REVIEW: Mario Tennis Fever scores an Ace on Switch 2

sports games of Mario They are a constant feature in consoles and handhelds. NintendoAnd Nintendo Switch 2, as a hybrid, combined the useful with the pleasant and gave the initial kick to this tradition with Mario Tennis FeverReleased on February 12th exclusively for the new video game console, the game boasts beautiful design and provides fun for friends and family, while increasing the number of games available to bring the group together. However, it's not all roses, as the game also plays a crucial role in its context: highlighting the problem of these games being developed and sold individually at exorbitant prices. Check out the review below.

Gameplay

Fever Don't mess with a winning formula, maintaining the classic gameplay of a series that has already won over its fanbase, and diversifying in small details, while adding content to what we already know. And if we don't know it, we'll get to know it now, because it features a didactic and instructive tutorial, welcoming new players and teaching not only basic gameplay, but techniques that can make the difference between defeat and victory.

And most importantly of all: the game is completely localized in Brazilian Portuguese. Completely, with text and dubbing of the Talkative Flower of Super Mario Bros. wonder.

The new rackets added in Mario Tennis Fever They bring an extra layer of chaos to the already chaotic system of the series. The power-ups correspond, obviously, to elements of the Super Mario franchise, such as mud puddles, fireballs, frozen characters, among others. To perform a special move with your Euphoric Paddle, the player needs to fill the PE bar while performing traditional shots. Once it's full, pressing X activates the power-up. Time slows down for a fraction of a second, allowing you to adjust the ball's trajectory, making a total difference at certain angles.

If your opponent hits your special shot before the ball touches the ground, they perform a Euphoric Counter-Attack, turning the spin on their racket against you. This pre-hit can be repeated as many times as necessary until the ball finally hits one side of the court, and that's when all hell breaks loose.

The powers vary in intensity depending on the paddle used. They can simply freeze a patch of the ground to make it slippery, or freeze your character so they can't move. They can also create a mud puddle that hinders the ball's and your character's movement, or throw ink onto the screen so you can no longer see where it is.

The two players (or four) can choose the same racket. And each character can carry up to two rackets, alternating between them during the match.

In addition to the power of the racket, the characters are divided into player classes, and each class has a specific advantage with special shots, performed by pressing B twice. Characters with cunning, for example, hit a curveball, making its trajectory confusing and guaranteeing many points in the process.

Additionally, there is a health bar (HP). Damage hits with Euphoric Rackets drain the opponent's HP. When completely drained, they become slower in singles matches, or leave the court for a few seconds in doubles matches.

In total there are 38 playable characters and 30 Euphoric Paddles, creating a wide range of possibilities to explore as you venture through the different game modes. And since unlocking most of them is done through matches and challenges, it increases the game's replay value so you can get them all and defeat your friends in style. Testing combinations is essential to discovering one that suits you.

Game Modes

The game's menu is extensive and diverse, offering various game modes with unique characteristics, preventing the gameplay from becoming monotonous. Tennis players and enthusiasts, please forgive me, but if it consisted only of simple matches, the game would easily become boring. Especially since it's a Mario game, focused on chaos, and not a serious tennis game focused on real techniques. But that doesn't mean the game isn't technical; it still is, much more so than it needed to be.

The way ADVENTURE It tells a story that unfolds as you participate in matches across the kingdom. Something that, interestingly, doesn't yet exist in games like... Mario Kartbut which have always been important for Mario Tennis and Mario Golf, for example.

In the story's plot (yes, there is a story), Mario and his friends are transformed into their baby versions, who are also unlockable characters in the rest of the game, and must face challenges related to the rules of Tennis, using the Euphoric Rackets, to return to normal.

This part is full of scenes, always very beautiful, showing all the power of Switch 2...and lots of dialogue, plus, of course, tutorials on many of the game's rules. Here they use and abuse this to teach you how to play, while putting you in a short but fun adventure that ends up making a difference in the game's content.

Em Tournament You participate in… well… tournaments. To reach the podium of a championship.

Em Missions You need to climb a tower, and you can count on the help of a friend. Here, the game puts you in situations where specific rules need to be followed to achieve your goals, such as hitting a ball into a specific point on the court, or using a pre-defined racket. In this way, you will learn techniques that can be valuable for a 1-on-1 match. Everything that happens in the different game modes is a learning experience for what comes next.

Free Game This is where the real fun lies. Simple instant matches with the basic rules of the sport or with customizable rules for up to four people. This is where the player goes just to play tennis, without conversations or messing around. No conversations with the characters, of course, because anything goes among friends, even swearing. Especially with the new rackets introduced in the game.

Scavenger Hunts These are games that take place on the court with special rules defined by the players. They are tennis matches with crazy rules, that's it. Splatfest de Splatoon do Mario Tennis.

E Realistic Mode This is gameplay with motion controls using the Joy-Con 2 controllers. Use your best swing to hit the balls and watch out for repetitive strain injury. This mode is very precise and makes gameplay more fun with more people in the same room. Don't forget to put the safety lock on your wrist to avoid throwing the Joy-Con 2 at the television.

Os online modes They are divided between Qualifying Match, where you compete with players from all over the world for the best ranking, or Online Room, to bring together friends who are far away.

Local Game It allows two people who own copies of the game to share matches, each on their own device, without the screen being split, increasing immersion.

And Fever still has the feature of GameShareallowing a player who owns the game to share it with friends who don't have a copy, including Switch 1 players.

And the menu Achievements It shows what you've already unlocked in the game, and what actions need to be taken to unlock the rest. Courts, rackets, and even color variations for the characters. After all, you don't want to always play with green Yoshi, right?

Performance

The new Mario Tennis It's beautiful and fluid, making good use of the power of Switch 2Everything is working as planned, without any hiccups or problems. loadingsGameShare allows for an equally smooth experience, without any lag in the strikes.

Vibrant colors and details that make all the difference on each court are crucial elements in games derived from the series. Super Mario, and Fever He knows how to fill the gaps masterfully. All of this contributes to increasing immersion and guaranteeing the player a unique experience, making each shot worth enjoying.

Furthermore, the game features smoother movement and greater precision than its predecessors, making the experience more enjoyable. The chaos caused on screen when many players are using the Euphoric Paddles doesn't cause a single frame drop, meaning the gameplay is only hampered by the shouts of the pairs when their partner misses the ball. If you can get three more friends together for full matches, the result is the best possible.

But don't worry, there are many single-player modes and the players in COM mode (also known as CPU) will offer you a great challenge while teaching you how to play, so you can later crush your friends.

Price and availability

But all that's left is to enjoy the game if you've already decided to spend your money on it. Because there's a very serious problem here: Despite the fact that Mario Tennis Fever That's good, Mario's sports games no longer hold up as a solo adventure.

At the point where the gaming industry finds itself, with ever-increasing development times and increasingly predatory prices, regardless of the currency in which they are sold, but applied directly to ours, with the hefty value of... R$439,90 on the Nintendo eShop e R$ 408,00 in physical stores like KaBuM!It becomes unsustainable to invest in it "just to play tennis". Mario Tennis, Mario Golf and Mario Strikers They need to become a collection, perhaps even with simpler games, but so that their content justifies the price charged.

What is presented may satisfy the player's expectations for a game of this genre, but it's not attractive enough to justify such a high purchase, investing in this specific title. This ultimately hurts sales, causing developers to rethink the content.

But instead of including other games and experiences in the package, they spend an excessive amount of time creating gimmicks And formulas, to sell the same game with a different skin, for the same exorbitant price, turning everything into a huge snowball that never stops rolling. Majestic and enormous, but inside it's just that, just snow. Always the same thing.

Conclusion

But after all, Mario Tennis Fever Is it worth it? The game is appealing to those already familiar with the series, and it won't disappoint the established fanbase and enthusiast base that has been built since the first game on the Virtual Boy in 1995 (even before considering that Mario is the referee in the 1984 game Tennis, originally released on the NES). But unfortunately, it needs more to attract new players. The matches are dynamic and fun, and playing with characters and elements from the Mario series is always a pleasurable extra, regardless of your sport of choice, or whether you like sports games or not.

Perhaps a change of course is necessary as the gaming industry becomes increasingly expensive and projects become ever more megalomaniacal. But we will always have the distinguishing feature of a Nintendo game, which prioritizes, above all else, fun. And in that, Mario Tennis Fever Make an Ace!

And you, what did you think of the new tennis game from... Mario? Tell us in the comments!

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Text revised by Alexandre Marques in 25 / 02 / 2026.