Before the curtain falls on Nintendo Switch, the grand finale goes to Princess Peach Showtime: here’s what we think about it in our preview
As we said earlier, Nintendo released one demo per Princess Peach Showtime: in the short period of time between the news and now two things have happened, the first of which is the writing of thepreview that you have in front of you. After a reveal in the Nintendo Direct last June and the passage to the registry in the September presentation, the title has caused quite a stir, albeit quietly. Both on the occasion of Super Mario Bros. Wonder and Super Mario RPG, we had the opportunity to allude to the now undeniable “sunset avenue” of Nintendo Switch.
It is almost poetic, therefore, that perhaps in reference to the film of the same name it is the monarch who reigns on the stage. Not in reference to the fact that the console still has a lot to say and give, no; that, willing publishers and developers permitting, remains implicit. Rather, the scene is dominated by gameplay ideas put on display to (also) leverage the cinematic interpretation of the character, as the antithesis of the “humorous” (and, in hindsight, accidentally sexist) powers of Super Princess Peach on Nintendo DS. The other thing that happened between the news and this article? The release of trailer in Italianobvious!
There was a fool, who is now tough | Princess Peach Showtime Preview
The plot of Princess Peach Showtime, from what little we were able to glean during the demo analyzed during the preview phase, sees our heroine receive a brochure for the Shining Theatre outside his castle. It is implied that everything happens during a siesta on Mario’s part, because the hero in this case is out of the picture (sorry). Escorted by the Toads, the damsel soon finds herself separated from them (and from her iconic tiara) as soon as the theater and its placid spectators (Teatrì and Splendì) find themselves involuntary hostages of Gooseberry and of Company of Musts captained by her.
In terms of antagonists e atmosphere, and by pure chance unrelated to the pink hues, the adventure already seems to draw more from the imagination of HAL Laboratory for the Kirby series than the rest of the traditional Mariesque oeuvre. Leaving aside this aspect and the gameplay roulette that we will explore shortly, the other question that comes to us is: with an almost last-place role in the life cycle of the console, will the damsel be able to reaffirm itself as an icon of girl power in a gaming sphere fresh from the reintroduction to Lara Croft through Tomb Raider I-III Remastered? Let’s see together the two scenarios proposed by the trial version.
Bebe Vio-lenta | Princess Peach Showtime Preview
Let’s talk briefly about gameplay in full. Stella, the main supporting character throughout the story, replaces with a flake Peach’s tiara. With it you can launch a basic attack with contextual effects. If on the one hand the so-called “Splendor” allows you to break down obstacles and weak enemies, on the other hand its use makes cardboard trees flourish again, nourishes the wheat, instills positivity in the Teatrì and, we can only assume, much more. Peach’s other basic action consists of a jump which, Super Mario Bros. Wonder aside, is far from the aerial agility of the good mustache.
However, transformations soon take place, linked to the scenario they belong to. The first, as well as the most impactful for those who love action, is Peach Spadaccina. Initially we believed that the introduction of the skills entailed by the fencer were limited to mere hack ‘n’ slash, abusing the B button to tear brambles and unfortunate enemies to shreds. However, what caught us off guard was the inclusion of dodge at the last moment in Bayonetta style with A or, to make the inevitable comparison to see its colossal influence, of parry similar to those of Dark Souls with B. The biggest surprise, then, was the fight with a boss who requires the parries to defeat him!
Cooked and blended | Princess Peach Showtime Preview
We wouldn’t have revived the memory of the Emotionscepter from Super Princess Peach if it hadn’t been for the other scenario, in which the princess has to make the kitchen her kingdom. Regardless of the implications, the gameplay pretext of Peach Pastry Chef it succeeds in what Nintendo (at least) has made a priority: to have fun. In fact, everything translates as an alternation of minigames: the first one we had the opportunity to try reminded us, and we would pleasantly add, of the creation of the kart in the film Wreck-It Ralph. In fact, in a short period of time it is necessary to mix the dough in the bowls to take out as many as possible biscotti possible, introducing us to the idea of losing some of the ten along the way gems of Splendour collectibles in each level.
Pretexts of replayability aside, the other minigame is the one that accompanied the transformation during the second trailer. In this case we are asked to frost and fill some cakes, always with a timer to put a minimum of pressure. The artistic complexity of the compositions gradually increases, bringing with it a level of challenge that suggests a gameplay that is never really tied to the “action” premise often shown off during marketing. And although Peach isn’t just a vehicle for many game design ideas, we didn’t mind the combination at all.
Other considerations
In preview phase, the artistic sector of Princess Peach Showtime turned out to be more lame than expected, where by “expected” we refer to the out-of-parameter standards of the Kyoto Colossus. Probably, however, the limping pace of the framerate can be attributed to the possible fragmentation of our MicroSD, such could be the coming and going of the titles reviewed. On the other hand, painstaking care in some details it is yet another reconfirmation of the craftsmanship behind the authorial mold of the Big N, from the running animations with which Peach holds up her dress to the short text dialogues with which the enemies remind us of the best times of Rocksteady Studios.
Unfortunately the sonorous, or at least the excerpts that we were able to hear in the demo, is penalized by the occasional repetitiveness in the soundtrack. We were rather surprised by the audio clips of the protagonist, tending more towards contralto than the usual high notes. In general, the metaphor of Peach Pastry Chef is congenial to us in reiterating what has been said so far: although pleasant, this was a taste. We might even see an homage to Super Mario Bros. 3 in the full adventure, given the theatrical setting of both games. But before a review, we will never know certain things. Appointment, in this sense, on day one: 21 March!
Now it’s up to you to tell us your opinion: what are your thoughts on the game? Let us know below, and as always don’t forget to stay on techgameworld.com for all the most important news for gamers and beyond. For your purely gaming needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Instant Gaming.