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Super Princess PeachBy Angela Proto - 03-21-06 Print  EmailPrincess Peach finally arrives on the scene with a game entirely her own. Accompanied by a talking umbrella, it is Peach's task to rescue Mario, Luigi, and all the Toads you can handle from Bowser. Unfortunately, the role reversal is unsurprisingly not enough to make an engaging storyline. Although there is an additional back story about your umbrella revealed in dream sequences at the end of each completed world, you may find that you just couldn't care less and that the start button will come in handy to skip these weak cut scenes. Luckily, it is not the storyline that will draw you into Super Princess Peach. Super Princess Peach is broken down into a set of themed areas that each contain five stages and a boss stage that opens with a touch-screen minigame. The main objective of each stage is to rescue three Toads and reach the exit. While this may sound simple, it can prove tricky exploring each stage to its fullest. On the surface, the game may seem like a Mario clone, but Peach's new powers add fun and quirky depth in exploring each world. Besides defeating enemies by jumping on their heads with A, you also have the option to whack them with your umbrella with B or Y or skewer them with the tip of your umbrella with X. If you decide to scoop up your enemy, you then have to choice to throw it around as you please or let your umbrella swallow it. Beyond her umbrella, Peach comes equipped with… emotions. That's right: emotions. But before you start calling out Nintendo for making a sexist game where the overemotional female runs around creating chaos with her mood swings, the emotions (called vibes) do have a defendable purpose in the game. The game is set on Vibe Island and as the result of Bowser's possession and use of the Vibe Scepter, everyone is emotional. This means that in addition to stomping your familiar baddies, you'll also encounter Goombas so angry that they cause earthquakes, Koopas so happy that they can't stop singing, and Spinies running around in fits of tears. By tapping one of the hearts located on the touch screen, you use Peach's four vibes to solve puzzles and defeat bosses throughout the game. Using a vibe drains the Vibe Meter, but Vibe can be recovered by collecting blue gems or having your umbrella swallow enemies. Don't let its cutesy look fool you: anyone can enjoy this game. Nevertheless, seasoned veterans of Mario games may find that Super Princess Peach comes across as too easy. In fact, Peach even announces "That was easy!" upon clearing each stage. Hitting information boxes in levels will spell out how to solve every puzzle and even tell you how to beat the bosses. The upside of this is that Super Princess Peach is a good 'first' game, for both children and non-gamers. While there are no difficulty settings, you can avoid having your hand held by not hitting the information boxes. If the game still seems too easy, then a player can choose not to upgrade their health and Vibe meters to create an additional challenge. However, the charm in Super Princess Peach is that it doesn't need to be extremely challenging to be fun. You will probably not find yourself bashing your DS against the wall in frustration. The relative ease of the gameplay coupled with an upbeat feel make Super Princess Peach a perfect game to unwind with. Despite the perky pleasures of Super Princess Peach, there are some significant let downs. Toads are not the only thing you are given a chance to gather in each stage. Musical tracks, puzzle pieces, and minigames lay waiting to be collected or bought from the in-game store. The problem is that the rewards are just not satisfying. After you spend time poking around every nook and cranny of a level looking for items or saving up, the result doesn't deliver. While you may find yourself cheerfully humming many of the game's catchy tunes hours after you power your DS off, being able to listen to each song in the Music Room is not enough incentive to want to search around or save up for it. The puzzle pieces suffer the same fate: the puzzle minigame (which seems to be right out of Mario Party 4) is mediocre at best. The other minigames, like the ones before boss battles, also are lacking. While the idea of a touch minigame before the boss sounds amusing and refreshing, it's poorly executed. The games are fun the first time, but the fact that only three types of games are recycled throughout the areas leads to tedium. The remaining three Toad minigames, accessible through the menu once collected or bought, get old easily too and are not fun enough to hold much interest. Although the minigames obviously will not be enough to keep you coming back, Super Princess Peach offers additional levels once the game has been beaten the first time through. And if you're interested in completing a save with every item and power-up accounted for, the game will last you a fair amount of time after that. Even if that doesn't interest you, the simplistic and pleasant gameplay may tempt a second or third time through the game. Super Princess Peach allows for a sense of accomplishment without any unwanted aggravation. It's good clean fun. Ratings |
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