Princess Peach: Showtime! – 11 Best Looking Transformations, Ranked

Highlights

• Peach dazzles in different costumes in
  Princess Peach: Showtime!
  to defeat Grape and the Sour Bunch.
• Explore Peach’s eleven transformations, each with unique quirks and playstyles in the game.
• From Mermaid Peach to Radiant Peach, each transformation showcases Peach’s diverse abilities and styles.

Nintendo’s long overdue game that spotlights everyone’s favorite Princess, Princess Peach: Showtime! was released on March 22nd, 2024, and has Peach dazzling in different costumes for her different roles in the big theatrical play to defeat Grape and the Sour Bunch. Levels will have Peach playing different characters with unique designs to match their unique move-sets and powers.

Peach has eleven different transformations featured in Princess Peach: Showtime! and each has its own quirks and playstyle. Here are all the transformations, in order of design and cool factor!

11 Mermaid Peach

Musical Magic And Fish

With the inclusion of water levels, it seems that Peach is making the same leap as Sora in the Kingdom Hearts series in becoming a mermaid. Peach will command a school of fish through the levels by using her singing. The design is very Ariel-esque, giving a clear nod to the little mermaid, but Peach retains her signature style with her earrings and pearl necklace.

The blue highlights are shown off in the trim on her top and her blue tail. While the Mermaid Peach design gives Peach a whole new look and a whole new playstyle with her musical magic, it isn’t distinct enough to set it above the rest of the transformations.

10 Detective Peach

Crime Fighting Mastermind

In perhaps the biggest shift for Princess Peach as a character, she dons a classic outfit reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes in her Detective Peach transformation. Wielding a magnifying glass and wearing what looks to be a deerstalker, like in the classic Conan Doyle stories, Peach will question witnesses and inspect evidence.

The detective gameplay harkens back to classic crime games with a Super Mario aesthetic, but the inclusion of puzzles puts Peach’s detective escapades on the same level as the incredible Professor Layton games. As for the look, Peach is undoubtedly stylish in her Sherlock-inspired outfit.

9 Figure Skater Peach

Sporty And Snowy

Using her skills from the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Skating events, Peach tackles the slippery ice levels as a figure skater. There are sections where players will be required to chain stylish moves and dance with others on stage under the spotlight. Other levels have tricky platforming, made all the more difficult by the slippery ice.

Peach’s costume in this transformation is unique from her Olympic garb though, more fitting in her regal blue dress. Her long gloves and cape make a comparison to Frozen‘s Elsa fitting, but there is also an element of the ice flower in New Super Mario Bros Wii. The transformation is narrow in its capabilities, but is still as cool as ice.

8 Cowgirl Peach

Spurs And Sasparilla

Becoming a symbol of the Old West, Cowgirl Peach wears a classic cowboy hat, wields a lasso, and even rides a horse in her tall ranger boots and leather gloves. The set dressing on stage during Cowboy Peach’s levels shows saloons and dusty landscapes, not unlike the stunning vistas of Red Dead Redemption 2, that complete the cowgirl look.

In these levels, Peach rides her horse in rushed platforming sections, lassoing enemies and obstacles away. The design of this transformation is awesome, with the staples of a cowgirl blending well with Peach’s iconic look; her normally immaculate hair is tousled and pulled back into a ponytail behind her hat.

7 Mighty Peach

Tech Suit And Super Powers

Jet-packing into a set designed like a metropolis, Mighty Peach has a look that is inspired by both sci-fi mech suits, like those found in Evangelion or Mobile Suit Gundam, and the techy costumes from the MCU and other modern superhero films. The transformation happens in a sci-fi ship, and then Peach flies across a burning city defeating aliens and using her super strength to tackle the Sour Bunch attackers.

The red theme is a different look for Peach, but the electricity that crackles around her is in the same blue that often serves as a highlight color for the Princess. A visor covers her eyes, and she uses her new strength to kick and punch enemy aliens to dust.

6 Kung Fu Peach

Street Fighter Kicks

Sporting red-orange earrings in place of her usual blue, Kung Fu Peach sweeps in with her hair up and wearing pinkish eye makeup. She swipes and strikes at enemies in levels that are heavily inspired by sidescrolling hack-and-slash or beat-em-up games. The flowing robes and makeup also appear to be inspired by Street Fighter’s Chun-Li with her speed and her kicks.

The gameplay in this transformation is quick and acrobatic and even features stylish flips. While this design wears its inspiration on its baggy sleeves, Peach is powerful and finally gets a chance to fight back in this outfit.

5 Ninja Peach

Hiding In The Shadows

Each transformation in Princess Peach: Showtime! puts the Princess in a different place in the grand show. Each costume means a different bag of tricks that Peach can use on her adventure. Ninja Peach, in a long flowing scarf that players might link to the Pokemon Greninja’s tongue scarf, uses stealth and surprise to evade and attack the Sour Bunch.

She can hide in the grass using camouflage and dash through enemies, defeating them with a pair of kunai. The transformation shows her in practical fingerless gloves and her traditional weaponry, as well as the amazing settings that Peach traverses in her ninja gear, letting Peach show off her sneaky and subtle side.

4 Patisserie Peach

Whisking And Stirring

In another huge move away from Princess Peach’s normal appearances in the Super Mario games, players will see Peach donning an apron and a chef’s hat and wielding a huge bag of icing as Patisserie Peach. Patisserie Peach’s gameplay sees Peach dashing between mixing bowls and frantically trying to complete recipes to fulfill the requirements for her stages.

The gameplay is reminiscent of some Mario Party series minigames, but Peach’s transformation costume here shows the huge range that Nintendo are willing to give her in Princess Peach: Showtime! The Princess is getting a chance to blossom into her own character, now using baking magic in a wholly unique, interesting way.

3 Dashing Thief Peach

A Cunning Rogue

Seeing Peach grappling, hacking safes, and flying with a hang-glider proves that Dashing Thief Peach is powerful and skilled. However, many fans have noted that the bright colors and exaggerated effects in the gameplay of Dashing Thief Peach remind them of the stylised visuals of Persona 5 and the antics of Joker, an obvious comparison.

Peach stuns in her Zorro mask and with her cat burglar outfit. Her blue pendant and her pearl earrings can still be seen, but the full black costume hides her in the sharp shadows of her stages. This is undoubtedly one of the coolest ways that fans have ever seen Peach displayed.

2 Radiant Peach

Sparkling Royalty

The final transformation that Peach uses to defeat Madame Grape makes her more powerful than any other transformation. Peach levitates and flies, using the power of the Sparklas to fire shining projectiles to fight against the villain. She dons a white-blue dress and her hair flares out into a mane that flies behind her as she rockets ahead.

Leaving a trail of floral-looking gems, Radiant Peach draws comparisons to Rosalina of the Super Mario Galaxy games. The Sparklas, which have been reminiscent of Lumas throughout the whole game, empower the Princess in this brilliant finale.

1 Swordfighter Peach

Renaissance Rapscallion

Far and away the most impressive transformation, and biggest change from Peach’s old-school look, is the Swordfighter Peach design. Peach slashes and swipes her way through enemies with a fine rapier. She can chain attacks in combo-like moves and dodge through enemy swings, following up with lethal counterattacks. The combat looks like a simpler version of that found in the Batman Arkham games, with quick movement between enemies and a focus on stringing together moves without being hit.

Peach wears a Musketeer hat topped with a white feather, and her usual pink color scheme is left behind in favor of the blues and reds that make her appear both regal and intimidating. The coat flows behind her, striking a powerful silhouette that sets Swordfighter Peach apart from all the other transformations in the game.