{"id":471157,"date":"2026-02-10T18:47:13","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T18:47:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/471157\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T18:47:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T18:47:13","slug":"mario-tennis-fever-review-aces-abound-in-this-smash-hit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/471157\/","title":{"rendered":"Mario Tennis Fever review: Aces abound in this smash hit"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Today’s best Mario Tennis Fever deals<\/p>\n

Mario Tennis Fever review: Specs<\/p>\n

Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2Price: $69 \/ \u00a359 \/ AU$109Release Date: February 12, 2026Genre: Sports<\/p>\n

Mario Tennis Fever has landed on the Nintendo Switch 2. Bringing with it the personality for which the series is known, it has all the modes and characters we\u2019ve come to expect, with the wildly entertaining addition of Fever Rackets. These game-changing power-up rackets, paired with 38 playable characters, create enough variety to keep seasoned vets and new players coming back for more.<\/p>\n

Switch 2 hasn\u2019t had a lot of first-party exclusive games in its relatively short lifespan (though releases like Donkey Kong Bananza have seen tons of praise from players and critics alike), so anytime a significant release drops straight from Nintendo, it\u2019s worth getting excited about. Mario Tennis Fever is not a perfect game by any stretch, but it does exactly what it sets out to do with a level of pure joy that you\u2019ll only find from a Nintendo sports game.<\/p>\n

Mario Tennis Fever: The BasicsWhat is it? Mario Tennis Fever is the follow-up to the well-received Mario Tennis Aces. It builds upon the gameplay with new exaggerated tennis mechanics, most significantly the fever rackets.Who is it for? Everyone will find something to love in Mario Tennis Fever. It\u2019s a perfect game for families as it\u2019s as enjoyable for parents as it is for young gamers. Both long-time fans of Mario Tennis and new players will have a good time.What\u2019s the price? Mario Tennis Fever costs $69 on Nintendo Switch 2.<\/a>What other games has the developer made? Mario Tennis Fever was made by Camelot Software Planning, which has made Mario Tennis games since the Nintendo 64 days. It also made the Mario Golf games, so the company has plenty of pedigree for bringing everyone\u2019s favorite plumber to sports.What games is it similar to? Mario Tennis Fever is similar to previous Mario Tennis games, such as Mario Tennis Aces on Switch 1. The closest non-Nintendo comparison would be Hot Shots Tennis, though that franchise hasn\u2019t had a new game in a long time. Realistically, if you want arcade-style tennis, Mario Tennis Fever has the market cornered.Mario and Luigi are babies<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Nintendo)<\/p>\n

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\u2019ll be doing all kinds of tennis-related mini-games (interspersed with actual tennis matches, of course).<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Nintendo)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s a nice value add.<\/p>\n

Variety is the spice of life<\/p>\n

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(Image credit: Nintendo)<\/p>\n

Outside of the Adventure mode, there\u2019s 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\u2019s also a rougelike tower with progressively harder challenges and freeplay for when you just want to hop in and play tennis against friends.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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\"Mario\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nintendo)<\/p>\n

And not only do these rackets mix up the gameplay mechanics, but they give you something else to work towards, as you\u2019ll need to unlock many of them. They give Fever a little more mechanical depth and reason to keep you coming back.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

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\"Mario\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nintendo)<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also the multiplayer portion, which isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

However, I was unable to test the online portion of the game during the pre-launch period, so we\u2019ll update this piece on launch day with our impressions of the online play.<\/p>\n

Simply fun<\/p>\n

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\"Mario\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nintendo)<\/p>\n

Modes aside, the most important part of a Mario Tennis game is the core mechanics, and they\u2019re executed near flawlessly in Mario Tennis Fever. Sliding up to the net to blast a Star Shot (the game\u2019s version of smashes) is always fun and satisfying, and making a perfect Fever win a clutch point feels like you\u2019ve pulled off a miraculous save.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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\u2019ve gained over many years with the Mario Tennis franchise.<\/p>\n

Sure, Mario Tennis Fever isn\u2019t 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\u2019s how it\u2019s 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?<\/p>\n

And there\u2019s motion controls?!<\/p>\n

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\"Mario\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Nintendo)<\/p>\n

If you look back longingly at the original Nintendo Wii and its beloved pack-in game Wii Sports, then you\u2019re in luck, because Mario Tennis Fever offers motion controls. And while it\u2019s not quite what I\u2019m looking for, it does work as intended from both a feel and enjoyment perspective when you have friends over who don\u2019t enjoy more traditional video game controls.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

To me, this mode isn\u2019t a selling point, and I\u2019m glad it hasn\u2019t replaced the main control scheme. However, it\u2019s the icing on the already wonderful cake. And who doesn\u2019t want another layer of delicious, motion-controlled icing? Especially when the motion controls are done with the level of precision and accuracy we\u2019ve grown to expect from Nintendo.<\/p>\n

Mario Tennis Fever review: Verdict<\/p>\n

Overall, I love Mario Tennis Fever, and it\u2019s a game I\u2019ll 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\u2019s something here for everyone.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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Mario Tennis Fever: Price Comparison<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Today’s best Mario Tennis Fever deals Mario Tennis Fever review: Specs Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2Price: $69 \/ \u00a359…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":471158,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[565],"tags":[64,63,85,747],"class_list":["post-471157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tennis","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-sports","tag-tennis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=471157"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/471157\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/471158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=471157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=471157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=471157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}