As part of a verySuper Mario-filled Nintendo Direct, one announcement may have been more surprising than others. Sure,Super Mario RPGfans finally got their well-deserved remake after years of waiting, and a new 2DMarioadventure comes out the month before that, but a third game has been teased that hardly anyone could have predicted. After the franchise had gone without a title like this for almost twenty years, a newSuper MarioPrincess Peach solo game is currently in development.
The last time Princess Peach had the spotlight like this was in 2005 with theDS gameSuper Princess Peach. The title reached Japanese audiences first in October, but then reached English-speaking gamers in 2006. It’s main draw was that it reversed the usual damsel in distress scenario that players were used to, and it dealt with saving Mario & Luigi from Bowser’s clutches as the Princess herself. While the DS game had a nice, fun twist to it, a lot of it hasn’t aged well. This is where the new Princess Peach game can do things differently.
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Super Princess Peach’s Previous Mistakes
To say thatSuper Princess Peachwas a failure would be a lie. It may be rather unexpected, but the solo title for the Mushroom Kingdom’s princess ended up being one of the best-selling Nintendo DS games back when it first came out. Many fans adored the adventures of Peach and Perry the Parasol, becoming such a memorable title for players that many hoped that the two would unite inSuper Princess Peach 2later down the line.
That said, when one looks at whatSuper Princess Peachdid back in the day, it’s understandable as to why Nintendo wouldn’t go in this direction. For starters, while the Vibe Powers made some interesting and creative gameplay, the idea that one of the firstMariogames starring their female leads directly focused on her having over-the-top emotions seems tone-deaf against its reversal of the damsel in distress trope. On top of accidentally stepping into harmful stereotypes about women, the game starringPrincess Peach was heavily criticizedas being too easy.
What the New Princess Peach Game Could Do to Succeed
AfterSuper Princess Peach’sflaws, there are plenty of places that this new game forSuper Mario’sleading female characterdefinitely needs to do better. Currently, not much is known about the game beyond that it deals with Peach starring in some sort of play with a new ribbon-like flower companion. The concept is cute in practice, but the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom needs to be able to show what she can do and not be limited to just a stage show.
The best angle this game about a play could take is that it starts off as a cute show starring Princess Peach, but it turns out things aren’t what they seem and there’s asinister plot by Bowseror maybe even a new Mario villain that she needs to foil that only unravels near the end. As the real threats make themselves known, the game could possibly spike in difficulty, taking off the gloves and really testing what players have done so far.
From what’s known about the game so far, this is likely going to be the case as the trailer makes it clear that Peach’s little buddy has real abilities of their own throughout it, even teasing a new transformation for the princess near the end. With what little there was to show in the recent Nintendo Direct, there’s a chance that this title is still in the starting stages of development. The nextSuper Mariospin-off game starring Princess Peach might be a ways away, but the end result is likely going to be exciting for her fans when it finally arrives.
The unnamedPrincess Peachgame is currently in development.
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