I’m sure you all know of this game. The one that a lot of male Mario fans are too insecure to buy. I suppose I was one of them, but even though it’s clear that Nintendo was targeting this game toward a young female audience, that still doesn’t mean that male fans can’t enjoy this game. It’s one of the best platformers that the DS has seen, and it offers a very unique, if easy, way of gameplay.
Story: 3/5
Bah. This is another one of those Bowser kidnapping someone plots, but for a twist, the kidnappees this time are Mario, Luigi, THE Toad, and a bunch of other regular Toads. How did Bowser achieve this? He built a summer villa on Vibe Island and stole the legendary Vibe Scepter. Then, he sent one of his Goomba minions to wave the scepter upon Peach’s castle, wreaking emotional havoc. And during the confusion, Bowser’s Hamer Bro minions charged in the castle and captured the Mario Bros. and a bunch of Toads. In the meantime, Peach was taking a walk, and when she arrived, a Toad found a ransom note reading that Bowser had kidnapped Mario and Luigi. Upon hearing this, Peach suddenly became angry and marched off the castle, willing to save them. Toadsworth tries to stop her, but Peach insists that she must save them this time, so Toadsworth gives her a talking umbrella named Perry. Perry has unusual powers that regular umbrellas obviously don’t have, so he accompanies Peach and aids her on her quest to save the Mario Bros.
I didn’t take away too many points because
this is a Mario platformer, so someone was bound to get kidnapped. Still,
I think that Mario was captured too easily. It’s like he didn’t even bother
to fight back. And I’m sure I’m not the only one who finds it odd that
this is the one time in which Toadsworth doesn’t get paranoid. Oh, and
there’s also an interesting plot connected to Perry’s past, so I think
that this is a fair score.
Graphics: 4/5
The graphics are nice, colorful, and
vibrant, but clearly not the best the DS has seen. In my view, the graphics
are reminiscent of a Mario and Luigi game. The Toad sprites are very similar
to the Mario and Luigi ones, and the coral and water in the beach level
is nearly identical to that from Gwarhar Lagoon from Mario & Luigi:
Superstar Saga. Peach’s design also looks very nice, and those scenes that
appear during the intro movie were very nicely done. Peach’s vibes also
look awesome on the bottom screen. I also like how Peach can react to stimuli.
If there’s something to find in a certain area, an ! will appear next to
Peach on the bottom screen as soon as she walks into the area. She also
reacts to being attacked.
Gameplay: 5/5
2D sidescrolling platformer goodness!
Each level has a goal, which Peach must reach by exploring the different
sections in each level and bashing enemies with her umbrella partner, Perry.
However, Perry’s only use isn’t to bash things. He can also pick up flipped
enemies and throw them at other enemies. He can also absorb enemies and
turn them into vibe energy for Peach’s vibe gauge. Also, Peach can automatically
ride on Perry like a boat by jumping into water. You can also buy new abilities
for Perry at Toad’s Shop in the World Map. For instance, by buying the
Floatbrella, Perry can help Peach float in the air for a while before descending
from a jump. Throughout levels, Peach must also use her vibes in order
to progress. Here’s a list and explanation of each vibe:
Joy: Peach gets surrounded by a cyclone
that can blow away smoke or other obstacles. Peach can also fly joyfully
in this state, helping her reach high areas. Pretty much like Mario and
Luigi’s Super Cape/Leaf.
Rage: Peach’s anger surrounds her as
a veil of fire. Basically any enemy who touches her in this state will
get KO’d, and Peach can also make the ground quake every time she lands
from a jump. The fire she produces can also be used to burn wooden bridges
or passageways.
Gloom: Peach starts bawling so hard
that she can run at twice her normal speed! This is useful while crossing
Donut Lifts. Peach’s tears can also make sprouts grow into large beanstalks
that can help her reach high areas. Her tears can also be used to put out
fiery obstacles.
Calm: This is my least-used vibe because
at a slow pace, it’ll refill Peach’s life gauge. This may consume most
of your vibe gauge, but it also makes the game far too easy.
Before I got the game, I thought that
vibes were something that you had to work hard for in order to use, but
it turns out that by just slightly filling up the vibe gauge (which is
much easier than one would think it is), Peach can use any of her vibes,
which obviously makes the game easier than it already is. It’s a good thing
you don’t have to use them all the time, though. As you progress through
levels, you must also rescue Toads that are trapped in boxes. You can reach
the goal without rescuing them, but only after you rescue them all will
you be allowed to reach Bowser.
Sound/Music: 4/5
Not too shabby at all. The level music
is actually quite catchy. You won’t even mind how the music is always cheerful!
I especially love the first tune of Fury Volcano, Wavy Beach, and Shriek
Mansion, and the Boss theme is surprisingly good, but it’s still too cheerful
to be called a Boss theme. As for sound, well, though it’s highly unnoticeable,
Peach got a new voice actress. But her voice is still as high-pitched as
ever. And Peach’s new catchphrase is “That was Peachy!” I hate that personally,
and hearing her scream “Whee!” whenever she’s flying can be quite irritating.
But it’s certainly a good thing that Perry doesn’t talk too much.
Characters: 5/5
I don’t know why, but when I was a
kid, I liked Peach a lot. After watching a Super Mario Bros. Show tape
I had over and over, I started drawing her a lot. And I used her in almost
every game in which she was playable. I still like her, so I’m glad that
she’s the heroine this time around. As for Perry, he may be no Twink, but
I still like him. He’s certainly not as talkative as other Mario sidekicks.
There’s also a nice list of enemies. They also brought back a lot of Super
Mario World enemies, like Rex, Lava Bud, and Fishin’ Boo. They also brought
back Fang, the bats from Yoshi’s Island. So anyone who has a long history
of playing Mario platformers will appreciate the enemies here. There’s
also a shady new villain that Perry’s always dreaming of. But we can’t
say much of him here.
Bosses: 2/5
If you read what Lemmy said in his
quick-review of the game, most of the Bosses come from Mario Sunshine.
They are even defeated the same way that they were defeated in Sunshine.
The first boss is Petey Piranna (who for some reason was named Boss P.
Plant), and to beat him, you have to fill him up with water from Peach’s
tears and then pounce on his bloated belly button. I wonder where that
came from… The Bosses are also too easy. So far, I’ve only seen one new
Boss: Hoo, a deranged owl. He may be new, but he wasn’t all that awesome.
Worlds: 3/5
This is a Mario platformer, so you
can expect a water level, a volcano level, etc. The worlds are pretty cool,
but there’s something that gets repetitive. Let’s take, um, Fury Volcano
as an example. The background and environments in all of the levels in
Fury Volcano are the same, and some levels have very boring themes, like
Ladida Plains. And since this game is so reminiscent of Super Mario World,
Shriek Mansion is very similar to the Ghost Houses. I hope you liked those.
Difficulty: 2/5
The game has decent length in my opinion.
Eight worlds with five levels each, plus one Boss level. The levels are
notoriously short at first, but they get longer as the game progresses.
The levels are still too easy, though. The obstacles are very easy to pass,
and a few Perry whacks will take out most enemies. The Toad locations are
also too obvious. Despite the large amount of Toads that must be rescued,
finding them isn’t very hard at all. And as I already said, the Bosses
are WAY too easy. The game even tells you how to beat them.
Fun Factor!: 5/5
The lack of difficulty still doesn’t
suck away the game’s stupendous Fun Factor. Playing as Peach and bashing…
bashable stuff with Perry is actually great fun. This is definitely the
most fun platformer on the DS so far. And even though difficulty is very
much absent here, you won’t have to deal with too many moments of frustration!
This is a game that you can have fun playing at any time.
Replay Value: 3/5
Since the game isn’t very hard, you’ll
be able to beat it in just a couple of days. But c’mon! I’m sure that you
all replayed Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario World, and all of those other
Mario platformers a few times after beating them. That will probably happen
with Super Princess Peach, too. After beating the game, you’ll probably
want to give it a second go. There are also a few things to collect in
each level, like coins in order to buy all the merchandise at Toad’s Shop,
and musical notes in order to listen to the tunes they hold at the Music
Room. There are also a few entertaining minigames in the game, most of
which involve leading Toad out of some sort of danger. In Toad Jump, for
instance, you have to blow into the DS microphone in order to make Toad
leap over fire.
Reccomendation:
What you’ve all been waiting for. Should a male Mario fan get this game? I say yes. I think that the game is only girly in the boxart, and the fact that the protagonist is a princess with a talking umbrella. The levels, however, aren’t very girly at all, except for a few flowers and other cutesy details. The only world which I found girly was Ladida Plains, but that was it. The other worlds have layouts that you’d expect in any platformer, so don’t judge this game just because it has a girly cover and title. If you’re a true Mario fan, definitely get this game. If you’re not that much of a Mario fan and are too concerned about being laughed out of the store, then go ahead and pass, because if you’re not a Mario fan, then you really won’t be missing out on anything. And of course, any girl should get this, Mario fan or not.
| If you would like to send some feedback
to the author of this submission, please complete this form.
What's your name?
What's your Email address?
How do you rate this submission?
Does this submission belong in Little
Lemmy's Land?
Would you like to see more from this author? Comments and suggestions:
|
