Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores, but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, all whilst including some lengthy gameplay, to give you, the reader, the chance to form your own impressions and views while reading and watching.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Mario Tennis Fever by developer, Camelot:
Mario Tennis Fever (Nintendo Switch 2)
If you thought Mario Tennis Aces would be the last of the Mario Tennis series, think again. Mario and pals return to the court, this time for Nintendo Switch 2 with Mario Tennis Fever. Up to four players can play locally or online, serving, lobbing, slicing, and top-spinning their way to victory. Boasting several game modes and new fever rackets to keep things entertaining, is it a Game, Set & Match for the newest entry in the series? Let’s find out.
Usually, with our Explain & Play reviews, we would predominantly start with the game’s story. Mario Tennis Fever does have an adventure mode, but it is relatively short and serves primarily as a hefty tutorial to teach you the basics and some intermediate skills so you can take on the other game modes. That said, the general premise of the story mode is that Princess Daisy has fallen ill and is unable to play tennis with the rest of the gang. Mario and the gang learn from Wario that there is a magic apple that would help cure Daisy’s ailment, but they would require Princess Peach’s airship to get to a mysterious island where the apple can be found. Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Waluigi set out on the airship to find the magic apple.
Luigi and Mario upon their arrival, Luigi and Mario find the apple hanging from a large tree. While the brothers are occupied with retrieving the apple. Wario and Waluigi sneak off on an errand of their own, pilfering hidden treasure that has been left on the island. Their hands loaded with loot, the dastardly duo try to bring it back to the airship, but have unwittingly awoken shadowy monsters. The monsters engulf Wario and Waluigi, as well as Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach turning them all into babies. Donkey Kong rescues the babies and brings them back to the safety of the Mushroom Tennis Academy. It is at the academy that the babies will need to build up strength and form in the hopes of returning to the island so they can confront the shadowy entity and reverse its effects on them.
That pretty much sums up the story, but before you think you will be going on a 10-hour adventure, it is actually closer to about four, and with the majority of that time taken up with tutorials and mini-games. It is rather on the short side and doesn’t really have much to do with tennis at all, with the exception that you have to learn how to rally shots against your opponents on court-like stages. I would have much preferred that you had to train Mario or any particular character to get the strength and skills to participate and win in a Mushroom Kingdom-wide tournament, kind of like in Mario Tennis: Power Tour on the Game Boy Advance. I suppose the developers at Camelot went a different route with the story this time due to Mario Golf Super Rush doing a similar thing, and didn’t want to tread over similar ground again.
Now, let’s move on from the game’s story and look into the actual gameplay. Like with all Mario sports games, Mario Tennis Fever takes your typical sport and gives it that Mushroom Kingdom flair, complete with power-ups and environmental hazards to make things interesting. The later titles in the series are known for having some kind of feature or gimmick like Jumpshots, Zone Shots, racket breaking, and for this entry, it is fever rackets (hence the title). These rackets will add diverse effects that can increase the velocity or curve of your shot, or even add obstacles on the court to hinder players in their attempt to return the ball.
The Fever Racket has to be charged up to be used, so you can’t just spam it when you want, but there is also a risk that comes with it. The effects of the fever shot only come into effect once the ball comes into contact with the ground. Therefore, you can keep rallying the ball back and forth until it finally hits the ground like a hot potato, with the effect coming into action on either side of the court, regardless of who initiated the fever shot. It does add plenty of variety to the matches, and with 30 different fever rackets to obtain, each with its own unique effects, no tennis match needs to feel the same.Â
I find that the Fever Rackets are actually a very welcoming feature. It makes the matches feel that much more intense, and watching your successful volley strike your opponent’s side of the court is all the more gratifying as it puts you at an advantage to score a point. Of course, there is the chance it can backfire, and you then have to avoid the obstacles on your side, but it does make things so much more exciting, and makes victory even sweeter when you come out on top against all odds. If the Fever Rackets are not to your liking, you can opt to play without them and just use standard rackets instead. Bear in mind that you will have to manually turn them off in the match settings when playing locally or hosting a game online, or you may be the only person playing with a standard racket and may be at a heavy disadvantage.
Moving past the talk of rackets, let’s discuss the character roster. Mario Tennis Fever boasts a roster of a whopping 38 characters, the largest yet for the series. It includes series staples like Mario & Luigi, Princess Peach, Wario, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Wario, and of course, Waluigi, to other characters like Spike, Chain Chomp, Wiggler, Baby Wario, Baby Waluigi, and many more. Some characters even have alternate color palettes, like Yoshi, Shy Guy, Koopa Troopa, Paratroopa, and Luma, so you have even more variety. However, it is worth noting that for the other characters, there are no alternate outfits or palette swaps. A slight downside, but not exactly the end of the world.
With the rackets and the characters out of the way, it is time to talk courts. There are 14 courts in total, with some of them being available at the start and others requiring to be unlocked. It isn’t too hard to unlock them, as most of them simply need you to play on that specific court in one of several game modes. They each have their own kind of environmental effects that can affect the ball’s speed and bounce, like concrete floors, which help the ball bounce more, and ice floors that cause you to slip and slide around. For some of you seasoned players, you may actually recognize some of these types of courts as they have made appearances in other Mario titles, including the likes of the Grass Court, Sand Court, and Rubber Court, to name a few.
Now, let’s talk game modes. Aside from the short adventure mode, Mario Tennis Fever offers nine game modes: Tournament, Trial Towers, Free Play, Mix It Up, Swing Mode, Ranked Match, Online Room, Local Play, and GameShare. Tournament and Trial Towers are probably where the bulk of the single-player experience will be had, although you can play them with a buddy on the same console. Free Play allows you to play with up to four friends or with CPU players on the same system, with a selection of rules to play matches with. Mix It Up includes special rules that are not covered in Free Play that add unique twists to standard tennis matches.
Swing Mode pays homage to the likes of Wii Sports in that you can swing the Joy-Con as you would an actual racket to hit the ball. Ranked Match and Online Room, are your go-to modes for playing online. Ranked Match presents you with the opportunity to test your mettle against skilled players, whereas Online Room is for more casual online matches and for playing with friends online. Local Play allows you to play with friends via local wireless, and GameShare lets players play Mario Tennis Fever locally across four Nintendo Switch 2 and Nintendo Switch consoles with only one copy of the game.
For the most part, Mario Tennis Fever is generally geared towards playing with others. Sure, you can play it on your own, but I think you will miss out on a lot that the game has to offer. That said, I did play the game for the most part on my own while I was reviewing it. I like it a lot more than I thought I would, and even more so when I played some online matches, and with my partner. Neither of us is a tennis aficionado, but we were still able to have a good enough time, and I did find myself enjoying this game a lot more than its predecessor, Mario Tennis Aces.
I could go on with the review, but it has gone on for long enough, and it is time to close it out. Mario Tennis Fever may not quite be a Grand Slam when it comes to the single-player experience, but it’s not quite a deuce either. It is a very accessible game that can be enjoyed regardless of skill level. Easy to pick up and play for short sessions if you are looking for a quick match, and you can lose yourself for hours in its tournaments and Trial Towers Modes. The Mix It Up mode is also good fun to go back to now and again when you are looking to “Mix Things Up” a bit. In conclusion, Mario Tennis Fever serves up courtside fun that is well on the line, and you will be more than happy to play for another set.
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Game Specifications:
Developer: Camelot
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 (Physical)
Genre: Party, Sports
No. of Players:Â 1-4 (Single System), 2-4 (Online)
Release Date:Â February 12, 2026
Price:Â $69.99
File Size: 7.4 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
