Nintendo, Let Us Play As Peach and Zelda

Our Princess Isn’t a Playable Character!

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Odyssey are excellent games. You don’t need me to tell you that (you’ve probably been told plenty, or found out for yourself), but I want to make it clear I’m not disputing that fact when I say that, genuinely, they disappointed me. Both games, though fantastic, completely failed in one respect: letting us play as the princess.

Remember when that teaser for Breath of the Wild was first shown all those years ago? We all assumed the hero of the piece was Link—it didn’t look exactly like Link, but then it’s not the first time he’s iterated. However, in the most confusing usage of ‘when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me’ ever, we were tantalisingly told that this person might not in fact be Link. Who, then? Some speculated Zelda. Though the mysterious, pointy-eared person certainly looked more Link than Zelda, there was a possible Zelda in there. The character’s hair was in a ponytail, their eyelashes were quite pronounced (as is the trademark of cartoon women), and they were wielding a bow and arrow, which tends to be Zelda’s weapon of choice. Some brave souls even ventured the theory that this character was actually Link and Zelda’s child, which would’ve been an even bigger shake up of the series than Breath of the Wild actually turned out to be.

But, despite all that, it turned out to be Link anyway. Breath of the Wild was still brilliant, though, and innovative in many other ways, so the wild goose chase was forgiven. And then Nintendo took us on another. The teasers for the Breath of the Wild DLC, Champion’s Ballad, featured a distinct lack of Link. We saw stills and scenes containing Zelda alongside the other champions, but not Link. The dream was alive again. Were we finally going to get to play as Zelda?

No, we weren’t. Whatever your opinion of the DLC, we can all admit it would have been amazing to get the opportunity to finally play as the series’ title character outside of Super Smash Bros. Because Link is mute and the player proxy, it’s Zelda who sometimes ends up being the most developed character in the game, and Breath of the Wild is no exception. Just as I always wanted to sneak around as Sheik, sail the seas as Tetra, and tour abandoned Hyrule with Impa, I wanted to be able to play as Zelda through her journey to assemble the Champions and activate her powers. Nintendo is relatively inexperienced with this whole DLC thing, though. Perhaps they haven’t grasped the idea that you can use it as a way to not simply add more of the same, but to add something entirely different. Then again, perhaps it would have been too different. Zelda wouldn’t have had the same abilities as Link, even his non-combative ones. It might’ve been too difficult to make Zelda work as a playable character in a world that was designed to be explored by Link. Fair enough. But the same can’t be said for Super Mario Odyssey.

Odyssey follows the adventure of Mario and Cappy as they team up to save the people they care about from Bowser. As usual, Mario is trying to rescue Princess Peach, and new friend Cappy is working to save his little sister, Tiara, who Bowser stole to adorn Peach’s head with. It is Cappy who gives Mario his ability to ‘capture’ (see: possess) other creatures in the world, which allows them to collect the Power Moons they need to race after and stop Bowser. Clearly, Cappy is essential to Mario’s success in collecting Power Moons and saving Peach. Once saved, Peach heads back home to the Mushroom Kingdom. However, you soon discover from several Toads that she’s gone missing again—apparently though, this time she was able to pack a suitcase before leaving, so it seems she went willingly. And, since Odyssey is a game all about travel, it’s not hard to guess why.

At this point, my excitement level was skyrocketing. I’d heard Odyssey had plenty of content to play through after the credits rolled, and having taken special notice of the fact that Peach had her very own Cappy—i.e., Tiara—I was expecting to be able to play through the post-game Power Moons as the princess herself. And yet.

It’s not like this expectation was unfounded. As was made very clear, the key to gaining Power Moons is the ability to capture objects and creatures which, being pals with Tiara, Peach technically does possess. It’s not just Cappy who can capture objects, as his fellow hat-people make clear when they talk about the fact it becoming something of a trend thanks to Mario and Cappy’s rather liberal usage of the power (a terrifying thought, but anyway). It’s not as if Peach isn’t capable of the same platforming skills as Mario displays, either, since she has the same abilities as he does in games like Super Mario 3D World. And, as the myriad Mario spin-offs show us, she’s also an adept racer, sportswoman, and fighter. It’s a mystery why she doesn’t save herself more often, but I suppose we can set that one aside if it means we get more games as brilliant as Odyssey.

If Nintendo did make Peach playable, it wouldn’t even be the first time a 3D Mario platformer allowed you to play as a different character after the credits roll. I refer you to exhibit C, Super Mario Galaxy: after you beat the final Bowser, you gain the ability to play the entire game as Luigi. Though it was essentially the same game, the differences in Luigi’s speed and jumping abilities meant you had to adapt and change the way you played it. It was a nice feature. Why Odyssey didn’t do the same with Peach is beyond me. She has the ability to capture, and she has the ability to platform. It would’ve have been the cherry on top of an already-delicious cake-experience. Instead, however, all Peach does is stand around different worlds, handing out Power Moons when you turn up and talk to her. Though I am glad she’s getting some fresh air, I do wish she was getting more of a starring role while doing it. I take solace in the fact, however, that she finds each Power Moon she gives you herself. Considering the trials and tribulations Mario has to go through to find some of those damn Power Moons, it’s great fun to imagine what kind of platforming Peach might have gotten up to in order to grab the ones she finds. I certainly didn’t leave any lying around for her to just stumble across, so those things must’ve been somewhere even Mario doesn’t have the ability to go. Oh well, Peach. Even if we don’t get to have those adventures with you, I’m glad you’re getting to have them.

Then again, Nintendo, it would be nice to join Peach or even Zelda on an adventure of their own. There have been attempts in the past (Super Princess Peach was great, don’t @ me), but I feel like now would be the best time for it. Games with female protagonists are doing better than ever, and Nintendo seems laser-focused on innovating and taking risks. Please take this risk, Nintendo. Please, let us play as Peach and Zelda.