Princesse Xhampi, alien violette en robe rose, une coupe à la main

Princess Shroob: the alien leader of Partners in Time

1447 words | Reading time : 7 minute(s)

BossPrincess ShroobMario & Luigi

An alien invasion… in the Mushroom Kingdom's past. Known as Princess Shroob, she leads the alien race that invades the past in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time on DS. This profile digs into her trick — posing as Princess Peach —, her battle atop a levitating throne and the reveal of the true final boss.

In Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, a threat from outer space falls upon the past of the Mushroom Kingdom. Leading it is Princess Shroob (Princess Shroob in the original version), the ruthless leader of the alien Shroob race.

Here is the profile of the younger twin who commands the invasion, disguises herself as Peach and fights from a levitating throne, before making way for an even more fearsome final boss.

Contents

Who is Princess Shroob?

The Princess Shroob is the main antagonist of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, the second entry in the RPG series created by AlphaDream and released on Nintendo DS. The game came out in late 2005 in North America (November 2005) and in Japan (December 2005), then in Europe in early 2006.

As sovereign of the Shroob, she is the younger of two twin sisters who rule this alien race together. Yet it is the younger one who personally leads the invasion of the Mushroom Kingdom of the past for almost the entire adventure.

That status makes her the driving figure of the story: for many hours of play, she is the great villain that Mario, Luigi and their baby selves must bring down to save the threatened era.

The Shroobs: an invasion from outer space

The Shroobs are a race of hostile alien mushrooms with purple skin and glowing red eyes. In Partners in Time, they invade the Mushroom Kingdom of a bygone era, which the heroes reach thanks to a time machine.

Under Princess Shroob's orders, this army enslaves the Toads, drains their life energy and turns the once peaceful kingdom into an occupied colony. Alien ships darken the sky while the princess's castle is reduced to ruins.

  • Species: warlike alien mushrooms armed with highly advanced technology.
  • Target: the Mushroom Kingdom of the past, rich in life energy to plunder.
  • Command: Princess Shroob, who leads the troops in the name of both twins.
Shroob, a purple mushroom-shaped creature with its claws out
The Shroobs land from the sky: the invasion that opens Partners in Time.

The trick: disguising herself as Princess Peach

Princess Shroob's favourite weapon is not only brute force, but deception. She takes on the appearance of Princess Peach to fool the Mario brothers and make them believe the rightful ruler is safe and sound.

The deception eventually shatters: hidden under the disguise is the infamous Shroob mushroom grafted onto her face, the telltale mark of the species. That twist reveals her true nature and sets off one of the game's major showdowns.

By mimicking Peach, Shroob proves she is as much a manipulator as a warrior: she knows how to play on appearances to trap her opponents before the first blow even lands, a rare trait among the saga's villains.

The fight on the levitating throne

The clash with Princess Shroob remains one of the most memorable fights in the game. She never steps down into the arena: she dominates the battlefield from a levitating throne protected by an energy shield.

  • Floating throne: any attack that is not aerial slips under the seat and misses her; you have to aim high.
  • Energy shield: her protection only gives way after taking a great many hits.
  • Arsenal: she fires lasers at both brothers and deploys mechanical limbs from under her throne.
  • Second phase: once the seat is destroyed, she teleports and throws energy balls and a spinning star you must dodge.

This boss design forces the player to rethink their strategy: striking on the ground is impossible, so you have to jump, bide your time and read her patterns if you hope to break through the alien queen's defence.

Cruelty without limits

Beyond her raw power, Princess Shroob sticks in players' minds for her theatrical cruelty. In one of the game's most chilling scenes, she feeds Princess Peach to Petey Piranha , in front of a crowd of cheering Shroobs.

That open sadism clashes with the usually light-hearted tone of the Mario & Luigi series and places Shroob among the most merciless antagonists in the whole Mario universe. She shows no pity, not even, it seems, for her own sister sealed inside the Cobalt Star.

That sequence is often cited as one of the darkest moments in any Mario game: seeing Peach devoured in front of a packed hall cements Shroob as a true tyrant, a world away from the saga's usual comic villains.

The real final boss: her elder sister

The big reveal of the finale is that Shroob is not the last threat. After her defeat, the Cobalt Star , pieced back together, frees her elder twin sister, called Elder Princess Shroob in English.

She is the one the adult Peach had once imprisoned in the Cobalt Star to stop the invasion. Freed and mad with rage after her younger sister's death, the elder twin rises as the adventure's true final boss, far more powerful than her sister.

That reversal turns Princess Shroob into a false final antagonist who is perfectly built: she carries the entire weight of the invasion for most of the game, before handing the spotlight to a threat risen from the most distant past.

Princess Shroob at a glance

French name Princesse Xhampi
English name Princess Shroob
Game Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time (Nintendo DS)
Release Nov. 2005 (North America), Dec. 2005 (Japan), 2006 (Europe)
Species Shroob
Role Leader of the invasion, main antagonist
Notable traits Disguises herself as Peach, fights from a levitating throne
True final boss Her elder sister, Elder Princess Shroob

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FAQ

  • Is Princess Shroob the final boss of Partners in Time?
    Not quite. She leads the invasion and acts as the main antagonist for most of the game, but the true final boss is her elder twin sister, freed from the reassembled Cobalt Star after Shroob's defeat.
  • Who are the Shroobs?
    The Shroobs are a race of hostile alien mushrooms that invade the Mushroom Kingdom of the past in Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
  • Why does Princess Shroob look like Peach?
    She disguises herself as Princess Peach to fool the Mario brothers. A Shroob mushroom grafted onto her face eventually gives away her true identity.
  • How do you beat Princess Shroob?
    She fights on a levitating throne: ground attacks miss her, so favour jumps and aerial attacks, then dodge her lasers and her spinning star in the second phase.
  • Which console can you play Partners in Time on?
    Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time was released on Nintendo DS, in late 2005 in North America and Japan, then in 2006 in Europe.

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