Nintendo's Princess To Arrive In May

Get ready boys and girls, Super Princess Peach is ready to pack her first solo punch. Today, Nintendo announce that the Nintendo DS title will be available in May. Here's the low-down on the new adventure platformer.

At first glance Peach definitely looks like a gentle girly kind of girl, with her bright pink dress, long white gloves and sun umbrella. Don't let that fool you though, because when Mario and his friends are kidnapped, Peach sets out to save the day and she means business!

Up to no good as usual, Bowser has stolen a magical 'Vibe Wand' and has used it to capture Mario and Luigi. With a bold rescue mission in mind Princess Peach sets out to Bowser's castle on Vibe Island. However, upon arriving she finds herself affected by the magic of the island and is able to turn her emotions into powerful weapons to help on her quest.

Super Princess Peach is a classic 2D platform game, featuring vividly colourful worlds and enemies reminiscent of those seen in the Super Mario Bros. series. However, Peach has a few tricks up her sleeves thanks to her new Vibe powers. Using the Nintendo DS touch-screen, players can use these abilities to interact with the environment. Joy creates a small cyclone of happiness, which Peach can both wield as a weapon and use to lift herself up to previously inaccessible platforms. When pushed too far our heroine can use her Rage to burn through enemies and wood barriers. She can also use Gloom to burst into tears causing plants to grow and making her invincible. Finally if things get a little too hot players can use Peach's Calm ability to take a time-out to regenerate health.

A girl always knows when to accesorise and Peach is no exception. As well as her formidable Vibe powers she carries a handy magic parasol. Early in the game the parasol is simply used to club enemies that get too close and then it devours them to regenerate Peach's Vibe Meter. However, Peach can also use coins found throughout levels to upgrade her trusty weapon at Toad's shop, allowing the parasol to hurl fireballs, act like a boat and much more.

On top of the game's main story mode, there are a host of extras tucked away for Peach to uncover. Hidden away on each level are pieces of pictures which can be unlocked, music tones which Peach and her band can play and touch-screen minigames, which ensure that the game's replay value is greatly increased.

Okay, she's not quite Lara Croft in terms of Heroine, but Princess Peach looks to be a pretty solid platformer that should appeal to a wide range of gamers.