History VideoGame / PrincessPeachShowtime

** Swordfighter Peach: on the cloth hanging out of her neck close to where she normally wears it.

* ADayInTheLimelight: In a literal sense, as Peach is the star of the game once again, with her adventure based around a theater play, as the trailer shows. The limelight commonly descends upon her or some Theets in dramatic scenes. And in contrast to [[VideoGame/SuperPrincessPeach the last game]] where all of the major characters showed up and Peach was the protagonist, ''Showtime!'' doesn't even have appearances by the Mario Bros., much less Bowser and his minions, making this game truly all about her.

* ExactWords: [[spoiler: Grape gleefully exclaims "let the tragedy begin" before her final confrontation with Peach. She was correct, a ''tragedy'' was well underway, [[HoistByTheirOwnPetard just not in the way she had hoped.]]]]

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Grape continues to let Peach succeed, intending to let the Theets' hope build so that the tragedy that comes from her victory will hit all the harder. Too bad she's in a world where emotions can be weaponized, and the Theets' hope right at the final hour empowers Peach to be able to defeat Grape once and for all.

** The Theets' noses change colors to depending on their emotions--red for anger, yellow for joy, and blue for sadness--Not unlike that of the Rage, Joy, and Gloom Vibes. [[spoiler: In the finale, their noses turn a bluish-green when providing the strength for Peach to transform again--Alluding to the Calm Vibe and its restoring/healing properties.]]

** [[spoiler: After the end of the game, the Ninja Sparkla introduces the Hide And Seek Challenge, where Peach has to go back through prior plays to find three hidden Theets. In ''Super Princess Peach'', Peach had to find and rescue three Toads in the levels.]]

* DarkestHour: [[spoiler: Grape re-emerges stronger than ever, becoming the gigantic [[OneWingedAngel Grape The Great]] and destroying the Sparkle Theater in the process. Peach is completely powerless to stop her from destroying the island. Fortunately, the Theets using the power of their hope and positivity surrounds Peach with overwhelming Sparkle Energy to become Super Radiant Peach for the final battle.]]

** Next, the player is faced with a series of platforms. They are taught about jumping by using the A button to jump up the platforms and move onward. Two enemies will jump from the background into the foreground and start attacking. Players and especially Veteran Mario players, will likely try to experiment and [[GoombaStomp jump on the enemies]]...only to be in for a nasty surprise as Peach gets hurt instead. Teaching the player a harsh lesson that this ''not'' a "Mario" game and the GoombaStomp has been eliminated from this spinoff, and they ''must'' use the ribbon to eliminate enemies. To lend credence to this, If the player times their mid-air attack right on the red balloon, they'll receive a heart to undo the damage.

* SoreLoser: The Patissiere Darkla promises to let Peach and the Sparkla out if they win one last bake-off, but throws a fit when they do, claiming that taste is what's most important. [[spoiler:Ironically, their cookies are too plain, implying they don't understand cooking that much, either. At least the curtain opens after they disintegrate from eating a Sparkle-imbued cookie.]]

* Antepiece: "Castle of Thorns'', fittingly for the first level, has little setpieces that teach the player how the game works:

* BehemothBattle: This happens in Mighty Peach's second play where the Professor and the freed scientists use their programming to make her giant in order to fight the equally-large alien mech at the end...except that this is a stage play, so she's actually fighting on a {{Toku}}-style tiny set.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Each floor corrupted by a major Darkla monster features equipment on the ceiling that factors into its design.

* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler: The Pâtissièr Darkla is shown to be this after he lost to Pâtissière Peach and the Pâtissière Sparkla, but only after trying one of their Sparkle cookies for himself. The Figure Skater Darkla in plays 1 and 2 declares how beautiful Peach and her troupe is before disappearing]].

* HeartsAreHealth: Peach is given a set of five hearts to use (players may optionally use a charm to get eight), and can restore it by gathering hearts through performing actions or finding them in spots.

* InnocuouslyImportantEpisode: The first two Detective Peach levels actually have some very important moments in them that become relevant in the Sparkla level. For instance, an offhand remark by Junior Detective mentions he likes to arrive five minutes early. [[spoiler:Which makes it clear the Junior in the Sparkla level is an imposter when he answers that he arrives exactly in time.]]

* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: Princess Peach wears a traditional pink dress, and several of her costumes ooze elegance. Figure Skater peach wears a light blue dress, and Swordfighter Peach wears a tri-corn feathered hat and blue suit that wouldn't look out of place were she a [[Main/TheCavalierYears about to have a swashbuckling duel]].

* MundaneMadeAwesome: The first two Ninja levels offer this as their finales. In each one, Peach obtains a special scroll that gives her an awesome power. [[spoiler:The first one has her turn a boulder into a conduit that makes it act like a giant wave that she can ride. The second allows her to turn a large gear into a ''dragon'' that she rides up to the top of the castle.]]

* SoreLoser: The Ice Skater Darkla is shown to be this after he loses to Figure Skater Peach and the Figure Skater Theets [[spoiler: and later to the former and the Figure Skater Sparkla]].

* TitleDrop: Peach sometimes says "Showtime!" before starting an act, and "Peach time!" when starting an act as herself.

* AmbiguouslyRelated: As if Peach's resemblance to Rosalina wasn't strong enough on her own, [[spoiler:Radiant Peach looks almost ''exactly'' like Rosalina, just without her BlindingBangs, complete with magic wand]].

* BluffTheImpostor: When meeting the Junior Detective in [[spoiler:Detective Sparkla's prison, the Detective asks his junior a few questions. The first claims that there are no cushions on the couch in their office when attentive players will remember there were. The Junior Detective doesn't notice or question the conflicting information]].

* CosmicMotifs: As seen in the trailer, Peach's companion for the game will be Stella, the eight-point star-shaped guardian of the Sparkle Theater.

* FrothyMugsOfWater: Alluded to during Cowgirl Peach's transformation scene when she lassos some bottles with tomatoes printed on them. Cowboy Sparkla also offers to treat her to [[DrunkOnMilk a glass of milk]] when [[spoiler:she saves him from a Darkle-powered train]].

* DistressedDude: The majority of the Sparklas are male, with Pâtissière, Mermaid, and Figure Skater being the only females, and [[spoiler:all of them are being held prisoner in the theater's basement and must be rescued by Peach from varying predicaments]].

* NonLethalKO: Attacking with the ribbon will {{Depower}} Sour Bunch minions and force them to retreat.

* AmbiguouslyRelated: As if Peach's resemblance to Rosalina wasn't strong enough on her own, [[spoiler:Radiant Peach looks almost ''exactly'' like Rosalina, just in a different hairstyle, complete with magic wand]].

* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler: If Grape knew anything about theater, she would know that anyone can be the subject of a tragedy. Most notably, it tends to happen to those who are in positions of power. Like her.]]

* ActionGirl: Peach is the only player character, and must defeat the Sour Bunch. She can use Stella's ribbon to fend off minor Sour Bunch members. Swordfighter Peach, Kung Fu Peach, Cowgirl Peach, and Mighty Peach are the most straightforward about it, while Ninja Peach is just as lethal but she can only strike from stealth. Figure Skater Peach is much more graceful, but she does use her talents to fight, while Mermaid Peach directs a school of fish to do her bidding. Dashing Thief Peach uses her grapple gun that can stun robots. Detective Peach has no combat and uses only her brain, while Pâtissière Peach doesn't fight at all, the closest she gets being the two bake-offs in Act 3. [[spoiler:Radiant Peach is definitely not above blasting her way through foes.]]

* BrainwashedAndCrazy: In a few levels, Theets will occasionally be mind-controlled or possessed by the Sour Bunch. Of particular note, an enemy figure skater kidnaps the dancers of the play to take as his own, a Sour Bunch vendor gives out cookies that turn the Theets attending the Sweet Festival into sugar-ravenous zombies, and [[spoiler:the Pâtissière Sparkla is possessed/controlled by the Pâtissièr Darkla when Peach and Stella find her]].

* CreepyCrows: Tthe Festival of Sweets play gets invaded by Sour Bunch crows who steal the sweets, prompting the bakers and Pâtissière Peach to make new ones before the festival starts.

* DramaticIrony: [[spoiler: If Grape knew anything about Theater, she would know that Tragedies don't skew in favor of Good or Evil. They can happen to ''anyone''.]]

* GracefulLoser: [[spoiler: The Pâtissièr Darkla is shown to be this after he lost to Pâtissière Peach and the Pâtissière Sparkla, but only after trying one of their Sparkle cookies for himself]].

* HeartContainer: You can speak to the Staff Member Theet in the lobby to get a Heart Charm, which adds three additional hearts to Peach's LifeMeter, expanding from five to eight. You also have the option to go back to five by speaking to him again.

* AnInteriorDesignerIsYou: [[spoiler: After completing the game, the player can use their coins to buy accessories from the shop to decorate the floors of the Sparkle Theater.]]
* JustLikeRobinHood: The Dashing Thief doesn't so much steal things as she does steal things ''back'' from the Sour Bunch. She's treated as more of a secret agent infiltrator than an actual thief.
* KickChick: As Kung Fu Peach, her martial attacks are all kicks and Peach only does punches in cutscenes against the Kung Fu Darkla.

* TransformationTrinket: According to the WebVideo/NintendoDirect trailer, Stella's ribbon is the key to Peach's transformations.

* VisualPun: Cowgirl Peach's hat has cow horns.
* VocalEvolution: Sharp-eared players will notice that Samantha Kelly uses a much deeper voice for Peach this time around. It isn't as noticeable in her base form and a few transformations like Pâtissiere Peach, but the other more action-orientated ones like Swordfighter Peach and Ninja Peach, show the change in tone a lot more.