Mario Tennis Fever Review - More di Minaur Than Djokovic
So I want to start this by elaborating on my heading. Put the pitchforks down, Aussies, because I love the Demon. Alex di Minaur, in a lot of ways, embodies all the things our country looks for in a sporting hero. He is humble, determined, often punches above his weight and (it goes without saying) is really good at tennis. That said, being really good at tennis isn’t the same as being excellent. So when I say that Mario Tennis Fever has more in common with the Demon than it does with Novak, well, I hope you get what I am going with it.
You see, Mario Tennis Fever starts with a lot of promise, has some great elements and is undoubtedly fun to play, yet at the same time, it fails to reach greatness. It falls short in key areas that mean it is a contender, not a champion. Like a sports scout, I spotted the potential of Mario and Co when I previewed the game a couple of weeks ago, but despite that promising start, there are key areas that let the game down and will likely limit the appeal of the title. But let me start with the good stuff, because it is very good.
The gameplay itself is nigh-on pitch-perfect. In a lot of ways, it is the same arcade-style tennis we have been playing since the N64, but there have been smart evolutions and additions that put a wonderful shine on things. The on-court action works with a three different button presses system. Tap the button, and you get a standard shot. Tap the button early and in position, and the player will charge the shot and therefore hit it harder, faster and at better angles. Finally, tap once to start the charge and then tap again when the ball arrives to get a power shot that is much faster, but harder to aim. It seems simple and in a lot of ways it is, but these three different types of shots, mixed with the standard array of tennis shots (i.e, Slice, Top Spin and Flat), mean there are a lot of ways to mix things up on the court. Throw in the ability to place a drop shot or send a lob over the opposition’s head, and the full array of a tennis player’s arsenal is at your disposal. It is easy to use, but there is depth to master, and it makes for engaging matches every single time.
There is one more thing that adds to the matches in a way that I initially thought would be cheap, but has been balanced beautifully, and that is the Fever Shot. Along with picking a character, each with their own strengths and weaknesses, players get to choose a Fever racquet that has a special power. Once the power is charged through play, players simply hit the Y button and unleash it on the opposition. This may leave ice on the court, shock the opposition or even create a clone so more of your court is covered. Now the catch here is, for the power to activate, the ball has to hit the surface, so if the opposition can get to the ball on the full and send it back to you, then the effect is reversed. This led to some fantastic rallies at the net as both players tried to keep the ball from touching the ground, and it really adds a bit of manic, yet approachable action to matches.
Here, though, we come to the problems, and sadly, it is the same problem that seems to have plagued Mario Tennis for years, and that is a lack of things to do. There was a lot of talk this year about heaps of new things being added, but for the most part, they are short distractions that, once completed and the associated rewards are unlocked, won’t be touched by players again. The Towers mode is the prime example of that, three towers of increasingly difficult mini games that will take most people under an hour to complete, unlock some goodies and promptly forget about. That isn’t to say the Towers aren’t fun, because they are, but there is no reason (apart from some leaderboards) to ever dive into them again, especially when the standard tournaments are much more entertaining.
But perhaps the biggest disappointment is the adventure mode. In my preview, I was full of hope that, despite a slow start, it would offer a lot for single players to do. Sadly, I was wrong. It starts with a very, very slow tutorial section where players will spend a good hour running around an academy learning tennis moves, and then it abruptly shifts to a collection of mini-games and the occasional tennis match against Wario and Waluigi. The whole thing was over in under three hours, and really, it was underwhelming the whole way. It is such a frustration that the team couldn’t come up with something more meaningful for solo players. A standard career sports mode would be wonderful. Imagine picking Mario as a fresh player, training, working through tournaments, hell, even managing sponsorships, working him to the point that he becomes the Mushroom Kingdom’s version of Rodger Federer. That is a game that I could sink my teeth into, alas, it just isn’t to be.
I will say this, though: there are a ton of unlocks and characters to use. Double that of Mario Tennis Aces, to be precise. Camelot have done a really good job of making each of these characters feel unique, as well, so there is a nice incentive to try them all out. Fever racquets can also be unlocked, each with a wild power that adds more controlled chaos to the matches. The final piece of the puzzle is the Swing mode, which, as I spoke about in the preview, is the Mario Tennis ode to Wii Tennis. It works pretty well and makes for a great party game, but apart from that, players will probably not engage with it much.
Despite the lack of content, Mario Tennis Fever is really a game that shines with players in the same room, either playing doubles or facing each other down. The improved gameplay mechanics, along with the Fever racquets, make this a superbly entertaining game to play with friends and family. The sort of thing I can see people dragging out to play for the entire life of the Switch 2. In that respect, it is a huge success, but sadly, if you tend to play games on your own, well, you might want to rethink buying this one, because you might find yourself short of things to keep you entertained. So, to swing back around to my opening paragraph, I found myself cheering for Mario Tennis Fever, just like I do with the Demon, but deep down, I know it will never be considered the best.
Mario Tennis Fever was reviewed on the Nintendo Switch 2 with code kindly supplied by Nintendo Australia.
