A game I decided to start playing alongside New Super Mario Bros. What I didn't expect is finishing this one first. While I was more invested, that's not to say that I think this game is better, per se, but sometimes you just need to change up your routine a bit.
In a franchise with such a repetitive premise that has been going strong for nearly 40 years, it's easy to experience burnout or outright boredom at times, even as a fan of platformers. Super Princess Peach isn't exactly a shining example of great level design, but its simple gameplay gimmicks and twist on the classic "save the princess" trope were enough to keep me entertained throughout.
Across the game's 8 worlds, you play as Princess Peach, rescuing Toads hidden inside of pink ! boxes, with the ultimate goal of saving Mario from Bowser. The game's main gimmick is that you can switch between 4 emotions to solve basic puzzles or defeat certain bosses. Just to make it slightly annoying, these emotions are tied to a depletable gauge. Sometimes I found myself running out and having to scavenge the area for enemies to "consume" to refill it. But that said, there's nothing all that deep about this mechanic, and there's a point well before the final boss where you've pretty much seen most, if not all of the gimmicks the game throws at you. But that's ok, because there's something kind of soothing about the game.
Mario games, even if most aren't known for being a huge challenge, still usually require focus to navigate tricky sections of platforming while avoiding enemies. SPP makes away with lives, and its slower pace of gameplay makes for a more relaxed experience. Definitely a pretty easy game overall, but I loved its charm. Boss battles were especially fun, as they actually required some level of strategy when compared to the usual Mario tradition of just jumping on them a few times.
My biggest complaint? Finding every Toad is mandatory if you wanna fight the final boss and beat the game, which for the most part isn't too bad, but some of the later stages can be tedious to navigate as you search for them. No shame in using a guide if you're missing a few.
In a franchise with such a repetitive premise that has been going strong for nearly 40 years, it's easy to experience burnout or outright boredom at times, even as a fan of platformers. Super Princess Peach isn't exactly a shining example of great level design, but its simple gameplay gimmicks and twist on the classic "save the princess" trope were enough to keep me entertained throughout.
Across the game's 8 worlds, you play as Princess Peach, rescuing Toads hidden inside of pink ! boxes, with the ultimate goal of saving Mario from Bowser. The game's main gimmick is that you can switch between 4 emotions to solve basic puzzles or defeat certain bosses. Just to make it slightly annoying, these emotions are tied to a depletable gauge. Sometimes I found myself running out and having to scavenge the area for enemies to "consume" to refill it. But that said, there's nothing all that deep about this mechanic, and there's a point well before the final boss where you've pretty much seen most, if not all of the gimmicks the game throws at you. But that's ok, because there's something kind of soothing about the game.
Mario games, even if most aren't known for being a huge challenge, still usually require focus to navigate tricky sections of platforming while avoiding enemies. SPP makes away with lives, and its slower pace of gameplay makes for a more relaxed experience. Definitely a pretty easy game overall, but I loved its charm. Boss battles were especially fun, as they actually required some level of strategy when compared to the usual Mario tradition of just jumping on them a few times.
My biggest complaint? Finding every Toad is mandatory if you wanna fight the final boss and beat the game, which for the most part isn't too bad, but some of the later stages can be tedious to navigate as you search for them. No shame in using a guide if you're missing a few.