My favorite arcade sports games inevitably meet one of two criteria: they contain the words “Mutant League” somewhere in the title, or they were developed by Camelot Software Planning.
While the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 release, Mario Tennis Fever, doesn’t feature the Slaycity Slayers, it is, in fact, a Camelot joint, thus keeping this decades-long streak alive.
My love affair with Camelot’s Mario sports releases began back in the Game Boy Color era with its standout golf and tennis games. These hybrid sports RPGs are still a high-water mark for me, but in recent years, with titles like Mario Sports Superstars and Mario Tennis Aces, the team at Camelot has been ever-moving toward that former glory, with Mario Tennis Fever bringing us closer than ever.
Boasting a roster of 38 characters, including a new baby version of Camelot’s most enduring contribution, Waluigi, Fever further supplements this impressive offering with 30 of its titular Fever Rackets. Themed around the various power-ups, enemies, and environmental hazards found throughout Mario canon, each possesses a special Fever ability.
Fire Flower and Ice Flower Rackets allow the users to toss fire and ice balls at an opponent to burn or freeze them, while the Fire Bar and Pokey Rackets spawn their respective hazards where the ball bounces. The Shadow Racket creates a temporary double, the Inky Racket obscures an enemy’s view with ink splotches, and the Ty-foo Racket produces a miniature tornado that can send your foes flying.
To unleash the Fever Abilities, a player must sufficiently fill up a Fever Gauge by successfully returning shots. This Fever Gauge exists alongside a new character HP mechanic. You can wear down your opponent’s HP via body shots and by forcing them to collide with obstacles, and once completely expended, they’ll be temporarily slowed or even stunned, giving you a distinct advantage. Alongside the returning Star Shot mechanic, the Fever/HP system really plays up the Mario element of Mario Tennis, making for lively play that’s fun and challenging but rarely cheap.
While there’s a distinctly satisfying pick-up-and-play element to Mario Tennis Fever—which is, after all, the hallmark of any arcade sports game worth its salt—the best way to learn the ropes is through its Adventure mode. This RPG-lite approach begins with Baby Mario working his way through the game’s tennis academy.
Complete with simple drills, some Mr. Miyagi-style training machines, and Mario RPG staple quizzes, Adventure mode starts a little slow, but it picks up quickly. In no time, you’ll master the basic single-button shots (topspin, slide, flat, and lob) before moving on to more advanced techniques like shot charging and two-button combinations.
Aside from standard solo and doubles play, players get to experience a number of Special Matches, including things like Ring Shot, where points are collected by returning the ball through rings that spawn atop the net. It may not sound like much, but a little variety goes a long way when it comes to what is essentially a tutorial mode.
Once Baby Mario (and his doubles partner, Baby Luigi) have proven their mettle, the duo board an airship and set off for actual adventure, which is when this mode really soars. There are new foes to be faced, new environments to be encountered, and new, more ridiculous gameplay transmutations to be enjoyed.
In fact, if Mario Tennis Fever was just this RPG mode and some simple multiplayer functionality, I, for one, would’ve been well satisfied. But Nintendo and Camelot went the extra mile.
Tournament mode boasts multiple cup races in both singles and doubles play, while the Trial Towers mode reimagines the classic fighting game setup as a surprisingly competent framing mechanism for madcap tennis action. Free Play also supports singles and doubles, as well as differing match lengths, custom rules, and up to two different Fever Rackets (with players able to swap between the two before serving).
Mix It Up mode offers all the Special matches you’ll encounter across Adventure mode—from the reality-warping Wonder Court Match to the Waluigi-inspired Pinball Match—each with easy-to-understand court information, variable ball speed, and adjustable cameras. Mix It Up mode even splits out a number of high-score challenges into their own Score Challenges sub-mode, with a pair perfectly tailored for co-op play.
There’s also Swing Mode, a special way to play using Joy-Con 2 (or even original Joy-Con) motion controls. Ever since the advent of the Nintendo Wii, motion gaming has been a blessing to some and a bane to others, so the fact that Mario Tennis Fever includes a special place for up to four players to get their collective waggle on is a nice way to expand the offering without shoehorning motion play into every other element of the game.
Speaking of multiplayer mayhem, online Ranked Match play and private Online Room creation and ID lookup are easily available through the main menu. Local Play and Game Share options similarly allow players to share the Mario Tennis Fever love with their nearby friends and family.
And if all the above praise isn’t glowing enough, I’ll say that my very favorite thing about Mario Tennis Fever isn’t simply its stellar array of offerings; it’s the way that its bountiful unlockable content is metered out in a manner that encourages and rewards regular gameplay.
Playable characters (including color variations), Fever Rackets, Courts, and CPU Difficulties are your reward for just growing as a player. And if you can’t figure out how to unlock your favorite Mushroom Kingdom personality, just hit the achievements list to find out.
Whether you’re going it alone (using the game’s nicely competent computer-controlled doubles partner), playing locally against your family and friends, or competing in online Ranked Match play, Mario Tennis Fever is a spectacular arcade sports offering on the Nintendo Switch 2. Even I, with my sizable grocery list of Mario sports-related demands, really couldn’t ask for much more.
Look for it on retail shelves and via the Nintendo Switch 2 eShop when it drops this Thursday, February 12. You’ll be glad you did!
Review materials provided by Nintendo of America. This post contains affiliate links. Sorry, Waluigi, but Rosalina is my new go-to character!
