Camelot’s Mario Tennis Aces for Nintendo Switch is almost here to fill the void left in your soul by Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, and also by Virtua Tennis games when they were actually fun. It lands on June 22 in both physical and digital form, but now that Nintendo has lifted the review embargo, let’s take a look around the web and see how the latest helping of Mario-infused sports action is being received by critics.
Mario Tennis Aces currently has a score of 78 out of 100 on Metacritic. Beginning on the overwhelmingly positive side of the court is Shacknews, praising Aces for its depth of modes and gameplay options:
“It’s easy to see that all the boxes were ticked this time around: local and online multiplayer, Adventure Mode, and various other ways to enjoy rousing games of tennis. No matter what kind of player you are, there’s something to enjoy here.” ~Shacknews, 9 out of 10
The addition of Adventure Mode was sorely needed, especially for Mario Tennis Advance fans who enjoyed that game’s story quests and RPG-like elements. However, IGN takes issue with the single-player campaign here:
“The biggest problem with Mario Tennis Aces’ Adventure mode is how poorly it incentivises you to keep playing. I had completed all 27 of its levels and unlocked all of its courts and rackets by the time I was on level 34, which was around a half a dozen hours of game time. [...] With no New Game+ or more challenging versions of its levels to unlock, or even the option of playing through it with a different character, Mario Tennis Aces’ Adventure mode becomes increasingly simple and repetitive the more time you put into it.” ~IGN, 7.5 out of 10
Most reviews, however, are quick to point out that Mario Tennis Aces‘ Adventure Mode employs creative use of various trick shots and power moves as well as some enjoyable boss fights. Taking down Madame Mirage in the haunted mansion with focus shots, surrounded by floating furniture? Yes, please!
It sounds like players looking only for a single player, non-competitive experience could be disappointed, but this is an arcade tennis game. The existence of a campaign at all feels like icing on the cake. How long do most AAA shooter campaigns last?
Really? A short story mode in Mario Tennis is a deal breaker for some people? Really?
How many Tennis games in the last 10 years have you played with story modes that are 20+ hours? I will wait……………..
— Stealth (@Stealth___) June 20, 2018
But what about the core gameplay itself? My impression is that the roster of moves is deep but not difficult to master. Polygon has another interesting take that I agree with:
“It sort of feels like tennis, and it sort of feels like a fighting game, but really, Mario Tennis Aces feels mostly like something entirely new, like a weird indie multiplayer game inspired by sports (think Sportsfriends) that somehow secured the budget of a full Nintendo project.” ~Polygon (Unscored)
If you played the weekend tournament demo, you know this is largely because Mario Tennis Aces dances between the sports and fighting genres. It gives you a massive arsenal of staple tennis techniques, trick shots and overpowered character-specific super moves while constantly generating a risk vs. reward decision. Sure, you can win traditionally, or you can KO your opponent by obliterating their racket. Will you risk returning a powerful shot that could damage your racket, or concede the point?
Nintendo Life’s conclusion seems to represent the review consensus:
“…a superb arcade sports game that’s generous with its suite of player options and only occasionally guilty of being a little cheap in its Adventure Mode. The presentation is spot on, and the core tennis action is absorbing whether you’re trading simple strokes or firing off special shots. Some animations and voice overs are identical to Ultra Smash’s, but everything around them has been overhauled to quite splendid heights.” ~Nintendo Life, 8 out of 10
What criticism is missing here? The online experience. That’s because Nintendo hasn’t switched on the servers to the public yet, and thus no reviewers have been able to evaluate it. Though it has local multiplayer options (including some optional Wii Tennis-inspired motion controls), the online component will be critical to enjoying Mario Tennis Aces for a lot of people.
My takeaway? If you love Virtua Tennis and pre-Wii U Mario Tennis titles, this is probably a sure bet. But if you’ll be leaning heavily on the online multiplayer to enjoy this casually or competitively, wait for the servers to get properly stressed and evaluated on June 22.
Be sure to check out the full reviews linked above as they do a terrific job presenting a well-rounded and detailed look at Mario Tennis Aces.
And SEGA? I’ll still happily take a new Virtua Tennis for my Switch. Thanks!
