed puzzles as gracefully as Peach’s upcoming outing does, and I’m eager to see what other wacky transformations and challenges await in the final product. Whether you love Princess Peach or just want something fun and fresh to play on your Switch, Showtime! is well worth keeping an eye out for when it launches next month.