Having never been any sort of tennis fan for my entire childhood — Wimbledon always seemed a bit posh to me — I fell completely and utterly in love with the sport in my teenage years through the medium of video games.
Yes. Video games. They’re a whole thing! And just as has been the case with American football, basketball, and ice hockey, my initial interest in tennis was stoked by a game; in this case, the incredible Super Tennis on SNES.
It was the first time I got it, you see – the strategy behind this most magnificent of sports. Yes, it was but a sliver of the game’s real-world depth, but getting a handle on little things like the placement of the ball, the drawing of your opponent into positions on the court where you can then take advantage, timing and picking your shots…it turned out a good game of tennis was every bit as exciting as all those action efforts I’d been playing. Yes, even you, Street Fighter 2.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Fast-forward the guts of a decade, and we got two epic tennis efforts arriving within two months of each other on consoles in the forms of Mario Tennis on N64, and one of the true loves of my life, Virtua Tennis, which at the time I was playing on a Dreamcast. (I’m so very sorry.)
I mention these two games because, for me, they marked the point where I chose my own tennis adventure through this particular video game life I’m currently living, such as it is. Instead of rolling with the chaotic fun of Mario and all the wacky stuff he brings to the tennis table, I decided I wanted to get down with ‘real tennis’ in a sim-style, as presented through Virtua Tennis’ haunted celebrity tennis faces.
Whilst I have dabbled with all of the Mario Tennis games — and tried really hard with Mario Tennis Aces — my main issue with the series has always been that, in giving us a new twist on a formula, the twist presented just didn’t warrant shifting focus from something as pure and competitive as, well, normal tennis. I’ve also found over the years and through various iterations that the goofy mechanics introduced (such as Aces’ trick shots) have always felt a little frustrating, they ruin the flow of a match for me, and honestly, it’s all a bit too much to be bothered concentrating on for this particular Andy Murray.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
So, I never really wanted to engage with souped-up powers or star shots or any of that guff as a result. Give me tennis, lads. Give me glorious tennis, pure and undiluted. Give me big, sweaty Tim Henman. Or! Give me a wacky alternative that feels good enough that I’m not immediately headed into the menus to turn all the special moves off.
Enter Mario Tennis Fever, a game I expected to enjoy but put down fairly quickly in favour of getting back to Tennis Elbow 4 (now there’s a Switch 2 port I’d like to see). It seems this time out, though, Camelot has other ideas, as with this first serving of Switch 2 Mario Tennis action, we’ve finally got wacky Mushroom Kingdom mechanics that sing ever-so sweetly, and an arcade tennis effort that might be the first where I’d rather keep the special powers switched on, thanks very much. (Yes, they can also be switched off, mate – cool it.)
The key to this, firstly, is the introduction of the game’s titular Fever rackets. There’s a generous selection of powered-up sticks to choose from, and each one imbues your chosen character with a fun trick. Heck, you can even equip two of them at a time in certain modes. Now, I’m sure you’ve seen lots of these by now, and maybe it all seems a little old-hat when you first lay eyes on the usual array of elemental-based shenanigans. There’s a simplicity here, though, that overcomes the overcomplicated and messy vibe that I felt keenly in Aces.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
Each character on the game’s lovely big colourful roster of Nintendo faves has their own base stats, and you can then choose to use any racket you’ve unlocked (I won’t spoil ’em) to avail of its special powers. So you’ve got a few layers of strategy and stats, but it’s also immediately obvious how everything works, and we don’t even need to worry about flicking sticks around for a variety of special moves or any of that tempo-ruining baloney.
The next crucial aspect is how powers are deployed. Choosing a fever racket — let’s say I’ve got the game’s Ice racket, and my opponent has the twister-producing Ty-Phoo racket — a match starts as normal, and as we play, we build our fever gauges. When full, we can then pull off a fever shot, which, once it touches the ground, will produce the fever effect intended. Keep it from hitting the ground (in what’s often a very intense rally) and the window for its power to take effect will run out.
So, through skill, you can stop an opponent from using their power. What’s more, you can ensure that you bring it crashing down on their side of the court to have them eat their own punishment.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
In this simplicity, we are gifted a game that gives me the sort of feeling usually reserved for true multiplayer greats like Mario Kart. Each racket’s ability is easy to comprehend; it’s easy to read how a mud slick might affect a game, for example, and by keeping it simple in this way, players are free to focus on movement and proper tennis strategy at the same time.
That’s not to say it doesn’t get crazy with piranha plants and fire and all that stuff: it does. But it feels much more controlled and concise in what it wants from you, as a player.
So we get a balance that means I’m happy to play with these powers engaged at all times. A first! By allowing me to move around the court normally, to utilise the usual array of slices and spins, lobs, and net shots freely, and without making me do somersaults or slow-motion physical feats that ruin the flow of the ball smacking every 10 seconds, we’re onto a winner.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
In fact, in the midst of a tournament match, and against some surprisingly smart CPU players (even the doubles partners are good), the pairing of wild powers with more realistic movement parameters makes for a game that I cannot wait to jump into online. Indeed, it feels as though it may very well have that very special sort of Mario Kart online magic to it that I personally feel is currently missing from the latest iteration in that series.
Even in the ever-present star shots, things have been made to feel as though Camelot has considered everything much more carefully. Rather than launching me into the air and wasting my time, or any of that caper, getting onto these simply gives me a one-off, more powerful shot. Again, not messing so much with the core tennis that it’s affected.
Now to the one actual problem. Modes! I was hoping the adventure campaign was going to have some special RPG magic for single players, but alas, it’s three to four hours of basically learning how to play. We do get a few fun face-offs and it’s always a laugh, but it’s short and fairly basic in what it sets out to do, with a handful of boss fights that have you pick the right shot to do damage. You know the drill.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Handheld/Undocked)
This continues in the game’s tournament and trial tower offerings. They’re good while they last, and surprisingly challenging on harder settings, but I want more! For a strictly solo player, there’s not a lot to pick at over time here, even with the minigames of Mix It Up (shooting hoops for points, anyone?) and a rather lacklustre motion-control mode that I tried and turned off, as it’s not 1:1 and feels like a faff.
With more than one player, there are plenty of ways to play locally with pals, and online lobbies feel like where I’ll spend all of my time. Matches I played — which are split into Fever/non-Fever racket variants of single and doubles — were quick to find and lag-free in my (limited, review-period) experience.
You can also play tournaments and trials in co-op, which definitely gives these modes more legs, and the free play mode allows four players to mix up the rules, switch off Fever rackets, and play best-of-five-set stunners that’ll have you all sweating buckets.
Captured on Nintendo Switch 2 (Docked)
It’s lucky, given the disappointing adventure offering, that the tennis here is so sweet, and easily the sort of thing I reckon has a long online life ahead. It helps, too, that it looks superb, never dropping a notable frame in docked or handheld.
With 14 courts (replete with environmental gimmicks that can be switched off), 38 characters, 30 (!) racket types to dig into mastering, this is 100% my favourite Mario Tennis to date and one I can see being a hit online for some time to come.
Now, where did I put my pen? I’ve gotta go sign a load of giant novelty balls on my way out of here.