Shaun Munro reviews Mario Tennis Aces…
Mario Tennis Aces will undoubtedly be the introduction to the Mario Tennis franchise for many Nintendo Switch owners – this reviewer included – and though far from an unqualified success, it nevertheless proves itself a surprisingly nuanced and less-surprisingly addictive sports title overflowing with personality.
This certainly isn’t a tennis simulation game or, really, tennis as you know it beyond its most basic form. It is, however, an unexpectedly strategic and thoughtful interpretation of the sport that’s perhaps belied by all those primary colours and cute characters. In the game’s standard tennis mode, rallying back and forth with opponents will allow you to build up an energy gauge which can be employed strategically to slow down time, deliver difficult-to-block zone shots, pull off a fancy trick shot or even execute a devastating special move.
Portioning out the gauge and knowing when to use it is vital to victory, and often an intense rally will simply come down to whoever can fill their meter the fastest, with the resulting special move either smashing past the player or breaking their racket if they can’t deploy slow-mo in order to block it.
There’s also a “simple” mode available for those who may find this more complex offering a little daunting; a no-frills, totally typical tennis mode that’s certainly worthwhile for when you don’t want to think too much. In fact, given the considerable challenge posed by the online community already, I’ve stuck almost exclusively to simple mode; it’s either got a greater sense of purity to it, or I’m just a bit of a scrub (or both).
Whether you pick standard or simple play, the main gameplay modes are tournament – where you battle through five rounds against either CPU or online opponents in the hope of winning a shiny gold trophy – and free play – where you can partake in one-off solo and team battles against the CPU, an online random or fellow humans locally. Developer Camelot Software Planning should be commended for the sheer array of options available here, with the local play in particular being perfect for a party environment (especially given the pick-up-and-play ease of simple mode).
It is worth commenting, however, that latency was a bit of an issue during my extensive time online; play would often be directly impacted with floatiness and straight-up stuttering, which given the stability of my connection and the game’s apparent connection-based matchmaking, is a bit of a disappointment. It’s usually not off-kilter enough to be a dealbreaker, but this aspect of the game could certainly feel much smoother and more consistent.
Where the game feels less-assured, however, is in its campaign or Adventure Mode, a short-and-not-so-sweet series of gimmicky tennis matches, challenge rounds and protracted boss fights that frequently prove more frustrating and tedious than genuinely fun.
Camelot could’ve easily just served up a series of increasingly difficult tennis matches against the game’s roster of characters, but instead you’ll find yourself trying to beat an opponent who mercilessly bounces tennis balls off the mast of a ship, and bosses whose repetitive attack phases require pin-sharp precision and energy gauge economy to beat.
You’ll likely find yourself eventually crawling back to any unfinished challenge stages in order to acquire some more spare rackets to make those boss fights a little easier. Earning them can be a bit of a slog, though, and the fact that the game idiotically has no retry option upon failing a level means that you have to frantically mash buttons to skip through the same repetitive dialogue over and over again. As a result, you might have to wait 30-40 seconds between attempts, which given the steeply inclining difficulty is an utterly bone-headed design choice.
Adventure Mode ultimately being more of an annoyance than an enjoyable experience is especially disappointing as it’s the only real attempt by the devs to make the game seem remotely content-rich. Mechanically compelling though the tennis is, for many there simply may not be enough content here – quality content, that is – to justify anything beyond a rental or a second-hand purchase. The extra motion-control-centric Swing Mode, for instance, held my attention for mere minutes and adds very little.
Conversely, though, the core tennis is absurdly addictive, perhaps enough to justify the expense to some. After all, the thrill of winning a tournament online speaks for itself, and watching yourself soar up the multiplayer leaderboard is quite the delight indeed.
Aesthetically, the game does exactly what it needs to do and neither any more or any less. You know what you’re getting with a Mario-themed tennis game, and it absolutely delivers cute visuals and appealing environments. Aurally, things are a little sketchier; the music doesn’t even touch the sides for the most part, and as much as you might love Toad, his high-pitched squealing during tennis matches – he’s the announcer, y’see – quickly becomes irritating enough that I turned the game’s volume down entirely.
If you’re a long-starved fan of tennis games and a huge fan of Mario, this is an easy recommendation; the standard gameplay is meatier and more complex than expected, and testing your mettle against other players online is a ton of fun. If you’re a more casual player hoping to breeze through a fun story mode and play the occasional round of tennis before bed, it’s a little tougher to recommend at the launch price point (and sadly, Nintendo aren’t exactly fond of price drops).
Pros:
+ Core gameplay is surprisingly deep and ridiculously addictive.
+ Cute, colourful visuals.
+ Impressive array of multiplayer options.
Cons:
– Adventure Mode is more frustrating than fun.
– Repetitive sound effects are mildly irritating.
– Online play can be laggy and imprecise.
– Not much content for the price.
Rating: 7.5/10
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch.
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more video game rambling.
