Away From Keyboard – Mario Tennis Fever (Nintendo Switch 2)
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I've spent the last week courtside with Mario Tennis Fever, navigating everything from baby-sized tantrums to elemental hazards. Here is how the experience holds up when you're away from the desk.
The Academy: A Long Road to Pro
The meat of the single-player experience lies in the Adventure Mode, which serves as a massive, multi-hour tutorial. The setup is classic Nintendo weirdness: a mysterious force has regressed Mario, Luigi, Peach, Wario, and Waluigi into their baby forms. To break the curse and return to their adult selves, you have to "boost your swing" to a level powerful enough to return fire against this unknown entity.
The first half of this journey is spent at the Tennis Academy. Here, you'll build your stats through various mini-games. Interestingly, most of these challenges have almost nothing to do with actual tennis, focusing instead on broader skill-building. While the first level is clearly designed with younger gamers and novices in mind—offering a gentle learning curve that I cleared on my first attempt—things do ramp up. By the third stage of each challenge, the difficulty spikes. While I generally breezed through, two specific mini-games provided enough frustration to nearly make me reach for the "Home" button.
Fever Pitch: Controls and Tactical Racquets
In any sports title, controls are the make-or-break factor. Since Mario Tennis is traditionally a family staple, simplicity is key. Mario Tennis Fever nails this balance perfectly. Players can jump straight into a match without a manual, though there is plenty of room for veterans to master advanced techniques. For the kids or the casual weekend player, the basics are more than enough to stay competitive.
The roster starts with a healthy selection of characters categorized by Speed, Power, Spin, and Control, but the real game-changers are the Fever Racquets. These aren't just cosmetic upgrades; they introduce environmental hazards that shift the strategy from simple rallies to area denial. For instance, the Fire Racquet ignites patches of the court that damage anyone who touches them, while the Ice Racquet creates frozen mounds that trap unsuspecting players in their tracks. Even the classic Banana Racquet makes an appearance, spawning slippery peels across the turf to disrupt your opponent's footing. The tactical layer of deciding when to burn your Fever Meter to trigger these effects adds a much-needed depth to the arcade-style gameplay.
Beyond the Story: Endless Court Time
While the Adventure Mode provides the narrative hook, it is far from the only thing on offer. Once you've had your fill of the "Baby Mario" saga, there are heaps of other modes that will keep tennis fans entertained for hours. Whether you're diving into deep tournament brackets, setting up wacky exhibition matches with custom rules, or tackling character-specific challenges, there is a wealth of content that ensures the game doesn't lose its lustre once the credits roll.
Mushroom Kingdom Glow-Up
Visually, the game sticks to the tried-and-true Mario aesthetic, but the Switch 2 hardware gives it a noticeable polish. The colours are incredibly vibrant, and the courts pop with the kind of saturated detail we’ve come to expect from the series. It's clean, bright, and runs like a dream in handheld mode—perfect for a quick set while watching the real-world pros on the TV.
Mario Tennis Fever is a solid entry that perhaps tries a bit too hard to be a "teaching tool" in its opening hours. However, the depth of the Fever Racquets and the sheer volume of additional modes beyond the main story make it a heavyweight contender for your Switch 2 library. It's a colourful, family-friendly romp that captures the post-Open excitement perfectly.
Score: 7.0/10
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