Nintendo will give Princess Peach a starring role in its own Nintendo Switch game next year, the company announced on Wednesday during the Nintendo Direct. It’s the first Princess Peach-led game in over 17 years, and only the third title led by Her Royal Highness.
Game designer Yoshiaki Koizumi and Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa showed just a brief glimpse of Peach’s untitled Switch game, which appears to be themed around a stage play. Peach is joined by an unknown character, a small star-like creature that can seemingly transform into a ribbon with its own set of abilities. Peach’s partner can attack enemies or transform props with his powers – and apparently can transform Peach himself. “When she steps on stage in this particular spot,” Furukawa says of her mysterious transformation, followed by Koizumi asking, “Whoa! What’s happening?” in their teaser reveal of the game.
The Princess Peach game for Nintendo Switchwhich is the temporary title of the game, shows Peach moving through a world inspired by theater, with spotlights aimed at her and what appear to be enemy characters dressed in costumes.
Image: Nintendo
Peach’s previous starring role came in 2005, with the Nintendo DS game Super Princess Peach. That game sent Peach on a mission to rescue Mario and Luigi, who had been kidnapped by Bowser, flipping the damsel-in-distress structure of most Super Mario Bros. games. Although the role reversal of Peach and the Mario Bros. was a welcome change of direction, critics pointed out that “weird sexist undercurrents in the game design.” Super Princess Peach was slammed for being “rather sexist about the idea that Princess Peach’s great secret weapon is that she can get really overly emotional in the blink of an eye.”
For Super Princess Peachthe ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom previously featured in only one other game: Princess Mushroom Castle Runan LCD gamewatch title released in 1990 as part of a promotion at McDonald’s.
Peach appears in a co-starring role in Nintendo and Illumination’s The Super Mario Bros. movie, battling Bowser and his minions alongside Mario, Toad(s), Luigi and Kong’s forces. Peach will also be playable in the new 2D side-scrolling Super Mario game for Switch, Super Mario Bros. Miracle.