Nintendo Direct has come and gone with a host of Mario-related reveals, but one of the most interesting is also the most mysterious - an as-yet-untitled Princess Peach game.
While we got to see a bit of gameplay footage from the Princess Peach game, Nintendo's staying tight-lipped about what to expect. Here's what the publisher says in its press release: "Princess Peach will star as the main character in her own new game, which will be available in 2024. Stay tuned for more information about this game in the future."
From the teaser footage (which you can see at the 14:19 mark in the video below), we can see that the game is set on a series of literal stages, where curtains rise and the backgrounds are largely made up of wooden props. Peach has some sort of magical abilities here that let her interact with NPCs - or maybe enemies - and certain elements of the background. There are also platforms that let her undergo some sort of transformation when she undergoes certain types of transformations.
The whole thing reminds me of the puzzle-focused stages in Super Mario 3D Land and its spin-off Captain Toad, which for my money rank among the best things Nintendo has done in the past decade-and-a-half. Combine that with a protagonist who's been severely underutilized over the years, and this Princess Peach game starts to look like one of the coolest things Nintendo has on the horizon.
Beyond her traditional damsel-in-distress role, Peach has had a variety of playable appearances in various games over the years, first appearing as one of the four playable characters in Super Mario Bros. 2 on NES. Her biggest starring role came in Super Princess Peach for Nintendo DS, a game where Peach uses emotion-based powers called 'vibes' to progress in a quest to rescue Mario. Super Princess Peach is generally well-regarded as a platformer, but building a women-led game around 'mood swing' gameplay has never really sat well.
That's part of why it's exciting to see Nintendo give Peach another chance with a starring role. Between a beloved character taking the lead in a new game and the promise of another more puzzle-focued take on the world of Mario has me very excited to see more.
Today's show also revealed the Super Mario RPG remake and Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
