In four months, the Nintendo Switch 2 will already celebrate its first birthday. And this launch year was marked by a game library of exclusives that was daring to say the least. Because where Mario Kart World stands out as an obvious choice to accompany and support the console upon its release, the first-party titles that followed preferred to play the originality card. Rather than producing a game Mario in 3D, the Kyoto firm turned to Donkey Kong. Kirby AirRiders arrived on the console very quickly despite the risk of overshadowing karting in the Mushroom Kingdom. And let’s not forget that the first console exclusive Zelda is a Hyrule Warriors. Enough examples: you will have understood that the Nintendo Switch 2 did not fail to experiment with its launch lineup.
This trend continues with the arrival of Mario Tennis Fever this February 12, 2026. What is this sports spin-off doing on Nintendo’s new machine even before a release has been published? Mario Party unpublished? After the disappointment of Mario Tennis Aces on the first Switch of the name, this bet seems so risky that it almost seems insane. But everything is explained after having taken charge of this vast title with surprising new features. If you too had found the perfect recipe to develop the franchise Mario Tennisyou probably wouldn’t have hesitated to get it out as quickly as possible. We no longer believed it but it is nevertheless true, Mario Tennis Fever finds a balance that previous opuses were never able to achieve, even though the solution was very simple.
Variety to say goodbye to boredom
Table of Contents
Mario Tennis Fever stands out from its predecessors thanks to its numerous game modes which offer a varied experience from the start. Whether you want to engage in matches with friends, play a series of arcade-style games or even participate in a real adventure mode: all this is accessible from the first launch of the title, allowing everyone to enjoy the game in their own way.
The single-player mode is obviously one of the major arguments of this new opus. Mario Tennis Advance is renowned for its RPG-style campaign, and the experience is reiterated here with a nice adventure but perhaps a little too guided. We regret the forced back and forth between the different training stands while the idea of a role-playing experience suggested much more freedom. The progression system by level linked to the scenario (Mario, Luigi and the whole clique have been transformed into babies and must regain their abilities) nevertheless remains very satisfactory.
On the offline experience side, we obviously find all the classics of the genre, namely a tournament mode and a free play mode. However, Mario Tennis Fever also offers a “Trial rounds” to take part in special challenges, a mode “Special games” which imposes crazy rules like Mario Bros Wonder to classic matches, as well as a “Dynamic mode” for fans of motion-gaming. And to all these solo modes are added the online games which are simply divided into two categories: classic match or ranked match. Suffice it to say that none Mario Tennis has not benefited from such replayability until now.
Refined gameplay between arcade and mastery
So that one Mario Tennis is good, it must imperatively be accessible, but must also allow a sufficiently high margin for progress to offer a sufficiently competitive dimension. And here’s how Mario Tennis Fever made to get by: the controls are intended to be intuitive, with quick handling. The A, B and Y buttons allow you to perform the three basic keystrokes (lift, cut, flat). But beneath this arcade facade hides a more technical system, based on timing, stamina management and placement. These same strikes can be transformed into charged strikes by pressing with a precise rhythm, while certain button sequences allow you to perform two other strikes: lobs and drop shots.
Concretely, Mario Tennis Fever is therefore extremely easy to use, which is ideal for starting a game on a whim during an evening with friends. But the most daring players will be able to stand out thanks to their advanced mastery of the different techniques. The single-player mode is also designed as a training course to take you towards this level of play: we therefore strongly recommend that you start there.
Brilliant artistic direction
Visually, Mario Tennis Fever fully assumes the Mario DNA and does not hesitate to imbue itself with the visual identity of the opus Wonder. The fields are colorful, lively and very varied, each having small visual features without ever affecting the readability of the exchanges, and the matches are punctuated by comments from the famous Cancan flower. The characters benefit from more expressive animations, and the special moves give rise to spectacular scenes, perhaps even a little too spectacular, since the clarity of the gameplay sometimes takes a hit. As for the soundtrack, it is in perfect harmony with the visual identity of the title, as well as the sporting setting of this spin-off. The remixes of cult songs and other rhythmic themes have been perfectly designed to support the tension of the matches, and will surely be included in aficionados’ playlists.
Snowshoes a little too frenetic…
Unfortunately, the main flaw of this opus turns out to be one of its major new features: the famous frenzied rackets. To deepen your gameplay beyond the predefined archetypes of each character, Mario Tennis Fever incorporates special powers specific to different racket models. Except that these special moves are sometimes so powerful and handicapping that we end up wanting to deactivate them in each free match. In addition to destabilizing the pace of the game with a slow motion that can be triggered at any time by any player, frenzied strikes are also far too devastating. Closing large sections of the terrain with flames or other elements proves more frustrating than fun.
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date: 2026-02-10 20:23:00
Worth a look