The Mario Tennis series has never been one to hold my attention. While it has been a solid entry in the Mario Sports genre, outside of the motion controls on the Wii in Mario Power Tennis, which felt new and exciting, the novelty of motion controls has definitely worn off. After the tremendous response to the Nintendo Switch, the next title, Mario Tennis Aces, returned to a more traditional sports game on the hybrid console and introduced a story mode.
Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect, frustrating rather than anticipating, and stopped me from coming back for more. So when I booted up Mario Tennis Fever, I went in with an open mind. Little did I know the game is packed full of different modes, courts, and tennis rackets with special powers (known as Fever rackets), which created a Mario Party-like experience.
After a full run through several of the single-player and multiplayer modes, I can confidently say that this is the most addictive and fun time I have had with a Mario sports game, putting Mario Tennis Fever as the ultimate Mario Tennis title.
A Wonderful Adventure
You start in Adventure mode, playing as Baby Mario, going through a series of mini games that are apparently somewhat related to tennis (the jury is still out on that one!) After you complete the mini game, you head to the academy building to answer a tennis quiz consisting of three multiple-choice questions and then head back to an actual tennis match to complete the level.
To guide you through the lessons is none other than the talking flower from Super Mario Wonder. As you walk through the tennis academy, a string of lights points you in the direction of the next door to take on your next task.
After you spend a few laborious hours working your way through this mode, you “graduate” from the Mushroom Academy and then head to a different map that feels more like the Mario Party board with more intense mini-games but not much actual tennis.
The good news is that outside of Adventure Mode, the rest of the game is very solid. The regular Tournament mode sees you squaring off against various characters to progress through the ranks, each with its own set of rules and qualifications to keep going. By far the most interesting addition to this game is Trial Towers. You play through various challenges to help you beat the floor, which helps you to move to the higher floor in the tower. You get three attempts to do this, and if you fail, you have to start from the beginning.
There are various Special Match modes that you can play through to add more varied challenges while still playing tennis. The Ring Shot mode encourages you to hit balls through rings to earn points. The Pinball mode turns the court into a makeshift pinball machine as flippers, bumpers and springshots all appear on the court and cause an insane level of chaos. To add to this, multiple balls are shot out, and it really dials up the intensity of the game.
Racket Factory Matches allow you to switch up Fever rackets mid-match. There’s nothing like the intensity of using the shadow racket and switching to Bullet Bill to get that competitive edge. My personal favourite among these is the Wonder Court, inspired by the Super Mario Wonder game. By collecting Wonder seeds, you can then use them to shake things up and watch the court transform with different effects.
Are Motion Controls Back?
The Swing Mode allows for optional motion controls and is completely optional. You strap the Joy-Con 2 to your wrist and swing to hit the ball. Your character does move around the court automatically, so there is no need to control them with the thumbstick.
The motion control was mostly responsive, but the movement of the character around the court was not as accurate as it would have been had I been in control (well, that’s what I’m telling myself anyway). This mode is best for kids or those wanting to move around in a more party kind of mode.
Online multiplayer returns with ranked matches, where you can be paired with other players online who are at the same level as you. It helps to keep things fair, and your score goes up and down depending on whether you win or lose the round. These rounds are played to the best of seven points and don’t follow the traditional tennis scoring format. At launch, it was easy to find other players, most of which are on the same level as I was. You can also play locally with couch co-op and link other Switch 2 consoles together to play with friends.
Mario Tennis Fever has a massive roster of 38 characters to play with at launch, and while they aren’t all unlocked at the start of the game, you will unlock them as you play through. There are the usual Mario suspects here, including Luigi, Yoshi, Princess Peach, Rosalina and Pauline.
There are some more obscure characters with Luma, Shy Guy, Koopa Troopa, and Dry Bones. It’s not all mainline characters with hands; some incredibly adorable characters hold their tennis rackets in their mouths like the Piranha Plant, Goomba, Petey Piranha and Chain Chomp. Watching them wriggle back and forth on the court is incredibly adorable. There is also Wiggler, who has the best victory dance and reaction when he wins a point.
Final Thoughts
We have seen some great-looking games on the Switch 2, and this is one of the best-looking first-party titles that Camelot and Nintendo have delivered. Each character is lovingly animated, and some beautifully animated cut scenes at the start of the Adventure Mode show how far the studio has come with this series. The added detail on characters’ outfits is really noticeable in this game with the new console. The crowds in the stands follow the ball as you play with their heads, and their reactions are fun to watch.
Adding a new style here are the fever rackets. You can choose what kind you like depending on your character, play style and opponent, with each one giving a different power. You then build your fever gauge and unleash some craziness on the court, which can sometimes give you the upper hand, but sometimes backfires and makes you lose the point.
The Bullet Bill racket was my favourite (particularly when beating my opponent in a doubles match), the Shadow racket makes a copy of your character, allowing you to easily have access to the full court. When there are four characters on court, it does get crazy, and it injects the kind of fun and whimsy that this series is known for.
Mario Tennis Fever is simply a massive step forward for the series. With a massive roster of 28 playable characters, the addition of Fever Rackets and gorgeous graphics on the Nintendo Switch 2 system, and its alignment with the Mario Party games, there is more variety and accessibility for all players. It is no surprise that Camelot and Nintendo have managed to deliver the best Mario Tennis game thus far.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: A massive character roster; Takes inspiration from games like Super Mario Wonder and Mario Party to break up the tennis; Gorgeous graphics
Lowlights: Adventure mode is lacking and feels irrelevant to the main game
Developer: Camelot
Publisher: Nintendo
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2
Available: Now
Review conducted on Nintendo Switch 2 with a pre-release code provided by the publisher.
The featured header image is provided by the publisher, while additional images are taken from in-game footage.
