Mario Tennis Fever stands out as a delightful tennis game, even to someone as uninterested in sports games as myself. A bit too much of the story mode is a very slow tutorial, but the plethora of match types to try and the rock-solid core tennis gameplay make this a fantastic time all around.
Mario Tennis Fever
Developer: Camelot Software Planning
Price: $100 CAD, $70 USD
Platforms: Nintendo Switch 2 (reviewed)
MonsterVine was provided with a Switch 2 code for review.
Though sports games have never been my go-to genre, the Mario sports titles have always implemented enough creative twists and mechanics to make whatever sports they’ve tackled far more enjoyable. This trend continues with Mario Tennis Fever, which makes its titular sport so much more of a blast than I’ve ever found it to be. Plus, it’s got all sorts of goofy characters and courts, making for plenty of visual variety.
At the core of the game is a tight, arcade-y tennis system that works well in both singles and doubles. In doubles, the AI is completely acceptable as a team player; I never got frustrated with it for missing obvious shots or not adapting to what I was doing. It’s easy to perform different shots like lobs and slices too, so you can quickly get a hold of the basics and focus on improving your timing and positioning.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Mario Tennis game without some sort of wild and flashy mechanic to spice up the sport. This time around, you can use special powers that are embedded in the racquets you use. These powers range from knocking your opponent over with shockwaves to covering their side of the court with obstacles like Blooper ink and ice flower projectiles, though to keep things fair, you can only pull these moves off after charging up your special meter through regular play.
Interestingly, rallying a powered-up shot’s ball before it hits your court lets you deflect the effect back, and this can lead to some super intense back-and-forths that really keep you on the edge of your seat. There are a lot of exciting and tense moments like these throughout Mario Tennis Fever, and it’s probably the most fun I’ve had with a sports game since 2021’s Mario Golf: Super Rush.
The story mode of Mario Tennis Fever features a lot of pleasant characterization, with Wario and Waluigi getting to do silly, evil stuff as adorably ugly babies. They have actual dialogue and everything, which is always a fun surprise in a Mario game. There are lots of goofy moments and lines that nicely highlight the series’ charm and make the slower parts of the mode a bit more enjoyable.
“The music and visuals of Mario Tennis Fever are, as one might expect from a Mario title, fantastic.”
That said, a large part of Mario Tennis Fever’s narrative has you gradually learn the basics of the game and the different shots you can perform while taking part in simple minigames. The minigames aren’t bad or anything, but for a tutorial, the section took way too long to get through and was paced way too slowly – especially when booting up the game for the first time immediately gives you a quick and sufficient tutorial.
Mario Tennis Fever has a huge breadth of creative alternate modes.
Outside of the story, there’s a surprising amount of extra modes to play in Mario Tennis Fever. The special match types, like the frantic and manic Pinball or the wacky and always-changing Wonder Court, really shake up the tennis formula and add variety to the package, as you can slot these matches in between story matches and the like. The Trial Towers pit you up against all sorts of different specific challenges or matches in a row, which makes for another diverse mode to add extra value to the game.
Something I always love in games is a frequent sense of accomplishment. This game does that wonderfully, constantly providing you with new characters, courts, and racquets for just playing through different matches and modes.
The music and visuals of Mario Tennis Fever are, as one might expect from a Mario title, fantastic. The vibrant colors and cartoony style make hitting the ball back and forth especially exciting, as the racquet effects and sounds can be quite satisfying.
The Final Word
Mario Tennis Fever is a fantastic tennis game that overcomes its slow and hand-hold-y story mode through its breadth of modes and gameplay styles, charming characterization, and excellent core gameplay. Even if sports aren’t typically your thing, I recommend checking out Mario Tennis Fever, as it’s another exceptional Nintendo Switch 2 title to fill out the first year’s library.
MonsterVine Rating: 4.5 out of 5 – Great
