Just before Mario Day on March 10, Nintendo released a demo for Princess Peach: Showtime! On Wednesday. You can download the demo today.
Download the demo
Downloading the Princess Peach: Showtime! demo is easy.
To download the demo (or to pre-order the game) click here to go to the online Nintendo store. Or go to the Nintendo store on your Switch.
What is the new Princess Peach game?
In Princess Peach: Showtime!, you’ll play as Peach and work to take back Sparkle Theater from a brand new group of baddies.
Showtime! is the first Nintendo game to feature Peach as the main character since 2006′s Super Princess Peach for the Nintendo DS.
Per the games official description on Nintendo.com, “In this brand-new action game starring Princess Peach, you’ll partner with the theater’s guardian Stella and fend off the Sour Bunch to save the day.
“Using the power of Stella’s ribbon, rally the actors and discover powerful transformations that give Peach distinct abilities to change up how you play the game.”
Princess Peach: Showtime! comes out on March 22 and costs $59.99.
You can watch the new trailer for the game here or at the end of this article.
Demo review
The Showtime! demo was fun. And honestly, a bit of fresh air. I love a good Mario game. The Super Mario Brothers series, Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario Galaxy are some of my favorite games of all time. But Showtime! felt different (besides just the obvious of Peach being the protagonist.)
The premise
Peach and Toad head out for a night at the theater. When they get there a mysterious masked baddie named Grape takes over the theater. Peach teams up with a Sparkle Sprite named Stella to get the theater back.
Gameplay
Mario games have a formula, and it’s one that works. You run, jump, ground pound and collect goodies across worlds. And while there are elements of that in Showtime!, the gameplay in the demo felt original. In a franchise that has been around for 30 years, that can sometimes be hard to come by.
Here are some of things I liked most:
- The game wasn’t that hard to play, but the graphics were good enough, the story was engaging, and the gameplay was good enough that I wanted to keep going.
- The game is a classic sidescroller, but with 3D elements to add depth. The 3D gave the demo a feel of actually running around a stage.
- The beginning of the first level introduces the Sparkle Power. This power helps you take out bad guys, but it also let Peach power up helpers and bring plants back to life. This power added an element that was more than just run and jump and smash.
- The first level is The Castle of Thorns where Peach gets a sword fighter power-up. The abilities were fun and the fights that followed gave me Smash Brothers vibes.
Overall
At the end of the demo, I wanted more. The game was simple, but it was beautifully built and smooth. It kept me engaged all through the demo. I look forward to giving the full game a shot when it comes out in a few weeks.
Also, I what this game could mean for the larger gaming community. Check out this story from The Gamer writer Gabrielle Castania about why she wishes she had this game when she was a little girl.