PLATFORM: SWITCH | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

Now that pretty much all of her pals have appeared in their own Switch spinoff adventures, it’s time for Princess Peach to take centre stage – quite literally – in her first solo outing since 2005. Showtime! finds Peach on a trip to the theatre during one of the rare evenings where she’s not getting herself kidnapped. Never one to let an event go by without some sort of interference, Peach finds herself in the middle of an attack by an evil sorceress – Madame Grape – and her minions. With the theatre destroyed and Peach’s precious crown nowhere to be found, Peach agrees to help the Sparklas – the stars of the theatre’s many productions – to get rid of the remaining invaders and restore the building to its former glory.

Peach will have to visit all of the theatre’s stages that are set around a central multiplex-style lobby, with each one housing a different play – 30 in total. This gives Showtime! its main gimmick – Peach steps into a different costume for every play (or world, if you like), bestowing her with unique abilities that enable her to tackle the wildly varying types of gameplay that she encounters. Ninja Peach allows for stealthy approach, hiding in bushes to bypass enemies, while Swordfighter Peach slashes foes away with a blade. Other transformations are much more creative and best left to discover for yourself, but it’s not too much of a spoiler to say that things are often taken in some very unexpected directions and the mechanics associated with each costume are both joy to discover and a delight to control.

Showtime! is a rather simplistic game, and is unlikely to present too many challenges for long-time players. There’s plenty here for older generations, with some wonderful attention to detail such as enemies and backgrounds being operated by almost-invisible strings to emphasise the theatrical setting, but Showtime!‘s relatively short length and easy-to-grasp controls are likely to make it more appealing for youngsters. Bright and colourful, endlessly inventive and featuring some very memorable boss fights, Princess Peach: Showtime! makes for a worthy addition to the Switch library, sitting comfortably alongside Super Mario Wonder and Kirby and the Forgotten Land as some of the most creative and enjoyable Switch titles that money can buy.