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, when that felt new and exciting, since then, 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. These games have never really appealed to me, apart from adding in a novelty every few generations, so when Nintendo invited me to a special preview event for 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, creating an almost Mario Party-like experience. The hour-and-a-half hands-on session barely scratched the surface of everything this game has to offer.
Game, Set, FEVER!
The first thing to notice is that the game looks incredible. We have seen some great-looking games on the Switch 2, and this is one of the best-looking first-party titles the studio has delivered. The first round of games consisted of single-player rounds that let us freely choose a character from the massive roster and a matching power racket. Donkey Kong was my first choice, alongside his banana raquet (yes, it is literally a racquet made out of bananas).
Once I made it through the tutorials and learned how to use the Fever Rackets and their power-ups, the first round set a furious pace. The AI opponents are tough and provided an unexpected challenge. When the competing Fever effects started flying back and forth, along with in-built elements from the court (Depending on which one you choose), is where Fever really starts to shine.
Tools of the Trade
Fireballs, banana peels, thumping blocks, and more get scattered around the court, throwing you off your game and, at times, making you miss that all-important lob shot.
The adventure mode is back, giving a full single-player campaign. This time around, you play as the baby version of the characters Mario, Luigi, Waluigi and Wario, all traversing a Super Mario-style map that offers you different challenges and abilities to return to their full form again.
Adding a new style here are the fever rackets. You can choose what kind you like; all of these were unlocked for this preview, and once you have built up your fever gauge, you unleash some craziness on the court that can sometimes give you the upper hand, and sometimes may backfire and make you lose the point.
The Bullet Bill racket was my favourite (particularly when beating my opponent in a doubles match). When there are four characters on court, it gets crazy and injects the kind of fun and whimsy that this series is known for.
There are a few different court types, some inspired by Nintendo titles like the Donkey Kong Jungle Court, the Wonder Court inspired by the latest Super Mario Bros. game, and many more.
There are motion controls here, but it feels restrained enough to be used as an option, not as an essential to playing the game. This is found in “Swing Mode” and involves attaching the Joy-Con 2 to your wrist to swing the tennis racket. The character moves around on its on and while this was mostly responsive (not all the time!), it added a level of Mario Party-like fun to this game.
Thoughts So Far
Mario Tennis Fever looks to be the next massive step forward for the series. With a huge roster of 28 playable characters, the addition of Fever rackets and gorgeous graphics on the Nintendo Switch 2 system, I can’t wait to pick up the racket again and cause more mayhem with rackets when Mario Tennis Fever releases later this month.
Mario Tennis Fever will launch on the Nintendo Switch 2 on the 12th of February, 2026.
Featured header image provided by Nintendo.
