It's a new year and that means Nintendo has a whole bunch of new games to release. One of these happens to be Princess Peach: Showtime! for the Switch.
This title was originally confirmed to be arriving on 22nd March 2024 during last year's September Direct and in the latest update, an ESRB rating for the game has now been spotted online. This seemingly confirms its release is still on track.
As highlighted on Nintendo's official website, the game has been rated E10+, which is described by the ESRB as content "generally suitable for ages 10 and up". It appears some "fantasy violence" has bumped it up to this rating.
Here's what to expect when this new adventure starring Peach arrives in March (via Nintendo.com):
"Princess Peach’s trip to the Sparkle Theater goes off script when the wicked Grape and the Sour Bunch steal the show! Partner with the theater’s guardian, Stella, to call curtains on this tragedy by using a powerful ribbon and taking on several starring roles—each with their own look and abilities. Transform to fit the role and use showstopping abilities to save the day.
"Fend off the Sour Bunch with sensational swordplay as a swordfighter...en garde! In another role, Peach puts on her detective hat to find out whodunnit in a museum mystery. From kung fu master to pastry chef, Peach’s roles give you distinctly powerful ways to save the play! What other transformations are just behind the curtain?"
Pre-orders are now live for £49.99 / $59.99 (or the regional equivalent).
Will you be checking out this game when it launches on Switch? Tell us in the comments.
[source nintendowire.com]
Comments 60
I already pre-ordered this a couple of months ago, can't wait to play it. Hope they poured as much creativity into it as into Super Mario Wonder, the gameplay concept with Peach's different roles certainly sounds very promising.
I bet some parents are going to hesitate buying this for their little girls.
This rating is bad for sales figures.
@jamesthemagi I'd wager the majority of parents don't pay too much attention to age ratings hence why so many kids play Call of duty and GTA. And those that do will see that it's a Princess Peach game and won't read too much into.
Also doesn't Mario RPG and Kirby class as having "Fantasy Violence" yet they are rated 7.
It's the pastry chef part which makes the higher rating - don't try to cook cakes that way at home kids!
I can't wait for this game; I hope it sells well so Nintendo makes more Peach games.
Really hope they show off more of the game soon. So far I'm not really feeling very interested in what's been shown but there's been so little there I'm kind of wanting more to go off of before actually coming to a decision on it.
“fantasy violence”
I’m guessing Peach will finally get her revenge on Bowser after all those kidnappings.
I won’t pick this one up. It just looks a bit too target. Not a fan of the art style or theme of it. I wish they would’ve done a Rosalina game instead. Only thing in 2024 I’m planning to get so far is Lara Croft tomb raider and FINALLY SIDE ORDER!!!!!!!!! Also thinking of saving up for a PlayStation
@FishyS (Cries in Super Princess Peach)
I’m looking forward to this but Dragon’s Dogma 2 may bump it for me.
WOAH RATED M!!?!?
On a serious note, its gonna be interesting how this game turns out. Has lots of potential but I feel like it will end as quickly as Super Mario Bros Wonder and not be as nearly as good. For a 60$ game I hope it will be truly great.
Maybe there'll be an easy mode on this game, otherwise, it looks way too difficult /s
I still don't really get what this game is. A 2.5D platformer? An action game? A bunch of QTE mini-games? And Adventure game? What is it?
This game is inspired by the “Kill Bill” movies……with Princess Peach playing the Uma Thurman character.
Ummm. What?
I'm convinced the ESRB doesn't know how to rate games anymore. That is, if they even knew how to rate them in the first place.
Everyone's freaking out about the rating of the game, yet I don't even think most parents know or care about the difference between "Everyone" and "Everyone 10+".
PEACH IS GONNA SAY [REDACTED]
I know plenty of other 1st-Party Nintendo games have gotten an E10+ rating (hell, even other MARIO games have gotten it like Odyssey), but it's still so funny whenever it happens (insert 'Nintendo then vs Nintendo now' engagement bait image here).
@HammerGalladeBro I'm not sure what you mean here. You think there's nothing about the game that warrants the rating?
This looks super cute. I'm getting more into it the closer we get to release.
It's gotta be the kung fu power-up that affected the rating. Must be a few Mortal Kombat references that hit too close to home. Maybe even FATALLY so. /s
Looking forward to this. I saw the trailer for it before I got my switch and I can't wait to play it.
Really a shame about the E10 rating... I bet nintendo is pulling their hair out about that... but I wonder if the fact that it's been rated and out March 22 gives some insight as to when a game that was rated a couple weeks ago with no announced release date, Paper Mario TTYD, may come. Here's hoping Q1.
@BigBluePanda Bowser is not the main villain.
Is this Mario (technically Peach's) first RPG with that rating?
“E10+?! That is far too intense for my child! Tch! Anyway, let’s go watch a PG-rated movie…!”
@Overzeal Not really, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team is also rated E10+ (who knows why and I don't have the game to say what exactly gives it such rating), as well as the two Mario + Rabbids games.
To respond @SlasherZ, my point is about the question "What constitutes an E10+ rating?"
For me, in games I've played, it means "it's the characters you know going out of character (i.e. doing things they normally don't do or with slightly crude humor), showing visible pain or in darker situations than usual".
I mean, I can see why games such as Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Mario Strikers Charged, the Zeldas, Punch-Out!! Wii, LEGO City Undercover, Sonic Lost World, Sonic Forces, Sonic Frontiers, Rayman Legends and even Super Mario Odyssey have an E10+ rating, but what's the reason for an E10+ in games like Nintendo Land, Wii Sports Club, Nintendo Switch Sports, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 or Puyo Puyo Tetris?
A final boss that bleeds like in Kirby is not enough reason to have a whole game be E10+. Maybe if Kirby and friends or the enemies bled or showed visible pain or bruises when they get hurt.
I know this is a non-issue, but a lot of the games that I've played with an E10+ don't deserve it.
@HammerGalladeBro
Probably becuase someone on the board got scared of Antasma.
@HammerGalladeBro in the case of Mario + rabbids kingdom battle I’d say the peeing statue got it a bump in the rating.
So if Luigi mansion hd and paper Mario have already been rated, the end of last year.
Does that mean they are complete and ready to go as well, even though we don’t have release dates for them.
People are making fun but I think it would legitimately sell more copies with an E rating instead of E10
@OldGamer999 jep! Because if you adjust the game before it gets printed on the disc you have to get it rated again.
Probably just having a sword present makes is e10+ The same as Switch Sports getting the same ratings. No doubt there's an exception to that though
Sorry kids, gotta wait a few more years! 😂
The most surprising thing is that TTYD got rated E instead of E10+ unlike this game, I'm starting to worry that they have changed even more things than they already had in the original English localization... hopefully if that's the case at least it won't affect ones that were slightly less censored like the Italian one and especially the original Japanese version!
@Friendly
That’s good so if those games are finished.
Then hopefully they are finishing some new games off and probably for Switch 2 release.
@OldGamer999 based on what the teams of Nintendo have released in recent years, I think we can expect a new 3D Mario, Mario Kart and Metroid Prime 4 within the launch year of the next gen console Nintendo of Nintendo.
Probably along with some rereleases with visual upgrades of Switch games for a couple of bucks (like Zelda Wind Waker and Twilight Princess, and Super Smash Ultimate: Definitive Edition, or Splatoon 3: Complete edition).
@Kestrel Or its own thing ! I don’t know either, but it looks good and original.
Why? I can’t recall any other 10+ Nintendo First Party game on the switch.
With most 6-9 year olds discovering Nintendo princesses after walking away from Disney ones. It seems a very odd decision to pegi it outside of the target audience. For violence rather than difficulty.
@Friendly
I definitely need a new 3d Mario and hopefully on the release of the switch 2.
Like Mario 3d with the N64.
This really looks like what Balan Wonderland wanted to be. Kinda. Quite looking forward to this one I have to say.
@Kestrel All of the above is all I can tell!
The fact this game got an E10+ rating while Paper Mario: TTYD is just rated E is insane.
Oh no, this fantasy violence might be too much for me to handle! /s
@JohnnyMind The Japanese Switch version of TTYD is rated CERO B (12 and up), while the GC original was CERO A. I'm guessing the script will be the same but the new rating may reflect changes in the CERO.
But yeah, I'm also surprised the American version is still E and not E10+, same for Super Paper Mario, it starts nice and lighthearted and it turns dark in the latter half of the game.
So it's worse in terms of violent content than Mario Wonder and equal to TotK?
@UltimateOtaku91 Mario Odyssey is also rated E10 (because of the tanks, maybe?), so I doubt people who pay attention will care much.
The stupidest thing about this is that it’s sharing a rating with Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom (both of which should have been rated T in the States). I doubt that this will contain any shrieks of pain, horror, stylised blood-like misty effects, or a multitude of ways for Peach to die. Not even Legends Arceus was enough for the ESRB to bump it from an E rating (which is utterly ridiculous given that the game is probably the most violent official Pokémon game ever made).
What’s weirder is when pixelated SNES/GB ROM collections like TMNT, with their dated, unrealistic graphics, get branded with T ratings in the States. I just don’t get it.
So, you can show all matters of violence and suffering, but apparently, a couple of pixels of blood is what makes the difference in viewing impact. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
But for what it’s worth, Princess Peach Showtime is similarly rated PG in Australia (citing “Mild fantasy themes and violence”), but our censors slap practically every Nintendo game with that rating (or similar) nowadays. In the 90s, you had to earn the equivalent of a PG rating (then known as G8+).
King Fu Peach be laying the smackdown on some fools!
@HammerGalladeBro Good to know that the Japanese version is most certainly safe then because you'd certainly expect the rating to stay the same or even increase because of its contents (especially in that one) rather than decrease!
Still fingers crossed for the American version, but now we have to see the European ratings to see if those versions were potentially affected, too.
I'm undecided on this one. Need to wait for gameplay vids and details of how long it is.
My five year old is going to play this and lose his mind. Can't wait.
Rated W for Woke. Cuz every game with a female lead is woke.
@jamesthemagi
Seeing as how parents willingly buy GTA and the yearly Call of Duty for their kids, I doubt this will stop them from buying a Princess Peach game for their kids.
@OctolingKing13 Why would they make a Rosalina game instead of Peach? That makes absolutely no sense. I could see Rosalina being a playable character but protagonist in her own game, very unlikely.
@Switch_Pro eh a Nintendo fan can dream
@blindsquirrel
Parents are not buying those games for their kids in a Nintendo console because 1 they don't exist and 2 Nintendo historically has a more kiddie reputation. In other words, if you bought your small kid a Switch instead of the other 2 consoles, I doubt they don't pay attention to ratings.
In addition, while I have seen parents allow their kids to play M games, I have never noticed one which is under 10 years old.
As a result, having a rating of E-10+ will definitely affect sales.
I still haven't heard enough from the game to make a decision yet. In the meantime, it's still in my radar.
@jamesthemagi
I think you’re missing the point. If people are willing to let their 13 year old kids play hard M games, nobody will give a crap about a Peach game being E10+ instead of E.
@OctolingKing13 Nothing wrong with that.
Remake Super Mario Land The Gameboy Version add on story mode , leave the classic Music
@Sisilly_G Guessing that the genesis version of Tournament fighters, Leonardo's desperation attack may have something to do with that.
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