Tennis on virtual courts has long since entered a somewhat exotic category. Every now and then a new title appears like TopSpin 2K25, but here we are already talking about significantly smaller budgets compared to other sports games. Unfortunately, the quality of virtual tennis often does not reach an enviable level. The entire segment of sports games has been reduced to a safe rotation: FC, NBA 2K, Madden and F1, year after year. Once popular skateboarding, snowboarding or tennis titles have been pushed to the sidelines. Even Rockstar Games once used to surprise us with a table tennis simulation. Today? And you have tennis in GTA Online!
The only remaining bastion of virtual sports outside of the “popular four” has shifted to the arcade camp, under the safe auspices of Nintendo. Nintendo Switch Sports, Mario Tennis Aces, Mario Strikers: Battle League and Mario Golf: Super Rush are just some of the titles you can play on Switch consoles. All of them are decorated with superb fun on the couch with friends – but also a chronic lack of depth in the competitive and single-player segments. Not surprisingly, that’s exactly what the new Mario Tennis Fever is like.
| Initial price | Reviewed version | Reviewer copy |
| 70€ | Nintendo Switch 2 | Provided by distributor (CD-Media) |
Right at the beginning of Mario Tennis Fever, I was greeted with a short introduction to the basic types of shots. A simple forehand, a flash, a lob, a forehand, a hard hit down the middle, a smash… Basically, everything you would do on a real court. The controls are pretty simple – one or two buttons at a time to perform a shot. Timing is, of course, crucial, as is the choice of direction. The biggest innovation compared to the previous parts are the so-called Fever rackets. By actively playing and returning shots, you fill up the Fever meter, and then with a special move (X key) you activate the Fever attack.
By actively playing and returning shots, you fill up the Fever meter, and then with a special move you activate a Fever attack.
And a fever attack? It depends on the racket you choose. The Star Racket when the ball lands in the opponent’s half drains some of the opponent’s energy, while your character becomes invincible for a short time, just like when you pick up a star in classic Mario platformers. The banana racket scatters peels on the court, ready for the opponent to dance an unwanted ballet. The Bullet Bill racket transforms the ball into a projectile that rushes towards the opponent without mercy. The idea is simple, but effective – tennis briefly becomes pure chaos.
It is important to emphasize that the Fever shot does not automatically guarantee the activation of the effect. The opponent can return the ball before it touches the ground, and the effect will only be activated on the first drop in one’s half. This means that the situation can turn in a second, regardless of who launched the attack. The result is a nervous approach to the net and panicked saving of points while the field becomes a minefield of bananas and missiles.
The Fever mechanic brings nervous approaches to the net and panicked point saves as the field becomes a minefield of bananas and missiles.
There are 30 different rackets in the game, which is more than enough for colorful gaming evenings. Each match may seem different from the previous one. Unfortunately, the balance is not ideal. Some powers are noticeably stronger than others, so even now only a few are playing in online matches meta of choice. It’s a shame, because on paper the concept could have ensured long-term freshness.
In terms of multiplayer, we’re going back to Nintendo’s well-known foundations. Local play for up to four players works great, either with classic controls or swinging the Joy-Con controllers in Swing mode. Yes, jokes about the name Swing mode and late drunken hours in a larger society write themselves – but we will remain polite.
Local play for up to four players works great, either with classic controls or swinging the Joy-Con controllers in Swing mode.
The online part on the other hand seems quite bare. Ranked matches are only available in a 1-on-1 format, with no serious depth, seasonality or advanced ranks. Occasionally, the system will match you with players with weaker connections, and then everyone will suffer because of the expressed lag input. It’s not a disaster, but it’s far from the standard of serious competitive titles.
Single-player offers several classic modes and a new, story-driven Adventure Mode. There they are single i double tournaments, towers with special rules, Free Play with adjustments and Mix It Up – a series of matches with bizarre rules, such as pinball-shaped fields or those with rings that accelerate the ball.
Adventure Mode intrigued me the most, but in the end it left only a lukewarm impression.
Adventure Mode intrigued me the most, but in the end it left only a lukewarm impression. The story serves only as an excuse for several hours of gameplay: a mysterious force turns Mario, Luigi, Peach, Wario and Waluigi into their baby versions, and the solution, of course, lies… in attending tennis school! Because why save the world with epic transformations when you can serve ace? I wasn’t expecting a script to remember, but I did at least see a hidden section or a more creative design. Instead I got a linear series of tutorials with only a few cute boss matches.
Mario Tennis Fever looks colorful and cheerful, which is typical of Mario games. However, it is difficult to talk about an impressive jump compared to its predecessor. The character models, animations and textures haven’t improved dramatically as you might expect when the game is exclusive to the Switch 2. The terrains have a bit more personality, but nothing revolutionary. The novelty is a chatty flower in the role of a commentator who does not have a huge range of sentences, but at least manages to break the monotony and add a touch of charm.
Technically speaking, the single-player runs smoothly at 60 frames per second, even in split-screen. Bigger problems occur exclusively in online multiplayer, where the quality of the experience depends on the stability of the connection of both players.
And so we return to the beginning. As with most Nintendo sports games: do you want a deep, long-lasting single-player experience? You won’t get it from Mario Tennis Fever. A serious competitive system? Only the basics are there. However, do you have extra controllers and crew ready for a little friendly nudge? Then this is a hit for you. Gameplay is fast, fun, and made for those moments when a friend intentionally pushes you just as you’re hitting a Fever shot for a match ball.
Count the team. If you have at least three ready for an evening of tennis chaos – you know what to do. Otherwise, I don’t see you enjoying the new Mario Tennis too much.