Princess Peach: Showtime!

Princess Peach: Showtime!
North American box art For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Good-Feel
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch
Release date	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
Language(s)	English (United States) French (France) French (Canada) German Spanish (Spain) Spanish (Latin America) Italian Dutch Portuguese (Brazil) Russian Japanese Simplified Chinese Traditional Chinese Korean
Genre	Action-adventure
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Everyone 10+ PEGI: - Seven years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: - Parental Guidance USK: - Six years and older ClassInd: - General audience SMECCV: - Twelve years and older GRAC: - All ages GSRR: - Six years and older FPB: - Thirteen years and older Gmedia: - Seven years and older MRO: - Seven years and older
Mode(s)	Single-player
Format	Nintendo Switch: Game Card Digital download
Input	Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
Serial code(s)	LA-H-AMJJA-EUR

Princess Peach: Showtime! is an action-adventure game developed by Good-Feel for the Nintendo Switch. In the game, 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 third starring role in a game, following Princess Toadstool's Castle Run in 1990 and Super Princess Peach in 2005.

Overview

Peach and the Toads arriving at the Sparkle Theater.

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 in the place of her usual crown, which she 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.

Plot

One day in the Mushroom Kingdom, a Toad is sent a flier 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 fliers. 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.

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.

Supporting 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

Lower-ranked

Enemy	Description
Sour Bunch	A group of minions serving under Grape. A large majority of them are small humanoids who sabotage the theater's plays and who otherwise attempt to attack or trick Peach. Some subspecies can be seen flying or with merfolk tails.
Sour Thieves	Specific to the Dashing Thief Peach levels, they are more robotic in their behavior than the Sour Bunch.

Higher-ranked

Enemy	Description
Yami no Big Boss	A tall member of the Sour Bunch that leads a gang of robbers.
Yami no Yūrei Kenshi	A ghostly member of the Sour Bunch who haunts the Ghostly Castle.
Dark Swordfighter	A large knight member of the Sour Bunch who guards the Swordfighter Sparkla.
Yami no Top Skater	A tall member of the Sour Bunch who fights by figure skating.
Dark Baker	A large baker member of the Sour Bunch who challenges Patissiere Peach and the Patissiere Sparkla to a bake-off. It also possesses the latter beforehand.
Yami no Kung Fu Master	A tall enemy who fights using different attacks with each encounter.
Yami no Kyodai Ibara	A giant purple plant that resembles a Piranha Plant, which spawns brambles across The Castle of Thorns.
UFO	A gigantic spaceship with fists that it uses to attack.

Bosses

Boss	Description
Disco Wing	The first Darkle boss who is a giant bird in a disco ball.
Light Fang	The second Darkle boss who is a large snake that can rewind time.
Purrjector Cat	The third Darkle boss who is a large cat that can project shadows.
Spotlion	The fourth Darkle boss who is a lion that attacks using orbs.
Grape	The main antagonist of the game. She is an evil witch who takes over the Sparkle Theater with the help of her minions, the Sour Bunch.

Transformations

Peach has 12 transformations in the game. Most transformations affect how high she can jump. The jump heights loosely correspond to how heavy the platforming elements are: Kung Fu Peach can jump more than twice her own height, while Detective Peach can only jump half her own height.

Swordfighter Peach Fend off the Sour Bunch with graceful slashes, dodges, and counterattacks as a sensational swordfighter.	Detective Peach Don your sleuthing cap to question locals, uncover clues, and solve a classic “whodunnit” mystery as a clever detective.	Patissiere Peach Bake and decorate sweets with a dollop of cream and charm as a talented patissiere. Whip something up within the time limit!	Kung Fu Peach Defend the school with artful jabs, kicks, and jumps as a disciplined kung fu master. Send foes flying with strength and balance.
Ninja Peach Hide in the scenery using props, jump wall to wall, and take out foes with kunai as an agile ninja. Move swiftly and strike!	Cowgirl Peach Toss enemies and grab items with a lasso and saddle up your trusty horse as a quick-flingin’ cowgirl. Yeehaw!	Figure Skater Peach Join the other dancers on stage in a dazzling performance filled with quick-timed spins and jumps.	Dashing Thief Peach Hack and sneak through the Sour Bunch’s defenses. Embrace the thrills (and charms) of espionage!
Mermaid Peach Use Peach’s magical voice to control schools of fish to reveal hidden pathways and harmonize with an aquatic orchestra.	Mighty Peach Go from hero to superhero! Defend the locals with powerful punches and superhuman strength.	Radiant Peach A mythical dress imbued with Sparkle.	Super Radiant Peach The ultimate dress imbued with maximum Sparkle.

Plays

It has been requested that this section be rewritten. Reason: Better reorganising; other information (like number of Sparkle Gems) can probably be prioritised over shop stock and rewards since most of these cells are unfilled.

1F

Image/Name	Transformation/Level	Lobby Shop stock (Peach)	Lobby Shop stock (Stella)	Gold trophy reward
The Castle of Thorns	Swordfighter Peach (-1)	Polka-Dot Dress Horizontal-Stripes Dress Vertical-Stripes Dress Two-Tone Dress Gradient Dress	Red Ribbon Blue Ribbon Yellow Ribbon Blue Ribbon Orange Ribbon Lime Ribbon Light-Blue Ribbon Black Ribbon
Ninjutsu: The Art of Rapids	Ninja Peach (-1)
Cowgirl in the Wilderness	Cowgirl Peach (-1)
Welcome to the Festival of Sweets	Patissiere Peach (-1)
Darkle Boss: Disco Wing	Sparkle Peach	Disco Dress
Swordfighter Rehearsal	Swordfighter Peach (-EX)			Starry Dress

2F

Image/Name	Transformation/Level	Lobby Shop stock	Gold trophy reward
The Ghostly Castle	Swordfighter Peach (-2)
The Perfect Infiltration	Dashing Thief Peach (-1)
A Snow Flower on Ice	Figure Skater Peach (-1)
The Case of the Missing Mural	Detective Peach (-1)
Darkle Boss: Light Fang	Sparkle Peach	Fang Dress
Dashing Thief Rehearsal	Dashing Thief Peach (-EX)		Heart Dress

3F

Image/Name	Transformation/Level	Lobby Shop stock	Gold trophy reward
Mighty Mission: Alien Invasion	Mighty Peach (-1)
Cowgirl at Dusk	Cowgirl Peach (-2)
Welcome to the Spooky Party	Patissiere Peach (-2)
Melody of the Sea	Mermaid Peach (-1)
Darkle Boss: Purrjector Cat	Sparkle Peach	Purrjector Dress
Cowgirl Rehearsal	Cowgirl Peach (-EX)		Geometric Dress

4F

Image/Name	Transformation/Level	Lobby Shop stock	Gold trophy reward
Ninjutsu: The Art of Flames	Ninja Peach (-2)
The Stolen Statue	Dashing Thief Peach (-2)
A Kung Fu Tale	Kung Fu Peach (-1)
The Case of the Rainy-Day Plot	Detective Peach (-2)
Darkle Boss: Spotlion	Sparkle Peach	Spotlion Dress
Kung Fu Rehearsal	Kung Fu Peach (-EX)		Checkered Dress

5F

Image/Name	Transformation/Level	Gold trophy reward
Mighty Mission: The Rescue	Mighty Peach (-2)
A Kung Fu Legend	Kung Fu Peach (-2)
A Parade on Ice	Figure Skater Peach (-2)
Blight of the Sea	Mermaid Peach (-2)
Mighty Rehearsal	Mighty Peach (-EX)	Scaly Dress

BF

Image/Name	Transformation/Level	Lobby Shop stock
The Dark Swordfighter & the Arena	Swordfighter Peach (-3)	Special Swordfighter Dress
The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards	Ninja Peach (-3)	Special Ninja Dress
The Dark Locomotive & the Doomed Town	Cowgirl Peach (-3)	Special Cowgirl Dress
The Dark Baker & the Bewitching Sweets	Patissiere Peach (-3)	Special Patisserie Dress
The Dark Prison & the Dangerous Trap	Dashing Thief Peach (-3)	Special Dashing Thief Dress
The Dark Ice & the Shadowy Stage	Figure Skater Peach (-3)	Special Figure Skater Dress
The Dark Museum & the Purple Mystery	Detective Peach (-3)	Special Detective Dress
Dark Space & the Great Meteor	Mighty Peach (-3)	Special Mighty Dress
The Dark Depths & the Swirling Currents	Mermaid Peach (-3)	Special Mermaid Dress
The Dark School & the Twisted Fist	Kung Fu Peach (-3)	Special Kung Fu Dress
It's Showtime, Grape!	Radiant Peach Super Radiant Peach	Radiant Dress Grape Dress Radiant Ribbon Grape Ribbon

Wardrobe

Many dresses and ribbons are available for sale at the Lobby Shop after reaching in-game points, whereas those that do not have prices for them listed below are obtained through in-game accomplishments alone.

Dresses

Dress	How to unlock	Lobby Shop price
Regular Dress	Available by default
Polka-Dot Dress	Clear The Castle of Thorns	100
Horizontal-Stripes Dress		100
Vertical-Stripes Dress		100
Two-Tone Dress		100
Gradient Dress		100
Starry Dress	Earn a gold trophy in Swordfighter Rehearsal
Heart Dress	Earn a gold trophy in Dashing Thief Rehearsal
Geometric Dress	Earn a gold trophy in Cowgirl Rehearsal
Checkered Dress	Earn a gold trophy in Kung Fu Rehearsal
Scaly Dress	Earn a gold trophy in Mighty Rehearsal
Swordfighter Dress	Found in The Castle of Thorns, located in the sub-area in the second section after using Sparkle on six trees. Ribboner will give the dress as a reward.
Special Swordfighter Dress	Clear The Dark Swordfighter & the Arena	300
Ninja Dress	Found in Ninjutsu: The Art of Rapids. After jumping off the blue roof, the player must break the vase where Ribboner is hiding.
Special Ninja Dress	Clear The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards	300
Cowgirl Dress	Found in Cowgirl in the Wilderness, a scared Ribboner is hiding east of the basement downstairs.
Special Cowgirl Dress	Clear The Dark Locomotive & the Doomed Town	300
Patissiere Dress	Found in Welcome to the Festival of Sweets, attack the winged Sour Bunch minion stealing the cookie that Ribboner is clinging to.
Special Patissiere Dress	Clear The Dark Baker & the Bewitching Sweets	300
Dashing Thief Dress	Found in The Perfect Infiltration
Special Dashing Thief Dress	Clear The Dark Prison & the Dangerous Trap	300
Figure Skater Dress	Found in A Snow Flower on Ice
Special Figure Skater Dress	Clear The Dark Ice & the Shadowy Stage	300
Detective Dress	Found in The Case of the Missing Mural
Special Detective Dress	Clear The Dark Museum & the Purple Mystery	300
Mighty Dress	Found in Mighty Mission: Alien Invasion
Special Mighty Dress	Clear Dark Space & the Great Meteor	300
Mermaid Dress	Found in Melody of the Sea
Special Mermaid Dress	Clear The Dark Depths & the Swirling Currents	300
Kung Fu Dress	Found in A Kung Fu Tale
Special Kung Fu Dress	Clear The Dark School & the Twisted Fist	300
Disco Dress	Defeat Disco Wing for the first time	200
Fang Dress	Defeat Light Fang for the first time	200
Purrjector Dress	Defeat Purrjector Cat for the first time	200
Spotlion Dress	Defeat Spotlion for the first time	200
Radiant Dress	Defeat Grape for the first time	500
Grape Dress		500
Sparkle Dress	Collect 100 total Sparkle Gems	500
Special Dress	Collect all total 235 Sparkle Gems	1000
Secret Dress	Find all 72 hidden post-game Ninja Theets	-

Ribbons

Ribbon	How to unlock	Lobby Shop price
Regular Ribbon	Available by default
Red Ribbon	Clear The Castle of Thorns	100
Blue Ribbon		100
Yellow Ribbon		100
Orange Ribbon		100
Lime Ribbon		100
Light-Blue Ribbon		100
Black Ribbon		100
Swordfighter Ribbon	Found in The Ghostly Castle
Multicolored Swordfighter Ribbon	Found in The Dark Swordfighter & the Arena
Ninja Ribbon	Found in Ninjutsu: The Art of Flames
Multicolored Ninja Ribbon	Found in The Dark Ninja & the Legion of Guards
Cowgirl Ribbon	Found in Cowgirl at Dusk
Multicolored Cowgirl Ribbon	Found in The Dark Locomotive & the Doomed Town
Patissiere Ribbon	Found in Welcome to the Spooky Party
Multicolored Patissiere Ribbon	Found in The Dark Baker & the Bewitching Sweets
Dashing Thief Ribbon	Found in The Stolen Statue
Multicolored Dashing Thief Ribbon	Found in The Dark Prison & the Dangerous Trap
Figure Skater Ribbon	Found in A Parade on Ice
Multicolored Figure Skater Ribbon	Found in The Dark Ice & the Shadowy Stage
Detective Ribbon	Found in The Case of the Rainy-Day Plot
Multicolored Detective Ribbon	Found in The Dark Museum & the Purple Mystery
Mighty Ribbon	Found in Mighty Mission: The Rescue
Multicolored Mighty Ribbon	Found in Dark Space & the Great Meteor
Mermaid Ribbon	Found in Blight of the Sea
Multicolored Mermaid Ribbon	Found in The Dark Depths & the Swirling Currents
Kung Fu Ribbon	Found in A Kung Fu Legend
Multicolored Kung Fu Ribbon	Found in The Dark School & the Twisted Fist
Radiant Ribbon	Defeat Grape for the first time	500
Grape Ribbon		500
Sparkle Ribbon	Collect 100 total Sparkle Gems	500
Special Ribbon	Collect every Sparkle Gem	1000

Development

The initial key art, featuring Peach with more whimsical facial expressions.

The game was first teased during the June 2023 Nintendo Direct, alongside Super Mario RPG and Luigi's Mansion 2 HD. Also teased in the trailer was a new transformation Peach undergoes during the game, which turns her dress pale blue if she stands on a particular spot on the stage. During the transformation, Stella, who was still unnamed, turns into a ribbon and twirls around her, taking the color of her dress. The same transformation appears in the September 2023 Nintendo Direct, revealing it to turn Peach into her Swordfighter form.

In Nintendo's financial report for the first quarter of their fiscal year ending 2024, the game is listed in the launch schedule as "Princess Peach will star as the main character in a brand new game". This sentence is explicitly treated as a tentative title for the game. The game's final title of Princess Peach: Showtime! was announced during the September 2023 Nintendo Direct.

In October 2023, the game's box art and key artwork were modified to give Peach more determined facial expressions, which have been compared to Peach's appearance in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. In some cases the cutscenes also had their facial expressions changed, such as in Kung Fu Peach's transformation cutscene.

• 

  Kung Fu Peach in the September 2023 trailer

• 

  In the released game

In February 2024, it was confirmed that Princess Peach: Showtime! was being developed on the Unreal Engine 4 engine, making it the second game in the Super Mario franchise after Yoshi's Crafted World and the third Nintendo game as a whole after Pikmin 4 to be developed with this engine. Notably, both Super Mario-franchise games developed on the engine are made by Good-Feel.

A demo was released on March 6, 2024, two weeks prior to the game's full release, containing two levels (The Castle of Thorns and Welcome to the Festival of Sweets) and the prologue. Save data from the demo cannot be carried over into the full game.

Promotion

Pin and notebook

Shopping bag

Products distributed with the game on the European My Nintendo Store

• Customers who purchase this game on the European My Nintendo Store receive an additional pin and notebook showing Princess Peach and Stella. A special bundle containing the game and a reusable shopping bag featuring Peach's transformations is also available for purchase on this store.

Staff

Main article: List of Princess Peach: Showtime! staff

Princess Peach: Showtime! was developed by Good-Feel, which previously developed Wario Land: Shake It!, Yoshi's Woolly World, and Yoshi's Crafted World. Good-Feel founder Etsunobu Ebisu serves as the game's producer and director, marking his first directorial role in almost 27 years, since Mystical Ninja Starring Goemon for the Nintendo 64 in 1997.

Glitches

• In extremely rare cases, changing the system language between play sessions can make the Star Lift and some Theets (e.g. the Pictioneer and the Heart Charm Staff Member) temporarily unresponsive so that Peach cannot press to interact with them. Going up or down a floor or (if on 1F) talking to a Shopkeep will fix it.

Pre-release and unused content

The different "?" colors

In the "Nintendo Direct" announcement trailer for the game:

• Detective Peach's question marks when looking for objects were blue. In the released game they are red.
• The office's lights during Junior Detective's tutorial mystery were much less bright than in the released game.

• 

  The office's lightings

Reception

Princess Peach: Showtime! received mixed to positive reviews, with critics mainly praising the game's visual flair, stylishness, and variety of the costumes and activities available, but deeming its gameplay lacking in depth in comparison to other Super Mario games.

Critics have widely praised the theater theme of Princess Peach: Showtime! and how it visually affects the level design, as well as Peach as a protagonist and her versatility in the role, often in comparison to Super Princess Peach. Chris Carter, giving the game an 8/10 in a review for Destructoid, commended its simplicity of controls and unpredictability, and the play aesthetic as a charming aspect. Adam Cook from God Is a Geek also gave the game an 8/10, highlighting the action-based transformations. In contrast, he reviews Patisserie Peach and Detective Peach as "likely to be something that looks nicer than it is to actually play". In his 7/10 review, Logan Plant of IGN appreciated the commitment to the theater theme, and added that it is a perfect fit for Princess Peach. He says the action-based transformations "sometimes blend together" and can be reduced to button mashing due to the difficulty level of the game, but praises the boss fights.

The simplistic nature of the gameplay has received some criticism, although some outlets have speculated that the game may be targeting young children. In a negative review, Tom Regan of The Guardian claims that, despite its creative premise and appealing visuals and animations, "it only takes a few minutes of play before repetition sinks in", adding that many of the costumed sections feel like incomplete prototypes, citing the game as a whole as shallow and having "little to offer those of us who have mastered our times tables". Ali Shutler of NME also mentions this as a negative, calling the game "incredibly straightforward and forgiving", and that nothing "feels earned".

Some reviewers also criticized the technical performance. Adam Cook considered the game to be in a poor state for a Nintendo release, in reference to loading times and frame drops.

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Nintendo Switch	Adam Cook, God Is a Geek	8/10	"Bar a few issues, this is pretty much a triumph for Peach’s first solo adventure. It isn’t going to leave your jaw on the floor like Super Mario Bros Wonder did, but it’s a worthwhile way to spend your time, with some unique ideas, and clever design. Some transformations are better than others, but Princess Peach: Showtime is just a lovely way to spend the time for anyone willing to give themselves to it."
Nintendo Switch	Logan Plant, IGN	7/10	"Princess Peach: Showtime! is more closely aligned with Kirby and Yoshi’s simple, cheery romps rather than Mario’s polished platformers and Luigi’s haunted mansions. There’s fun to be found in the Sparkle Theater, as these delightfully simplified takes on some of gaming’s most popular genres are entertaining to blast through, and the whimsical stage play aesthetic gives Peach’s game an identity all its own. I’m also thrilled that Nintendo is finally giving Peach another crack at her own solo outing after nearly two decades, and I hope this is the start of an ongoing spinoff series within the wider Mario universe. Some noticeable performance issues and the frustrating lack of a chapter select means I won’t be returning for an encore, and I wish there were a few extra levels to lengthen the somewhat brief campaign, but Nintendo and Princess Peach at least know how to put on a good show."
Nintendo Switch	Ali Shutler, NME	3/5	"Princess Peach: Showtime! takes an iconic character and tries to do too much with her. The ambitious game is a brilliant introduction to the colourful world of gaming but is frustratingly straightforward, despite the madcap situations you’ll find yourself in."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		74

Sales

As of June 30th, 2024, the game had sold 1.30 million units worldwide.

Awards and acknowledgements

At The Game Awards 2024, Princess Peach: Showtime! was nominated for "Best Family Game", losing to Astro Bot.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Princess Peach: Showtime!

• 

  Princess Peach

• 

  Swordfighter Peach

• 

  Detective Peach

• 

  Patissiere Peach

• 

  The Sour Bunch

• 

  Key artwork

Media

Main article: List of Princess Peach: Showtime! media

Entrancing Prelude (Main Menu) - Plays during the title screen.

File infoMedia:Princess Peach Showtime! 001 Entrancing Prelude (Main Menu).oga 0:30

Peach March - Plays in the opening cutscene.

File infoMedia:Princess Peach Showtime! 021 Peach March.oga 0:30

It's Up to Me - Plays in The Castle of Thorns, Welcome to the Festival of Sweets, The Perfect Infiltration, Mighty Mission: Alien Invasion and Welcome to the Spooky Party.

File infoMedia:Princess Peach Showtime! 008 It's Up to Me.oga 0:30

Stage Clear ~ Swordfighter Peach - Plays after completing the stage as Swordfighter Peach.

File infoMedia:Princess Peach Showtime! 060 Stage Clear ~ Swordfighter Peach.oga 0:14

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

References to other games

• Yoshi's Cookie: The cookies Patissiere Peach holds in the game's artwork, as well as the ones she bakes in-game, are the same as the ones from this game.
• Mario Kart Wii: Some of Toad's voice clips are reused for this game, particularly in the opening cutscene.
• Super Mario Odyssey: The design of Peach's Castle is based off its design in this game.

References in other games

• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: A spirit event called "Showtime and Wonder Spirits" added two new spirits based on characters from Princess Peach: Showtime!, with those characters being Peach & Stella and Swordfighter Peach.
• Super Mario Run: An event themed after the game included nine missions to complete, with every three missions completed awarding the player with statues based on Patissiere Peach, Swordfighter Peach, and Peach with Stella. Sparkle Theater is given a direct reference in the flavor text for the Peach with Stella statue.
• Tetris 99: A theme based on Princess Peach: Showtime! was made available during the 39th Maximus Cup.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	プリンセスピーチ Showtime!ショータイム！ Purinsesu Pīchi Shōtaimu!	Princess Peach Showtime! Like the Japanese title for Super Princess Peach, the Japanese word for princess「姫」(hime) is not used, but rather the transliterated English equivalent「プリンセス」(purinsesu).
Chinese (simplified)	碧姬公主 表演时刻！[?] Bìjī Gōngzhǔ Biǎoyǎnshíkè!	Princess Peach Showtime!
Chinese (traditional)	碧姬公主 表演時刻！ Bìjī Gōngzhǔ Biǎoyǎnshíkè!	Princess Peach Showtime!
Korean	프린세스 피치 Showtime!쇼타임! Peulinseseu Pichi Syotaim!	Princess Peach Showtime!

Trivia

Comparison of Latin letters in fonts

• The Korean and Chinese versions use different fonts compared to the one used for other versions, with even Latin characters having some differences between them.

External links

Nintendo of America Inc. / Nintendo of Canada, Ltd.

• Official North American game page
• Official Canadian (French) game page
• Official Latin American game page
• Official Brazilian game page

Nintendo Co., Ltd.

• Official Japanese game page

Nintendo of Europe AG

• Official United Kingdom game page
• Official Belgium (Dutch) game page
• Official Belgium (French) game page
• Official German game page
• Official España game page
• Official French game page
• Official Italian game page
• Official Dutch game page
• Official Austrian game page
• Official Portuguese game page
• Official Swiss (German) game page
• Official Swiss (French) game page
• Official Swiss (Italian) game page
• Official South African game page

Nintendo Australia Pty Ltd

• Official Australian game page

ConQuest Entertainment A.S.

• Official Czech game page
• Official Hungarian game page
• Official Polish game page
• Official Slovak game page