Free Switch Updates Adding More Mario Tennis Aces DLC Characters, And One Is Out Now

Nintendo is releasing a new set of playable characters for Mario Tennis Aces. This month, the mayor of New Donk City, Pauline, is making her debut in the Switch tennis games, while two classic Mario villains will join the roster in April and May.

As with Aces' previous DLC characters, players can unlock Pauline by playing at least one match in the game's Online Tournament mode this month, while everyone else will automatically get her after April 1. As you can see in the trailer above, Pauline is a speedy character, and her Special Shot has her delivering a powerful smash from atop New Donk City Hall.

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Pauline arrives alongside Aces' 2.3.0 update, which also kicks off a new Co-op Challenge called Shy Guy Train Tussle. Following Pauline, two more classic Mario enemies will be added to the game's roster: Magikoopa and Dry Bones. The former will be available in April, while the latter is set to arrive in May.

This marks Pauline's first appearance in a Mario sports game, but she's actually one of the earliest characters in the Mario series. She's best known for being the damsel-in-distress in the original arcade Donkey Kong game, a role she'd later reprise in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. Most recently, she made an appearance in Super Mario Odyssey and even canonically sings that game's theme song, "Jump Up, Super Star!"

Nintendo has introduced a number of new characters to Mario Tennis Aces since its launch last June, including Shy Guy, Diddy Kong, Petey Piranha, and Luma. The most recent addition was the classic Super Mario 3 mid-boss Boom Boom, who joined the roster in February.