I’ve been a fan of the sport of tennis for as long as I can remember. As for playing tennis video games, the first one that caught my eye was Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2 for the PlayStation 2, released in 2004. 

However, the two other tennis games that ended up being my favourites have to be Virtua Tennis 3 and Top Spin 4. I played the former lots of times at the arcade, while the latter is arguably the best tennis game I have ever played.

Fast forward to 2026, and Nintendo has just released Mario Tennis Fever exclusively for the Switch 2 console. Much like many other tennis games released for Nintendo hardware, there is more than one way to play this game. 

The first way to play Mario Tennis Fever is the traditional way by pressing the buttons on the Joy-Con 2 controllers. Each button on the controller corresponds to a different type of shot.

For example, most players will start pressing the A button to initiate the standard top-spin shot. A top spin shot makes the ball bounce high and adds a lot of spin. Holding the button allows you to make the ball go faster; while double-pressing the button activates a power shot. 

If you like hitting the ball hard at all times, you may want to opt to press the Y button for a flat shot. Alternatively, to slow down the pace, you should do a slice shot by pressing down on the B button. 

Similar to a slice is a drop shot, but you need to press down two buttons in succession to do this. Pressing B and then A does a drop shot, but pressing A and then B does a lob. Both shots are helpful in catching your opponent off guard. 

All of the shots I just described are the realistic way to play tennis. However, Mario Tennis Fever is an arcade game, and there is one other button you can press that can truly confuse your opponent(s) on the other side of the court.

The main gimmick of this game is a ‘Fever’ shot, and this is done by pressing the X button. Each character has a different type of racquet, and a ‘Fever’ shot may include a specific type of ability that can give you an advantage on the court. 

Fever shots can include adding fire to the court, slipping on banana peels, teaming up with a shadow clone, electrifying your opponent, and tons more. Different racquets have different abilities, so it’s best to choose the one that suits you best.

The other way to play Mario Tennis Fever is by simply swinging the Joy-Con 2 controllers like a real tennis racquet. This is the most casual way to play the game, and it was the perfect way for my Mum to enjoy Mario Tennis Fever. 

You don’t really have to worry about positioning yourself on the court in Swing mode, although you can still move your character around using the analogue sticks. The only downside to Swing mode is that the game modes are limited. Most of the other game modes are only available when playing the traditional way. 

Speaking of game modes, there are lots of modes available to you in Mario Tennis Fever outside of just Free Play. The biggest surprise in my eyes is that this game includes a single-player campaign called ‘Adventure Mode’ with its own unique story. 

In Adventure mode, Mario and his friends have been turned into literal babies, and they need to find out who is responsible so they can become adults again. At the start of the game, Mario and Luigi have to go through a tennis academy to learn the basics of playing tennis first. 

After that, they head off on their adventure, partaking in lots of tennis mini-games as well as some exciting boss fights. The Adventure mode is really fun, and I’m surprised this game has one since Mario Kart World lacked a single-player campaign of its own. 

As for other mini-games, there’s another mode you can play on the main menu called ‘Mix It Up’. It is here that you can play lots of unique mini-games that change the way you can play tennis. This can include trying to get a high score, putting the ball through hoops, or even changing the size of the court!

Similar to ‘Mix It Up’ is another game mode called ‘Trial Towers’. You only have three hearts in this mode to make it to the top, or it is game over. Every match you play in Trial Towers has changing rules, so each match is unique and interesting. 

The last game mode is simply Tournament mode, where you simply just play normal singles or doubles matches to become the ultimate tennis champion or champions. This is probably the best mode to play if you want to play traditional tennis without the gimmicks. 

As much fun as I had playing Mario Tennis Fever, there aren’t that many flaws that I can name here. The only small disappointment I have with the game is the fact that you need to use two buttons to execute drop shots and lobs. 

I would have copied Smash Court Tennis 2, and used the X button for lobs and pushing down on the analogue stick while pressing X for drop shots. This method is way more user-friendly than pressing two buttons all of the time. 

Overall, Mario Tennis Fever is a fine family tennis game with loads of game modes, and two ways for people to play it. Not to mention, the game has loads of things you can unlock, and a lengthy single-player campaign too. If you love tennis games, you should get this for your Switch 2 as soon as possible. 

Verdict: 8.5/10Â