It's not that often a new Mario game comes out, and it's fair to say that right now the Nintendo Switch 2 is surprisingly thin on games featuring the company's most famous mascot. While it might not be the Odyssey sequel that many are still waiting for (myself included), Mario Tennis Fever is nonetheless a welcome addition to the Switch 2 lineup.
As the name suggests, this is a return for the Mario Tennis franchise, bringing us back to the Mushroom Kingdom for a whole heap of arcady tennis fun, with the biggest roster that the series has ever offered.
I've been playing it for a week or so, and it's been an eye-opener to keep finding new characters and rackets to use in-game, offering the sort of progression that other Mario sports games have arguably missed out on at times.
When you start the game up, you'll play a quick tutorial match, before getting to the main menu to choose your next move. I jumped straight into the adventure mode that acts as an even more extended tutorial on the game's mechanics, and to be honest found it almost painfully dull for the first hour or more.
The pace of advancement in that mode is comically slow at times, although I'm very willing to believe that it might be great for younger gamers. Ditching the mode and simply playing in tourneys ended up shortcutting me much more effectively to the actual meat of the game, and the fun.
The tennis action at the heart of this game feels really familiar to those who've played past entries – or indeed anyone who waved a Wiimote at the TV back in Wii Sports. Motion controls aren't the default this time around, but they're there as an option and are suitably fun.
You have quite a few shots to choose from (more easily selected when using a controller) as you contest theoretically short matches. From lobs to topspin shots and drop shots that I found hugely fruitful against AI opponents, these let you vary your strokes.
Winning a point often comes down to using the newly-added rackets, though. Each one has a different power that you can unleash in "Fever shots" that you earn over the course of points.
Some might leave behind lightning traps to zap the other player, while others could create mucky puddles to obscure their view. It's really fun discovering these over time, although I'm almost certain a meta choice will emerge quickly once players start matching up online.
The visuals, meanwhile, do the Switch 2 justice – they're crisp and sharp, and I didn't notice much hitching at all. Transitions between games and points can be skipped to make things really quick, too, with rapid loading times.
All that said, the fact that this major Mario game is just a sports title does leave me feeling like Mario Tennis Fever isn't much of a system-seller. Sure, I've had a great time with it – and its sports action is a lovely throwback to the Wii era. I don't think I'll be playing it in six months' time, though, so it does mean that the long wait for a truly new 3D Mario platformer will still feel mighty long.
