PRINCESS PEACH: SHOWTIME, SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD PROVE ONE AESTHETIC WORKS WONDERS FOR THE FRANCHISE

The Mario franchise has taken players to a variety of different locales and made great use of numerous different aesthetics throughout the series' legendary history. Games like Super Mario 3D World and the recent Princess Peach: Showtime offer some of the most unique and memorable settings in the franchise thanks to their usage of a particular type of aesthetic. Like Super Mario 3D World, Princess Peach: Showtime utilizes the glitz and glamor of neon lights to enhance the game's theater aesthetic, proving that the Mario franchise knows how to effectively use neon to create a stunning world.

Princess Peach: Showtime is a departure from the typical Mario spin-off game, taking place entirely within the world of Sparkle Theater and making limited use of traditional Mario series aspects. While Princess Peach: Showtime does incorporate mechanics from past mainline Mario games, its sparse use of familiar characters and environments contributes to the establishment of the game's own identity. However, one area where Princess Peach: Showtime shines is in its visual design and the environmental aesthetic of its hub world, which has a lot in common with the neon carnival of Super Mario 3D World's World Bowser.

The Mario Franchise Has Made Great Use of the Neon Carnival Aesthetic

When players first arrive at Sparkle Theater in Princess Peach: Showtime, they are greeted by a massive building decked out in neon lights, playbills, and statues of the theater's resident performers, known as Theets. Once inside the theater, this visual design continues as elegant curtains drape the halls and the stage marquees are illuminated by similar neon lights. The combination of these elements gives Princess Peach: Showtime an aesthetic of whimsy, and it successfully creates the type of theatrical carnival experience the game sets out to deliver.

The design of Sparkle Theater in Princess Peach: Showtime might remind Mario series fans of World Bowser from Super Mario 3D World. This world acts as the true final world of the main game and is home to a massive neon theme park designed after Bowser himself. The bright lights and overwhelming scale of Bowser's carnival are a surprising sight for players the first time they encounter it after thinking they'd beaten the final boss in the previous world, making it one of the most memorable worlds in the whole franchise and demonstrating how the flashy neon aesthetic can create a sense of awe and wonder during a pivotal part of the game.

How Princess Peach: Showtime’s Aesthetic Enhances the Experience

The way Super Mario 3D World saves the reveal of World Bowser's flashy neon amusement park design for the finale sets the stage for an epic final clash with Bowser. Given the fairly standard world themes for the rest of the game, introducing this world as the final surprise goes a long way toward building an intense ending. However, Princess Peach: Showtime takes a different approach with the introduction of its world's neon aesthetic, which ends up working out in the game's favor in the long run by giving the game a solid backdrop for the events that unfold during the story.

Rather than using the neon aesthetic for the final world of Princess Peach: Showtime, the game was wise to make this design one of the first things players see when starting the game. Introducing Sparkle Theater in this way early on sets the tone for Princess Peach: Showtime right from the get-go, and establishes the type of glamorous environment players can expect to visit each time they exit a level and explore the game's hub. The cohesive design of Sparkle Theater's opulent neon aesthetic helps immerse players in the game's world and creates a satisfying overall experience.

2024-03-29T07:21:29Z dg43tfdfdgfd