Super Princess Peach Odyssey

Super Princess Peach Odyssey is an entry from the Super Mario platforming series for the Nintendo Switch. The game features sandbox-like elements similar to Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, and revolves around Peach and Toad saving the Mushroom Kingdom.

The game supports two-player co-op, allowing a second character to use a single Joy-Con to control Toad independently from Peach. The game also has online functionality, which allows players to compare their times/scores in certain events.

Premise
Princess Peach is my favorite Nintendo character, simply put. I think she’s very interesting (as much as a Mario character can be) and am yearning for another solo Peach title. Certain characters are getting good solo games, ala Toad, and other characters are on their 3rd solo game, ala Luigi – but Peach was shafted with one game back in 2005.

With this game, I’d like to take influence from a few different games in the series. Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Super Mario Odyssey and, most notably, Super Mario 3D World. Due to Peach's floating power, I image a platformer emphasizing that.

Story
In the heart of the Mushroom Kingdom, a grand ceremony is underway to unveil a magnificent statue of Princess Peach. Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Toadette, Toad, and the beloved princess herself are in attendance, celebrating the occasion.

As the ceremony reaches its climax, an ominous shadow falls over the kingdom. An alien spaceship, piloted by the malevolent Shroob Queen, descends from the skies. In a sudden and audacious attack, the Shroob Queen launches an array of spores infused with her mind-controlling powers. Princess Peach is propelled far across the Mushroom Kingdom, separated from her friends. Mario and Luigi, overwhelmed by the nefarious spores, fall under the Shroob Queen's sinister control.

With the kingdom now at the mercy of these intergalactic invaders, the Shroob Queen reveals her grand plan – she intends to marry Mario and conquer the entire Mushroom Kingdom, subjecting it to her rule. Desperate to thwart this perilous scheme, Princess Peach and her loyal Toad set out on a perilous solo mission.Their quest is twofold: first, they must locate the shattered remnants of the Star Shard, an ancient and powerful relic. These fragments are said to possess the ability to counteract the Shroob Queen's mind control. Along the way, they must also free the innocent Toads who have fallen victim to the Shroobs' sinister influence. They venture deeper into the corrupted corners of the Mushroom Kingdom as the fate of their beloved kingdom and their friends – Mario and Luigi – rests on their shoulders. Will they succeed in gathering the Star Shard pieces, freeing the Toads, and thwarting the Shroob Queen's wicked ambitions, or will the Mushroom Kingdom fall under the shadow of extraterrestrial tyranny?

Gameplay
Much of the game is inspired by Odyssey’s gameplay. The HUD is the same, as well as the health system with Health Points over lives.

The main difference is whereas Odyssey seems to be more ‘open world’, you can collect as much as you want and move on when you’re ready, Peach Odyssey’s world system resembles 3D World; There are a certain amount of levels in each world. You have to collect Power Moons to progress. There are three in most levels. While you don’t have to get every Power Moon from every level, some levels require a certain amount of Power Moons to be unlock. And you can only move on to the next world once you collect the current world’s corresponding Star Shard.

The game features a large world map, consisting of eight worlds with an unlockable bonus world. Each world is connected by Pink Pipes. The seven Star Shards are in worlds 1-7, and the final world is the corrupted Mushroom Kingdom where Peach must defeat the Shroob Queen. Hearts in this game are pink and can be often found after defeating enemies in battle. Each heart restores a wedge of Peach’s health. Hearts give 5 coins when collected while being at full health.

Worlds
The game features a large world map, consisting of eight worlds with one unlockable bonus worlds. Each world has Peach exploring, searching for the Star Shard pieces to form the Rainbow Star.

Shroobs
Goombas and Koopas are not the enemies of this game, rather variants of the Shroob creatures. They are evil, Toad-like aliens found all over the worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom.

The Shroobs are relentless in their quest to infect and conquer. They travel throughout the kingdom, turning areas into breeding grounds for infected Shroobs. They expand their ranks by converting innocent Toads into more Shroobs, further escalating the peril faced by the Mushroom Kingdom.