Mario Tennis Fever review: Aces abound in this smash hit

(Image credit: Nintendo)

For anyone who intends to play Mario Tennis Fever solo, rest assured that Camelot and Nintendo have found a fun way to apply their tennis gameplay to a story-based Adventure mode. Instead of just progressing from tennis match to tennis match to move up a ladder, you’ll be doing all kinds of tennis-related mini-games (interspersed with actual tennis matches, of course).

Mario and Luigi (and some rivals) have been turned into babies. To return to grown-up form, they need to learn the basics at the local tennis academy and then venture out into the big, scary world to face a bunch of tennis challenges.

It’s a bit of an odd concept to apply a story to a tennis game, but somehow, it works. I found myself consistently looking forward to seeing where the story would go next and how the developers would take the story elements and apply them to tennis. Ship on fire? Smack water balls at them, for example.

It’s a more robust story than I would have ever expected from a Mario Tennis game, but it could be a little longer, clocking in at just under four hours. It’s not long enough to carry the full price of the package, but considering the long tail of the game comes from competitive multiplayer and playing with friends, it’s a nice value add.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Outside of the Adventure mode, there’s plenty more to do in Mario Tennis Fever. There are tournaments with increasing difficulty (a la Mario Kart), and winning these unlocks new playable characters. There’s also a rougelike tower with progressively harder challenges and freeplay for when you just want to hop in and play tennis against friends.

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But it’s not just the modes that make the game varied. The big new addition this year is Fever Rackets. With these, you can supercharge your shots with unique powers. Want to be Princess Peach but want to leave volcanoes that shoot fireballs at your opponents? That’s totally possible. Want to be a Bowser who makes the court an icy mess with his Fever shot? Again, doable. Once a Fever shot is fired, the first person to miss the ball is going to be stuck with some annoying obstacles, and that just adds to the already chaotic nature of Fever.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

And not only do these rackets mix up the gameplay mechanics, but they give you something else to work towards, as you’ll need to unlock many of them. They give Fever a little more mechanical depth and reason to keep you coming back.

And then there are the courts, which add another layer to the visuals and gameplay (Super Mario Wonder anyone). There are semi-realistic stadiums and fantastic Mushroom Kingdom-inspired places to play tennis. And like all aspects of this package, the courts look fantastic. The cartoon art style works as well for the courts as it does for Nintendo’s load of characters (especially the baby versions, which are adorable as ever).

(Image credit: Nintendo)

There’s also the multiplayer portion, which isn’t the most robust but offers singles and doubles matches, and a lobby system for playing with the same group of people online. Speaking of which, I played multiplayer on the couch with my girlfriend and stepson, and it certainly brought me back to the college days playing Mario Tennis on GameCube.

However, I was unable to test the online portion of the game during the pre-launch period, so we’ll update this piece on launch day with our impressions of the online play.

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Modes aside, the most important part of a Mario Tennis game is the core mechanics, and they’re executed near flawlessly in Mario Tennis Fever. Sliding up to the net to blast a Star Shot (the game’s version of smashes) is always fun and satisfying, and making a perfect Fever win a clutch point feels like you’ve pulled off a miraculous save.

If the only thing you care about from Mario Tennis is entertaining gameplay, Fever brings it like Carlos Alcaraz on the court, taking the number one spot on the ATP rankings. However, it also simplifies the core tennis mechanics, designed to help keep the game feeling balanced. Everything feels a little slower than in previous games, which allows you to make more dramatic cross-court saves. The skill ceiling is a little lower, which might scare off some series veterans, but there’s still an acceptable amount of skill, and I did find that I was able to dispatch of my family rather easily using the skills I’ve gained over many years with the Mario Tennis franchise.

Sure, Mario Tennis Fever isn’t the most realistic virtual take on the sport, and competitive players might find elements like the Fever Rackets unbalanced, but Camelot has created an excellent arcade spin on tennis, which players of all ages can enjoy from the first serve. Personally, I find the rackets to be perfectly fine for the type of game on offer here. Does landing one on your opponent’s side feel like a game-changer? Yes, but that’s how it’s meant ot be. Plus, you can always hit it back, giving you some nice risk-reward. Will your own power-up come back to haunt you, or will it seal the match?

(Image credit: Nintendo)

If you look back longingly at the original Nintendo Wii and its beloved pack-in game Wii Sports, then you’re in luck, because Mario Tennis Fever offers motion controls. And while it’s not quite what I’m looking for, it does work as intended from both a feel and enjoyment perspective when you have friends over who don’t enjoy more traditional video game controls.

This isn’t new for Mario Tennis, as Aces had motion controls. And like that game, Fever keeps motion contained to its own specific mode, which means you can go recklessly swinging your Joy-Con 2 controllers through the entire game.

To me, this mode isn’t a selling point, and I’m glad it hasn’t replaced the main control scheme. However, it’s the icing on the already wonderful cake. And who doesn’t want another layer of delicious, motion-controlled icing? Especially when the motion controls are done with the level of precision and accuracy we’ve grown to expect from Nintendo.

Overall, I love Mario Tennis Fever, and it’s a game I’ll be returning to frequently whenever I have a group of friends over who want to try out the Nintendo Switch 2. No matter what you want from Mario Tennis, this game has it. From the singles matches to doubles to crazy mini-games, there’s something here for everyone.

The only real negative is that it feels a lot like previous Mario Tennis games. But if you love those games as I do, then that’s hardly a drawback at all. Nintendo got it right in so many ways with its latest iteration of Mario Tennis, making this a must-play for Switch 2 owners.

Mario Tennis Fever: Price Comparison