Princess Peach: Showtime! is a game that isn’t going to immediately appeal to many of the fans of big shooty bang-bang games like DOOM Eternal, but there’s a place for it still with an audience as sizeable as that of the Switch. Nintendo invited us to come along and give the game a go for ourselves ahead of its release on 22nd March, and so we did that.

Let’s be very upfront about a very important factor which was probably already made blisteringly apparent in the original reveal trailer: Princess Peach: Showtime! is not a difficult game. Deep breaths, everyone.

The controls boil down to a stick for movement, the jump button (assigned to 'A', slightly unusually for Nintendo), actions assigned to the 'B' button, and a controls reminder on 'X', while 'ZL' and 'ZR' interact with context-sensitive spotlights. We wouldn’t usually break down controls this thoroughly, but it didn’t take us long, and we feel it helps emphasise that this is a very approachable title.

Actions are basic and usually involve Peach utilising the transformation she has in her possession at the time, such as a quick sneak strike as a ninja, or a snappy riposte as a swordfighter. Honestly, it’s basic stuff. Collectibles are strewn throughout each level (referred to in-game as ‘plays’), and completing little bonus tasks as well as primary objectives will net you these star-shaped lovelies.

If we’re being completely truthful, Princess Peach: Showtime! is all talk and no trousers.

But what talk! Seriously, the setting and the presentation are what sell this game. Everything takes place in a theatre that has been overrun by some malignant entity hellbent on turning every play into a tragedy, so by that logic we can assume that they were all comedies before. It’s up to Peach to enter each play and bring it back from the brink of a sad time, and the game starts to really shine in this area.

All the plays are presented on a stage with (admittedly high-budget) sets, complete with curtains, wooden backdrops, and strings attaching many of the evil entities you’ll encounter, all bathed in some fairly impressive lighting for the Switch. It’s delightful.

And the delight doesn’t stop there. When Peach is donning one of her transformations, she’ll interact with the environs in wonderful little ways, such as holding two cardboard bushes in front of her face to hide herself in long grass, swing from a literal swing in order to decorate the enormous cakes that lay beneath her, hold a bamboo pole to her mouth so she can breathe beneath the water in another supremely stealthy move, and perform exquisite movements as an ice skater.

And remember those collectibles we mentioned before? Some of them are really quite well hidden. None of them require any masterful displays of skill, but we were pleased that in our playtime we didn’t complete even a single play with all the collectibles in tow. They give the player a much-needed reason to return, even if only briefly.

Princess Peach: Showtime! is shaping up to be a bit of a gem on the Switch, albeit one that is clearly designed with as broad an audience as possible in mind, which some may find a turn-off. It's dead easy, but we couldn't help but be utterly charmed when playing, with a big, stupid grin plastered across our face for the duration. We can see plenty of parents with young children having a whale of a time with this one, as well as anyone who’s not afraid to take things a little easy now and again between sessions of Elden Ring.

Thanks to Nintendo for hosting us for this preview session. Princess Peach: Showtime! launches on 22nd March — look out for our review nearer the time.