I’ve played every Mario game but the newest one turns things upside down

PRINCESS Peach: Showtime is the first time the iconic princess has had a solo outing on a home console.

Thematically, it does a great job of playing to Peach’s strengths, adding a new dimension to a typically one-note Mario character.

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Every level is framed like a stage performance, with cardboard cut-outs for backgrounds and glamorous costume changes in every level.

Those costumes serve to grant Peach unique abilities, such as becoming a master swordfighter, ninja, or detective.

It gives every level a special vibe both in terms of atmosphere and gameplay.

One moment you’ll be heroically charging through a city punching UFOs out of the sky, the next you’ll be investigating a stolen artifact from a museum.

It creates a well-paced experience, where you can switch between fast-paced platforming, creeping stealth, or relaxing baking.

Most levels are short – no longer than 10-15 minutes – but it allows each one to be a contained experience, telling a quick but fun story before shuffling you off to the next stage.

The downside of this loop is that it makes the game exceptionally easy.

This game feels more kid-oriented than most of Nintendo’s other first-party titles, as it doesn’t cater to gamers looking for more of a challenge.

Where games like Super Mario Wonder balance out easy stages with hidden challenges and collectibles, Showtime doesn’t fully commit to including those elements.

Every level has a series of unique collectibles, but they’re not hard to find at all, and anyone with even a little bit of video game experience will be able to spot the obvious hiding places.

Challenge levels make up for this a bit, but they suffer from being far too brief, and not offering any meaningful rewards, so I often didn’t feel like doing them.

That said, the base concept is enough to keep me coming back for more.

Every level has something new to offer that I can’t help but smile as I discover all the cute little touches packed into every corner.

It’s so good that I’d say it’s worth playing just to see what fun the team had crafting a game specifically for Princess Peach, it finally canonises a lot of the personality that fans have injected into the character over the years.

Still, a full £50 is a lot to ask for a game this short and this simple.

With the main levels, handful of boss fights and side challenges – most of which you’ll breeze through – it doesn’t hold up against any of Mario’s recent outings, or even other spinoffs like the Luigi’s Mansion games.

It does have something meaningful to offer though, and while I don’t think the overall package comes together perfectly, I did still have fun playing each level because of how charmingly it’s designed.

It won’t be to every gamer’s taste, but if you love Peach as a character, then this game does her justice.

Score: 3/5

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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk