Tennis has been a regular hobby of Mario’s for the past 30 years, beginning with the headache-inducing Mario’s Tennis on the Virtual Boy and most recently resurfacing as the surprisingly complex Mario Tennis Aces on the Switch. Now he’s back in his whites (and reds) with a charming new take on the sport that dials back the difficulty level and adds lots of fun modes and features, aiming to appease complete newcomers and Djokovic-esque veterans.
At first, the range of options is almost bewildering. You can opt to play in one-off matches with up to three other players or NPCs, or enter a more structured tournament of singles or doubles play. Then there’s the extremely fun Mix It Up, which offers a range of fun tennis derivatives. These include Forest Court where piranha plants appear and gobble any balls that get close, and Pinball where bumpers and barriers pop up as you play. Trial Towers, meanwhile, presents a tower of increasingly tough tennis challenges which all have to be completed to open the next two buildings; fail more than three times and you’re sent back to the beginning – yes, it’s Mario Tennis: The Roguelike.
The least interesting option is Adventure mode, a glorified four-hour tutorial in which Mario and Luigi are transformed into babies and have to learn all their tennis moves again in order to save Princess Daisy, or something. It’s bright, silly stuff recalling the original Tennis Academy story mode from Mario Tennis on the Game Boy Color. As you go, you’re taught the range of shots available through various minichallenges, allowing you to level up Mario and unlock new characters. But the narrative is threadbare and it’s all a bit of a grind, as the move-set is pretty straightforward anyway.
And this is the real appeal of Mario Tennis Fever. You pick it up and five minutes later you’re playing pretty well. Top spin, flat and slice shots are on different buttons, while two-press combos result in lobs and drop shots to widen your arsenal. The skill is in the timing – which means striking your serve when the ball is at its highest, and boosting your returns with an early button press ensure the ball thunders over the net at top speed. You can also double tap the topspin button for more power, but less directional accuracy. As you gather confidence, you start mixing all this with the occasional slow-mo drop shot to send your opponent huffing around the court. There’s a lovely smooth feel to rallies, and while you play you learn to read player movement pretty well – even when you’re facing off against an ape or a giant man-eating plant.
The game’s big new feature is an unlockable range of “fever rackets”, each offering a unique special move that can be powered up as a rally progresses. These might set fire to your opponent’s side of the court, or cover it in bananas so they slip over, or add mind-bending swerve to your shot. There’s a catch, however: if your foe can return the ball before it bounces – and you fail to do the same in return – the special effect is reversed against the originator. This leads to amusingly frantic rallies at the net as players battle to avoid being struck down with the accursed power.
As with the various shells, lightning strikes and ink blots in Mario Kart, the design philosophy behind these fever rackets is to level the playing field: if you’re falling horribly behind or are just a little inexperienced, a deftly used fever shot can get you back into competition. The brashly colourful cartoon-style visuals also add masses of appeal as the game’s cast of Mario superstars are immersed in a cacophony of flaming rocks and icy blasts.
The most fun you’ll have is playing with a bunch of friends in the same room, but there’s also an online mode which offers ranked or friendly games. However you choose to play, the game exudes childlike charm while hiding layers of depth beneath its chaotic exterior. You can spend hours practising perfectly timed drop shots, mastering spin and getting your positioning just right, and figuring out which fever rackets best suit your style of play is an involving process. It is, in short, exactly what you want and expect from a Nintendo sports title – something for everyone, and then something more for those who decide to go pro.
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