When they announced this in a Direct, I got really excited for what it could be, seeing the theater aesthetic combined with a little bit of mahou shoujo energy, and also being a brand-new Peach game, so it felt like it was made for me. Then it came out, and after playing all the 1F levels, I honestly already gave up.
Lots of people point out that this game is "too easy" or "just made for kids" (I could go on a rant about this one part for hours, but I just want to keep things short), but I think that none of these have to do with the main problem. The thing is, this game is just built in a way that you are never really engaging with it. Everything is already solved, and the game is just waiting for you to press a button to conclude the "puzzle." All the cool ideas it has last so shortly or are affected by the previously mentioned principle that plagues it. All the stages are decorated in a way that tries to please you from a visual point, but they are no different from an empty one when you walk around them. It just kinda makes all of it worse with the fact that I played Ape Escape 3 this year, and it's kinda just the exact opposite of all of this? They share some motifs when building levels (a ninja-themed one, a cowboy one, etc.), but everything there is more tactile and feels alive. The monkeys around the stage are all doing their own thing relevant to the theme chosen for the level, while also changing how they respond to the player, be it with their attacks or positioning. So, while there it feels like you're actually playing a role and being a part of the show, in Peach Showtime, it just all feels like I'm watching things unfold and that's it.
Lots of people point out that this game is "too easy" or "just made for kids" (I could go on a rant about this one part for hours, but I just want to keep things short), but I think that none of these have to do with the main problem. The thing is, this game is just built in a way that you are never really engaging with it. Everything is already solved, and the game is just waiting for you to press a button to conclude the "puzzle." All the cool ideas it has last so shortly or are affected by the previously mentioned principle that plagues it. All the stages are decorated in a way that tries to please you from a visual point, but they are no different from an empty one when you walk around them. It just kinda makes all of it worse with the fact that I played Ape Escape 3 this year, and it's kinda just the exact opposite of all of this? They share some motifs when building levels (a ninja-themed one, a cowboy one, etc.), but everything there is more tactile and feels alive. The monkeys around the stage are all doing their own thing relevant to the theme chosen for the level, while also changing how they respond to the player, be it with their attacks or positioning. So, while there it feels like you're actually playing a role and being a part of the show, in Peach Showtime, it just all feels like I'm watching things unfold and that's it.