Princess Peach: Showtime!

This article needs Princess Peach improvement and is being worked on by Camwoodstock (talk). Specifically:

To be frank, "everything except the individual level pages" would suffice. But for the sake of having a functional checklist:

• For Enemies:
  • Now that they actually have pages and even a table (thanks, Arend!), a pass-over of the individual enemy pages to give specific gameplay nuances to them is in order.
• For Transformations:
  • How do they actually play? (Both in prose, and maybe a brief overview of any unique controls to them.)
  • What jump heights?
• For Plays:
  • Single-sentence descriptions of each of the levels would be nice.
  • There's got to be a better way to display the screenshot of the floor. It squishes up against the table on lower resolutions, chiefly the 720p minimum specified by the style guide.
  • Split the level code and transformation columns.
  • Are the blank cells blank because you get nothing from them, or because there's missing information? This should be made clear, rather than just having the cels be all-black.
  • It further conflicts with the actual tables for the Wardrobe, which implies many cosmetics can be found within the levels proper... But doesn't show that in the plays table? Verify these, and if they're true, these should be added (with an explanation for which are collectibles, and which are unlocked for purchase.)
  • Single-sentence descriptions for each of the plays giving a rapid-fire overview of their gameplay and story would be nice.
• Do we need an Obstacles section? Do we need an Items section? (We only realized this might be necessary seeing an obsoleted stub on Bubble.)
• For Wardrobe:
  • These are large. Something staggered, like this, would be much healthier for the flow of the page.
  • If the results are still to large, should it be split off into its own page?
• For Promotion, we know there was a little bit more on My Nintendo for this game.

Requested improvements must be clear, pertinent, and well-formed. Please refrain from adding bullet points such as "Add more information" or "Write the rest of the article".

This article is about the Nintendo Switch game. For the digital soundtrack album on the Nintendo Music app, see Princess Peach: Showtime! (Nintendo Music).

Princess Peach: Showtime!
American box art For alternate box art, see the related gallery.
Developer	Good-Feel
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform	Nintendo Switch
Engine	Unreal Engine 4
Release dates	March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024 March 22, 2024
Languages	English Japanese Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Dutch French (Canada) French (Europe) German Italian Korean Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Europe)
Genre	Action-adventure
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone 10+ CERO: - All ages[?] PEGI: - Seven years and older[?] USK: - Six years and older[?] ClassInd: - General audience[?] SMECCV: - Twelve years and older[?] Gmedia: - Seven years and older[?] GRAC: - All ages[?] GSRR: - Six years and older[?] UAEMC: - Seven years and older[?] ACB: - Parental guidance[?] FPB: - Thirteen years and older[?]
Mode	Single player
Format	Nintendo Switch: Game Card Digital download
Input	Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
Serial code	LA-H-AMJJA-EUR

Princess Peach: Showtime! is an action-adventure game developed by Good-Feel for the Nintendo Switch. In the game, Princess Peach embarks on a series of stage plays and performances to rescue the Sparkle Theater from its captors with the assistance of the theater's guardian Stella. Released worldwide on March 22, 2024, it is Princess Peach's second starring role in a Nintendo-published video game, following 2005's Super Princess Peach, 18 years prior, and third overall starring role (her first for the Super Mario franchise as a whole being the LCD game watch installment Princess Toadstool's Castle Run from 1990).

Plot

Peach and the Toads arriving at the Sparkle Theater.

One day in the Mushroom Kingdom, a Toad is sent a flyer advertising a show at the Sparkle Theater, which Princess Peach and some Toads decide to attend. Suddenly, the wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch invade and take over the theater. A gust of wind blows away Peach's crown, her suitcase, the Toads, some Theets, and some flyers. Meanwhile, Peach is trapped inside. She teams up with the theater's guardian Stella to stop them.

Throughout the game, Peach and Stella make their way through the theater's six floors to rid the theater plays of the Sour Bunch and the Darkle Bosses. This involves Peach transforming into one of ten ensembles: Swordfighter, Detective, Patissiere, Kung Fu, Ninja, Cowgirl, Figure Skater, Dashing Thief, Mermaid, and Mighty, depending on the type of play, as well as making use of Sparkle when she is not currently using a transformation. Peach also has to find and save the ten Sparklas, a group of Theets who are the stars of each type of play.

Eventually, Peach and Stella come face to face with Grape. With assistance from the Sparklas, Peach transforms into Radiant Peach in order to battle Grape. Peach ultimately defeats her, and Grape disappears. All that is left is her mask. As Peach and Stella walk away, the mask laughs, and Grape suddenly comes back to life, destroying the Sparkle Theater in the process. Peach transforms into a more powerful version of her Radiant transformation, known as Super Radiant Peach, and is forced to battle Grape once again.

Peach curtseying as Stella and the Sparklas take a bow.

Once Grape is defeated for good, Peach rebuilds the theater with her powers. She transforms back into her normal self as the Sparklas and Theets approach her and Stella. They all turn to the camera to the sound of applause, take a bow (with the exception of Peach, who curtsies instead) and wave goodbye as confetti rains down on them. Finally, Peach winks at the player and thanks them for helping her out.

During the credits, photos show highlights from the game, before coming to still shots of Peach reuniting with the Toads. The pink ribbon that held Peach's hair in place magically unties itself. One of the Toads hands Stella the crown, which she places on Peach's head. The credits end with a photo of Peach and Stella high-fiving surrounded by the Theets, and zooms out to reveal an envelope, a letter, and Peach's crown, all sitting on Peach's bedside table.

Gameplay

The game has a stage play-themed setting. It takes place in a venue called Sparkle Theater, which a Toad invited Peach to. Once they arrive, a witch called Grape takes over the theater. Peach and the theater's guardian Stella team up to take back the theater by battling Grape's minions, the Sour Bunch. At the beginning of the game, Stella gives Peach the power of Sparkle, tying her hair in a ponytail with a magenta bow (unlike this hairstyle's other appearances in e.g. the Super Mario sports series, where she has it tied with a scrunchie matching her eye color), since her crown got lost when Grape showed up. Stella can turn into a long ribbon Peach can use to interact with on-stage elements, such as props and characters. When she stands on a special platform on the stage, Peach is capable of transforming into various costume-like forms that match the current play's setting, such as Swordfighter Peach, Detective Peach, Patissiere Peach, and Kung Fu Peach. Every form has her own gameplay style, such as Swordfighter Peach using a rapier or Kung Fu Peach doing martial arts moves.

There are ten types of plays with three levels each, with the first one introducing its transformation. The third level of each theme is located in the basement, where all the Sparklas, the stars of each show, are trapped. To complete the level, Peach has to find and rescue the captured Sparklas and then work alongside them to reach the exit.

The game is a platformer that differs between 3D and 2D depending on the levels and transformations; for instance, Figure Skater Peach sections will always be 3D, while Mermaid Peach sections will always be 2D. Some levels also contain sections with auto-runner (e.g. Ninjutsu: The Art of Rapids), beat 'em up (e.g. Kung Fu Rehearsal), and quick-time events that usually cannot be failed (e.g. The Dark Locomotive & the Doomed Town).

Collected coins are added to a collective tally after each time a level is completed, and are used to buy outfits at the Lobby Shop. The maximum number of coins the tally can reach is 9999.

Health points

By default, Peach has a maximum of five HP during a show, shown as hearts above her head and in the pause menu. Hearts are lost when taking damage from enemies, falling down, being caught up during some auto-scrolling sections, or failing a Strike of Intuition. Hearts can be regained by interacting with certain sceneries, after doing certain tasks, or found at certain spots in levels. The "Rehearsal" bonus levels start her off with one HP, and she cannot gain more hearts during those levels.

The game also offers Peach to put on a Heart Charm, which increases the HP maximum to eight. It is offered, and can be removed, by a Staff Member Theet in the upper left of the 1F circle stairs. Stella can also offer it to Peach if she runs out of hearts twice in the same section of a show. There are no known negative effects of using the Heart Charm, besides the extra hearts being shown as green.

The game does not have a life system. As a result, there are no Game Overs or being booted out of shows. If Peach runs out of hearts, she is deducted 10 coins and is returned to the start of the section or the nearest previous checkpoint.

Technical aspects

The game runs in 720p at 30fps in handheld mode, and in 900p at 30fps in docked mode. Different aspects may render at different resolutions: text and menus can render at full target resolution, while highly detailed 3D models like Princess Peach's standard mode are rendered at lower resolutions. Some in-game cutscenes run at 24fps.

The sound is in stereo, with no support for 5.1 surround.

Controls

Action	Controls
Run	Tilt
Swim (Mermaid only)
Fly (Mighty and Radiant only)
Jump
Reveal Ninja curtain (Postgame only)
Action
Pose (Transformations only)	/
Rotate during outfit selections
Upwards slash (Swordfighter sidescroller sections only)	Tilt up +
Climb and slide pipes (Dashing Thief only)	Tilt up or down. (If the pipe is not on the floor, jump onto it with .)
Attract fish (Mermaid only)	Hold while tilting
Browse menus, including the elevator	Tilt or press /
Switch between Peach/Stella during outfit selections	/
Pause menu
Skip cutscene	/////, then
Control hints (Only when prompted)
Enter preview mode during outfit selection
Zoom in/out during outfit selection preview mode
Replay the post-demo cutscene (Demo only)
Hide/show the UI during outfit selection preview mode

Jump and Action can be natively swapped in the game's settings, so that Jump is set to , and Action to . In-game control hints will change to reflect such a swap. A small amount of controls will not change during a swap; for instance, selecting a floor on the Star Lift or revealing a Ninja Theet will always be mapped to .

There is no touch screen support, even in the menus.

The game requires two Joy-Con or a Pro Controller to play. Although "Change Button Mapping" in the Nintendo Switch settings can be used to map all gameplay movement buttons onto a single Joy-Con, limitations with the button mapping regarding the analog stick's Y-axis prevent a single Joy-Con from being used horizontally.

The game supports haptic feedback, with very light shakes when Peach attacks an enemy, walks onto a backroom pose elevator or the Star Lift, or touches an item or obstacle. The controller also vibrates during some large scenery movements. Rumble can be toggled in the "Options" settings.

Despite the game requiring an analog stick, Peach cannot move truly 360°. In the 3D sections, she can only run in eight directions (up, down, sideways, diagonal) and has no option to walk slower by partially tilting the stick. A few levels, including The Case of the Rainy-Day Plot, have specific sections where Peach can sneak but not run.

Characters

Playable characters

Character	Description
Princess Peach	The titular main protagonist of the game, Princess Peach sets off to save the Sparkle Theater from Grape and the Sour Bunch.
Stella	The guardian fairy of the Sparkle Theater, Stella assists Peach by giving her usage of Sparkle power and allowing her to transform.

Non-playable characters

Character	Description
Toads	Subjects of Princess Peach, two Toads accompany her in her trip to the Sparkle Theater.
Theets	Short dot-eyed creatures with spherical heads and big spherical noses. They come in various colors and accessories. They work as employees of the Sparkle Theater, and many are also actors in the plays.

Enemies

Regular enemies

Enemy	Description	Location
		Genre	First appearance	Last appearance
Dūke	Primary members of the Sour Bunch. Standard Dūke, dressed like a Heishi Dūke, hop slowly towards Peach to deal contact damage. Can be defeated with a single Sparkle or slash from Swordfighter Peach's sword. A handful of Dūke variants act similarly in other plays.	Swordfighter	The Castle of Thorns (Swordfighter-1)
Kenshi Dūke	Sword-wielding Dūke which approach Princess Peach and attempt to swipe her with their swords. Can be defeated with two slashes from Swordfighter Peach's sword.	Swordfighter	The Castle of Thorns (Swordfighter-1)	The Dark Swordfighter & the Arena (Swordfighter-3)
Yari Dūke	Spear-wielding Dūke which attempt to charge at Princess Peach and block incoming sword strikes with a small shield. Can be defeated with two slashes from Swordfighter Peach's sword either aimed at their backs, or after being counter-attacked.	Swordfighter	The Castle of Thorns (Swordfighter-1)
Hammer Katchū	A large, hammer-wielding suit of armor that smashes the ground to create damaging shockwaves, and block incoming sword strikes with a large shield. Can be defeated with two slashes from Swordfighter Peach's sword after being stunned with a counter-attack after Swordfighter Peach dodges one of their shockwaves.	Swordfighter	The Castle of Thorns (Swordfighter-1)
Heishi Dūke	Looking identical to the regular Dūke, Heishi Dūke wield a short sword and charge in droves towards Peach. Can be defeated in a single slash from Swordfighter Peach's sword.	Swordfighter	The Castle of Thorns (Swordfighter-1)	Swordfighter Rehearsal (Swordfighter-EX)
Yūrei Kenshi Dūke	Ghost variants of the Kenshi Dūke. Like their corporeal counterparts, they approach Peach and attempt to swipe her with their swords. Can be defeated with three slashes from Swordfighter Peach's sword.	Swordfighter	The Ghostly Castle (Swordfighter-2)
Yūrei Kōmori Dūke	Ghost variants of the Kōmori Dūke. Like their corporeal counterparts, they either fly forwards in a straight line, or try swooping down at Peach. They can also appear from projections on the wall.. Can be defeated in a single slash from Swordfighter Peach's sword.	Swordfighter	The Ghostly Castle (Swordfighter-2)
Yūrei Yari Dūke	Ghost variants of the Yari Dūke. Like their corporeal counterparts, they charge at Peach and block incoming sword strikes with a small shield. Can be defeated with two slashes from Swordfighter Peach's sword either aimed at their backs, or after being counter-attacked.	Swordfighter	The Ghostly Castle (Swordfighter-2)
Yūrei Heishi Dūke	Ghost variants of the Heishi Dūke. Like their corporeal counterparts, they appear in groups and charge towards Peach. Can be defeated in a single slash from Swordfighter Peach's sword.	Swordfighter	The Ghostly Castle (Swordfighter-2)
Kōmori Dūke	Short Dūke dressed like bats, who either fly forwards in a straight line, or try swooping down at Peach. Can be defeated in a single slash from Swordfighter Peach's sword.	Swordfighter	The Dark Swordfighter & the Arena (Swordfighter-3)
Mihari Musha (Chōchin)	A watchman guard that uses a lantern light to catch intruders; Peach is forced to retreat when spotted. Ninja Peach can defeat them in the back with a slice attack.	Ninja	Ninjutsu: The Art of Rapids (Ninja-1)	The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards (Ninja-3)
Mihari Musha (Aka)	A red Mihari Musha, typically guarding an important character. They are either the red Ninja Dūke or the Dark Ninja in disguise.	Ninja	Ninjutsu: The Art of Rapids (Ninja-1)	The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards (Ninja-3)
Ninja Dūke (Makimono)	A red-clad Ninja Dūke who, upon reveal, steals scrolls from the Ninja Theets. Peach chases him in an auto-run segment.	Ninja	Ninjutsu: The Art of Rapids (Ninja-1)
Ninja Dūke	Dūke in dark blue ninja outfits. They serve as obstacles in auto-run segments; Peach can defeat them with a single slice attack.	Ninja	Ninjutsu: The Art of Rapids (Ninja-1)	Ninjutsu: The Art of Flames (Ninja-2)
Karasu Dūke	Short Dūke dressed like crows. In Ninja plays, they serve as flying obstacles in auto-run segments, sometimes carrying Theets; Peach can defeat them with a single slice attack. Additionally, they serve as antagonists in Patissiere plays.	Ninja Patissiere	Ninjutsu: The Art of Rapids (Ninja-1)	The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards (Ninja-3)
Mihari Musha (Yari)	Mihari Musha wielding spears instead of lanterns. They react to the clanging of the naruko bird scarers above them, moving to that spot and stabbing through the ceiling with their spears to detect intruders; Peach is forced to retreat when caught. Ninja Peach can defeat them in the back with a slice attack. Additionally, these Mihari Musha can also ambush Peach in The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards.	Ninja	Ninjutsu: The Art of Flames (Ninja-2)	The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards (Ninja-3)
Narazumono Dūke	Dūke in shirts and bandanas. They act similarly to regular Dūke, hopping slowly towards Peach. They can be defeated with a lasso throw from Cowgirl Peach. They can also ride on Badness Horses.	Cowgirl	Cowgirl in the Wilderness (Cowgirl-1)	The Dark Locomotive & the Doomed Town (Cowgirl-3)
Gunman Dūke	Narazumono Dūke with cowboy hats and pistols. They shoot rubber bulle