Reviews are out.

Currently 7.5/10 from 62 reviews.

About what I expected. General impression seems to be "fun but a bit shallow" which is what I'd say based on the demo too. It's clearly meant to be a very simple game that even the youngest kids can get into. I might grab it up someday if it ever gets cheap, which it probably won't because... Nintendo.

I was listening to Matthewmatosis recently talk about how it's hard to separate the business reality behind a game's development from the design of the game. For instance, if Breath of the Wild gets to be more handholdey sometimes than you'd expect from its platonic ideal, that's just a necessary requirement of developing a game as huge and ambitious as BOTW. You have to appeal to a wide audience to make your money back.

Princess Peach: Showtime is interesting to think about from this angle. I've seen Arlo say: just because something is for kids, that doesn't mean it needs to be bad. Why not go all-out and have Nintendo EAD make a Super Peach Odyssey?

I think the reality is that Peach is such a girly girl that, without a doubt, you'd be constraining your audience there. The overlap between people excited about playing as Peach and people excited about a world-class 3D platformer is less than either of those categories on its own. In that sense, Showtime being an game for beginners that introduces them to a wide variety of gameplay styles is understandable.

The thing is, slapping pink branding on a C-tier action game is the classic mistake that game developers always make when targeting girls. They acknowledge that women tend to have different preferences, but they don't pursue those preferences. The result is that "girl games" end up getting a reputation as shovelware, which further reinforces women's disinterest in the medium.



A Princess Peach game shouldn't be about bad platforming. It should be about (I wish I could find the similar idea Tim Rogers had) dressing up in customizable outfits and attending balls as a diplomat, strategically managing your relationships with enemies and suitors in order to improve the castle grounds, progress the Mushroom Kingdom's political agendas... and maybe even find love. Bridgerton: The Game! It would sell more than Animal Crossing.

Secret_Tunnel said:

A Princess Peach game shouldn't be about bad platforming. It should be about (I wish I could find the similar idea Tim Rogers had) dressing up in customizable outfits and attending balls as a diplomat, strategically managing your relationships with enemies and suitors in order to improve the castle grounds, progress the Mushroom Kingdom's political agendas... and maybe even find love.

Well, it's not quite that. But it's not really a platformer either! The first two areas I did were very different from each other and neither was a platformer. I think we're just kind of assuming that would be the core because it's Nintendo and that is what they did with their last Peach game.

But this is... something else?! I'm actually curious how many different genres it takes on.

@Zero

Oh, I figured it was like Kirby!

The first stage sort of is only it was way more focused on combat. The second stage was a cooking stage. I really do wish Nintendo games would go on sale for cheap because I don't see myself paying a lot for this but I kind of want to try it out and see how much variety it really has.

My daughter (12, almost 13) has been playing this and she says she really likes it. And while this game may seem “waaaay too easy, what is this? A game for babies?!” My daughter has met Peach’s end several times so far. And while she’s no expert gamer, she’s put her time in with NEW Super Mario Bros., Mario Kart 8, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Super Smash Bros., Kirby’s Epic Yarn and even indulged me in some Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes multiplayer.

I’m not saying Showtime! is a difficult game, but it may not cater to us avid video game players. It’s on the easier side, but it’s not a “Press A To Win!” either.

I’ll have to hold off on my own impressions, since my daughter is hoarding the game card, haha. Which is fine for now. I still have a lot of Unicorn Overlord to get through…

I kind of love the framework of this game. A variety pack with a unified aesthetic. Kind of atypical for Nintendo. The demo was chatty and easy, but also incredibly charming. And the patisserie level surpassed my expectations!

I think a lot of hard core gamer boys have a hard time appreciating that a game can be enjoyable without being challenging or complex. A game like Kirby can be a super pleasant world to spend time in with without having to offer some sort of challenge to overcome or system to figure out. Sometimes just being cute or charming is enough. That doesn't excuse a lack of effort of funding. Giving a game an endearing personality takes resources and skill. It's a different path- not a shortcut

That said, this game seems less charming than Good-Feel's Yoshi or Kirby games. And I don't think being more difficult or complicated would make up for the lack of appeal. But I probably only feel that it lacks charm because I dislike Princess Peach.

Secret_Tunnel said:

Oh, I figured it was like Kirby!

I will not accept this slander! Kirby goes hard

I also remember Barbie Horse Adventures being pretty good. I don't want to test that though.