Mario Tennis Aces Review Roundup (Nintendo Switch)

Mario Tennis Aces brings back one of the Mushroom Kingdom's oldest pasttimes, pitting its iconic characters against each other on the court. On the Nintendo Switch it's both pretty and portable, and it packs plenty of new bells and whistles for this round. A new zone shot and trick shot system brings some more subtlety to your strategy, and the multiplayer mode allows for online tournaments and matches.

But is it worth another round on the court? The critical reception is positive, with reservations. While the single-player Adventure Mode is underdeveloped and the difficulty spikes can feel unfair, the multiplayer is where it really shines. Like any good arcade sports game, the mechanics are easy to pick up and play but hard to master thanks to additional layers of complexity that were absent from some prior iterations. Check out our in-depth thoughts in our Mario Tennis Aces review-in-progress, and read on for more thoughts from around the industry. GameSpot sister site Metacritic has the wider reception.

• Game: Mario Tennis Aces
• Developer / Publisher: Nintendo
• Platforms: Nintendo Switch
• Release date: June 22
• Price: US $60 / £45 / AU $69

GameSpot -- 8/10

"The Tetris Effect is in full swing here; days after the credits rolled, I still crave the satisfying thwack from a Power Shot, mentally replay matches and imagine how I might do things differently given a bit more focus and know-how. Mario Tennis Aces does what this series has done best, and improves what it's rarely gotten right prior. Fingers crossed that the online support stands up to the rest of the game after launch." -- Justin Clarke [Full review]

GamesRadar -- 4/5

"At the end of the day, Adventure Mode is only going to take you so far, and, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch, it's really all about multiplayer. You can opt in for online or local multiplayer, or just pass a Joy-Con to your pal for instant split-screen, which is really where the game shines brightest - and I'm not just talking graphically, although this game is an absolute stunner. This is a game built for battling against your friends, which might seem like a weird turn of phrase for a tennis game, but absolutely works for Mario Tennis Aces." -- Sam Loveridge [Full review]

IGN -- 7.5/10

"Mario Tennis Aces is an extremely fun arcade tennis experience, colourful and dazzling to look at and smartly balanced in its back-and-forth play. With a little bit more care and depth given to the simple single-player mode and more variety added in the way of character and tournament customisation to give its multiplayer extra spice, Mario Tennis Aces could have been a true all-rounder. As it is, Mario Tennis Aces is still a lot of frantic tennis fun with friends." -- Tristan Ogilvie [Full review]

Nintendo Life -- 8/10

"We're used to seeing Wii U games transfer to Switch, but for Ultra Smash to have moved across without a substantial makeover would have been disastrous. Aces, wonderfully, is anything but that--it's 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. This is something of a Switch Port Plus, then--not quite a whole new experience, but so improved as to be near unrecognisable next to its preceding title." -- Mike Diver [Full review]

God is a Geek -- 7/10

"Play through the story mode until you take out the first boss and you should have a good grip on how the game is played, once there I suggest you stop before the game turns you into a gibbering gibbon of pure hatred. Take that part as a tutorial and then play against your friends and you'll have a whale of a time. I put the game in front of my family members, and for the first time ever I saw interactions that wouldn't look out of place in a Switch infomercial, they were having pure, unadulterated fun and that's where this game's magic lies." -- Nick Gillham [Full review]

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