One thing to remember Reelya is that Princess Toadstool has the ruler of the kingdom pretty much is about always going to be in the line of fire AS the ruler. Her condition is the condition of the kingdom and the only way to restore the kingdom is to thusly restore their rightful crown.
Basically she is the President.
Mostly because both Princess Toadstool and USUALLY Princess Zelda fall under what I call "Princess Queens" (Zelda being an outright princess and not a princess queen... three times in her games about... maybe twice).
Which in many ways is kind of interesting from a culture standpoint. Because while movies pretty much force girls into a princess role with responsibility being in the King's hand (with exceptions finally starting to appear). Princess Toadstool and Zelda? No they ruled the kingdom pretty much from the start.
Also what I find INCREDIBLY interesting Reelya is that well...
Princess Toadstool was once a typically feminine character, she likes things you would typically call "girly" around the time they started to develop her (Sewing, baking, cleaning, what have you). Today though she has stuck with that characterization for so long she actually manages to become a more original female character just because she never moved from that persona, the only changes is that she is a bit more sarcastic and laid back (Mostly because she knows she isn't in any real danger) and she occasionally just kicks butt herself. While characters of her type have typically started to disappear (Even My Little Pony doesn't have anyone who fits squarely into her archtype)
It has SOMEHOW actually managed to make her a more progressive character simply by never progressing... Because really she is a female character who likes the color pink, likes to cook, likes to bake, likes to dance, wears a large pink dress, loves gardening and flowers, she is soft spoken and polite, and ALL THAT!!! But she is also a very responsible character who looks after a kingdom, has a healthy interest in sports and other activities, and is considered equal to the male protagonists in everyway. She never had to become like Mario or Luigi to be considered an equal AND she is the one in control of her relationship.
She is never held down by her interests nor does she skirt around responsibility. Which I think is sort of an important counterpoint today.
Pretty sure the main issue isn't that "there exists a game" where a women is a damsel, but that "resucing women" is a normal
I'll tell you this now. It is never just a "woman"... or at least rarely. It is important to note who these Damsels are.
They are almost always someone close to the main character OR someone of importance or stature.
Rarely are games about saving some women who really has no importance or significance.
To me the Damsel plot is used for short hand. They are the quickest and easiest way to invest the player because, really... very little is as important AND personal.
But... of... course... Anita... doesn't.... highlight... any of that and completely misses the point later... DANG IT ANITA! Do better work!