Princess Peach: Showtime — Everything We Know

Believe it or not, it has been nineteen years since we last saw Princess Peach take to the center stage in an exclusive Mario Bros. title. That’s nineteen years of countless Super Mario spin-offs, and zero additions for the pink-sporting heroine. To make matters worse, Nintendo has only just noticed the gap in the market, and that fans of the series have been longing go get their hands on a spiritual successor to 2005’s Super Princess Peach on Nintendo DS. To cut the long story short, Princess Peach: Showtime is happening — finally.

Currently slated for a March 2024 release, the upcoming exclusive will look to implement all of the seasonal trimmings of a traditional Mario Bros. title, but with an entirely separate kingdom to scoot around in, and not to mention a new band of misfits to whittle down and characters to befriend. Care to hear more? If so, then be sure to read on for all the latest details. Here’s Princess Peach: Showtime, in a nutshell.

What Is Princess Peach: Showtime?

Princess Peach: Showtime is an upcoming third-person platforming game by Nintendo, and the first game to feature Princess Peach as the protagonist since 2005’s Super Princess Peach. In a similar vein as the Super Mario series, the upcoming spin-off will feature a series of party-like levels—episodes in which you must assume control over several of Princess Peach’s alter egos, and use power-ups and special abilities to complete quick-time events, and whittle down mini-games and other themed objectives.

Princess Peach: Showtime won’t stray all that far from the basic premise of a traditional Super Mario game, in the sense that chapters will feature vibrant locales, charming characters, and digestible mechanics, making it a perfect choice for those who are relatively new to the handheld device and the platforming genre, in general.

Story

From what we’ve gathered, Princess Peach: Showtime will see our beloved Peach take to the stage of several theatrical productions as one of several themed characters. According to the blurb that was posted back in 2023, the story will center itself around Wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch, two antagonists who, in an attempt to overshadow the Sparkle Theatre, make the bold decision to disrupt several long-running productions. As Peach, you will have to step up to the plate and stop them — even if it means having to discard your pretty-in-pink attire and opt for something a little more, shall we say, combat-ready?

As it turns out, Princess Peach: Showtime won’t be returning to the beloved Mushroom Kingdom, which has been at the center of the franchise since its inception decades ago. Instead, the story will focus on an entirely new location, which means new zones, and of course, new obstacles and puzzles to overcome.

Gameplay

As with any game that falls from Nintendo’s magical wing, it’s hard to say exactly what sorts of gameplay features Princess Peach: Showtime will include. Sure enough, it’ll feature a wide selection of generic platforming, as well as a series of mini-games and good old-fashioned quick-time events, too. What’s more, the game will also allow players to flex their creative muscles, what with each of the stages offering up the ability to change into a new alter ego—a shadow of Princess Peach that, from the sounds of it, will come with a unique set of abilities, and not to mention an entirely different outfit, to boot.

Going by the footage that was shared a fair ways back, there’ll be several forms of Princess Peach to choose from, including Kung-Fu Peach, Detective Peach, and Swordfighter Peach. Of course, depending on the event that you’re tackling, you’ll need to switch between stances and utilize the necessary abilities to progress deeper and deeper into the Sparkle Theatre. So again, expect a lot more than a bread-and-butter experience with a vanilla protagonist, basically.

Development

The blueprints for Princess Peach: Showtime were first revealed during the official Nintendo Direct event back in 2023. Since making the announcement (along with several others pertaining to the Super Mario series), the team behind it has gone on to share a slew of in-depth story trailers and screenshots, to list just a couple.

Princess Peach: Showtime will see the beloved character take a central role in the Super Mario series for the first time in nearly twenty years, with the only other exception being Super Mario Wonder, in which Peach filled a major role alongside the usual cast. Here’s hoping, then, that we’ll be seeing a lot more of the Princess in future episodes of the series, if not in another spin-off game or sequel.

Trailer

Fortunately, there is, in fact, a trailer of Princess Peach: Showtime already in the books. Actually, there are several trailers of the game out in the open, and so, we’re pretty spoiled for choice, really. For the sake of keeping you up to date, however, we’ve gone ahead and shared the latest sneak preview above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Princess Peach: Showtime will be launching exclusively on Nintendo Switch on March 22, 2024. As it is, of course, under the console-locked umbrella of the Super Mario brand, this does mean that the game won’t be arriving at any other docking station outside of the Switch’s. In other words, don’t expect to see Princess Peach shedding skin on Xbox, PlayStation, or PC at any point, ever.

Interested in staying up to date with Princess Peach: Showtime? If so, then be sure to check in with the folks over at Nintendo for all the latest updates via their official social handle here. If anything does change ahead of its 2024 release, then we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Princess Peach: Showtime when it arrives on Switch? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.