Summary
One of the most charming elements ofPrincess Peach: Showtimeis its theater aesthetic, being set within the stages of Sparkle Theater as Peach fights to gain back control of the venue from the Sour Bunch. Playing off of the trope of levels being called “stages,“Princess Peach: Showtimeinterweaves theatrical details into its level design to give the game the feel of playing through a stage play. However, one element of theater thatPrincess Peach: Showtimeis lacking is an active audience, which would have been the perfect opportunity to referencePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door.
TheMarioseries is no stranger to using stage playsas a way to frame its games, withSuper Mario Bros. 3being one of the most iconic instances of this aesthetic in the franchise. However,Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Doortook the idea of gameplay occurring on a theater stage to the next level, whichPrincess Peach: Showtimebrings to its logical conclusion. Despite utilizing the theater aesthetic,Princess Peach: Showtimelacks a core part of what worked aboutPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door’s detailed stages, and with the game receiving a remake for Switch later this year, now would have been the perfect time to pay homage to this design.
Princess Peach: Showtime Should Have Included an Audience Like Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
InPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, combat is separate from the overworld as is typical of turn-based JRPGs. Combat in this game takes place on a stage designed to look like a theater, with an audience made up of minor NPC characters includingToads, Shy Guys, Dry Bones, and even Luigimaking the occasional appearance. Rather than passively watching the battle, these audience members play a key role, providing Mario with a variety of potential benefits as combat goes on.
One of the most important ways theaudience helps Mario inPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Dooris by providing him with SP every time he attacks to build Mario’s Star Power and allow him to unleash Crystal Star moves. Additionally, the audience members will occasionally throw helpful items up on stage to aid Mario in his fight. In some boss fights, the audience is used against Mario, such as when Hooktail eats some of the audience to restore its HP, or when Magnus von Grapple 2.0 sucks up audience members to launch at Mario as projectiles.
Even in non-boss battles, the audience can sometimes throw items on stage that will hurt Mario. When this happens, a button prompt will appear briefly, allowing players to attack the audience member and prevent their interference.
How an In-Game Audience Could Benefit Princess Peach: Showtime
UnlikePaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, there is no visible audience for Peach as she battles her way throughstages inPrincess Peach: Showtime. Although the game isn’t an RPG likePaper Mario, there are still waysPrincess Peach: Showtimecould have incorporated an audience to add another layer of depth to its mechanics and enhance its theater aesthetic. One simple way would have been to take a page out ofPaper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door’s book and have allied Theets in the audience throw helpful items like coins and hearts on stage for Peach to collect.
Members of the Sour Bunch could have also made up parts of the audience, throwing out harmful objects or even jumping on stage to attack Peach as she traverses a level. With the waysPrincess Peach: Showtimemakes use of clever ideaswithin the design of each of its levels, it’s a shame there wasn’t more audience participation. The audience is often just as important to a stage play as the actors, andPrincess Peach: Showtimecould have demonstrated that relationship through its gameplay.
