Mario Tennis Fever Review: A New Smash Hit for Nintendo Switch 2
The Mario Tennis franchise, a flagship name among Nintendo sports games, traces its roots back over three decades, with an inaugural release as an exclusive for the Virtual Boy in 1995.
Since then, the series has consistently evolved, with Camelot Software—a renowned developer in Nintendo's sports lineup—delivering fresh takes for nearly every generation of Nintendo hardware.
The most recent entry, Mario Tennis Aces (released in 2018 for Nintendo Switch), marked a high point, but with technology advancing and fan expectations rising, Nintendo has unveiled Mario Tennis Fever, built ground-up for the Nintendo Switch 2.
This pivotal release launches on February 12, 2026, just days before the entire Virtual Boy library becomes available to Nintendo Switch Online (+ Expansion Pack) subscribers, reinforcing Nintendo’s commitment to celebrating its rich legacy. Expanding the Mario Tennis Experience One of the most prominent concerns in recent years about Mario sports titles has been a lack of full-featured content at launch, with players often awaiting post-release updates to access additional characters and modes.
Mario Tennis Fever addresses these issues head-on, delivering a robust base roster of 38 playable characters—the largest in series history.
This count not only doubles the starting lineup found in Aces but surpasses its completed roster by eight characters.
Nostalgic fans will appreciate the return of Wiggler and fan favorites like Baby Mario and Baby Peach, while newcomers such as Nabbit, Goomba, Baby Luigi, Baby Wario, and the debuting Baby Waluigi round out an impressively diverse cast. Camelot Software has leveraged the enhanced capabilities of the Nintendo Switch 2 to deliver significant graphical upgrades over past titles.
From intricately detailed backgrounds to more dynamic, expressive character models, Mario Tennis Fever stands out visually among its predecessors.
In both gameplay and cutscenes, the higher fidelity models and fluid animation breathe new life into classic characters—Donkey Kong’s recent redesign, featured in other Nintendo titles, was notably crafted to maximize this level of expressiveness.
Even seemingly minor animations, such as Luma and Lumalee’s gleeful celebrations, exhibit the enhanced charm made possible by the improved hardware. Refined Gameplay and New Mechanics Gameplay enhancements in Mario Tennis Fever set it apart from its predecessors.
The roster covers All-Around, Technical, Tricky, Speedy, Powerful, and Defensive categories, offering both subtle and pronounced stat differences for variety and strategic play.
While not every character is accessible from the start, unlocks are tied to achievements and progression across various modes, providing an incentive for continued play. The court selection features seven uniquely themed venues, with several featuring multiple variants—such as grass, clay, and hard courts for the Stadium and Academy Courts—bringing the total to 14 distinct court types, each affecting ball dynamics and play styles.
The Wonder Court, inspired by Super Mario Bros.
Wonder, is a standout with its creative use of assets. The biggest innovation comes with the Fever Racket system.
Instead of the Energy Gauge and Zone Shots from Mario Tennis Aces, players now equip one of 30 themed Fever Rackets, each with a unique special ability activated via an FV Gauge that builds up during rallies.
Fever Shots, triggered by a filled FV Gauge, introduce unpredictable and strategic twists, ranging from powerful offensive effects to temporary boosts like invincibility.
This system successfully blends classic tennis fundamentals with the over-the-top, arcade-style fun expected from a Mario sports title. Game Modes & Value for Players Mario Tennis Fever launches with a comprehensive selection of game modes.
The expanded Adventure Mode offers a narrative-driven single-player experience, taking players through training minigames, progressive tournaments, and boss battles.
While some may find its length modest at around four hours, it provides an engaging and effective tutorial for new and returning players. Additional content includes Trial Towers—a challenging arcade-style gauntlet with three themed towers and 100 unlockable trials—as well as Tournament Mode, Mix It Up (special matches and score challenges), and Swing Mode for motion control fans.
Local and online multiplayer are robust, featuring customizable match options, ranked leaderboard play, and GameShare functionality for offline sessions.
The versatile options ensure that both competitive and casual players will find lasting appeal. Final Verdict With its impressive roster, refined mechanics, and visual splendor, Mario Tennis Fever sets a new benchmark for Mario sports games on Nintendo Switch 2.
While Adventure Mode could offer deeper content, the variety of modes, unlockables, and highly entertaining Fever Racket system deliver an experience that surpasses its predecessors in both scope and gameplay depth.
Mario Tennis Fever hits the mark as the most complete title in the franchise’s history—and is an easy recommendation for series fans and newcomers alike.
Mario Tennis Fever launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 on February 12, 2026.
Since then, the series has consistently evolved, with Camelot Software—a renowned developer in Nintendo's sports lineup—delivering fresh takes for nearly every generation of Nintendo hardware.
The most recent entry, Mario Tennis Aces (released in 2018 for Nintendo Switch), marked a high point, but with technology advancing and fan expectations rising, Nintendo has unveiled Mario Tennis Fever, built ground-up for the Nintendo Switch 2.
This pivotal release launches on February 12, 2026, just days before the entire Virtual Boy library becomes available to Nintendo Switch Online (+ Expansion Pack) subscribers, reinforcing Nintendo’s commitment to celebrating its rich legacy. Expanding the Mario Tennis Experience One of the most prominent concerns in recent years about Mario sports titles has been a lack of full-featured content at launch, with players often awaiting post-release updates to access additional characters and modes.
Mario Tennis Fever addresses these issues head-on, delivering a robust base roster of 38 playable characters—the largest in series history.
This count not only doubles the starting lineup found in Aces but surpasses its completed roster by eight characters.
Nostalgic fans will appreciate the return of Wiggler and fan favorites like Baby Mario and Baby Peach, while newcomers such as Nabbit, Goomba, Baby Luigi, Baby Wario, and the debuting Baby Waluigi round out an impressively diverse cast. Camelot Software has leveraged the enhanced capabilities of the Nintendo Switch 2 to deliver significant graphical upgrades over past titles.
From intricately detailed backgrounds to more dynamic, expressive character models, Mario Tennis Fever stands out visually among its predecessors.
In both gameplay and cutscenes, the higher fidelity models and fluid animation breathe new life into classic characters—Donkey Kong’s recent redesign, featured in other Nintendo titles, was notably crafted to maximize this level of expressiveness.
Even seemingly minor animations, such as Luma and Lumalee’s gleeful celebrations, exhibit the enhanced charm made possible by the improved hardware. Refined Gameplay and New Mechanics Gameplay enhancements in Mario Tennis Fever set it apart from its predecessors.
The roster covers All-Around, Technical, Tricky, Speedy, Powerful, and Defensive categories, offering both subtle and pronounced stat differences for variety and strategic play.
While not every character is accessible from the start, unlocks are tied to achievements and progression across various modes, providing an incentive for continued play. The court selection features seven uniquely themed venues, with several featuring multiple variants—such as grass, clay, and hard courts for the Stadium and Academy Courts—bringing the total to 14 distinct court types, each affecting ball dynamics and play styles.
The Wonder Court, inspired by Super Mario Bros.
Wonder, is a standout with its creative use of assets. The biggest innovation comes with the Fever Racket system.
Instead of the Energy Gauge and Zone Shots from Mario Tennis Aces, players now equip one of 30 themed Fever Rackets, each with a unique special ability activated via an FV Gauge that builds up during rallies.
Fever Shots, triggered by a filled FV Gauge, introduce unpredictable and strategic twists, ranging from powerful offensive effects to temporary boosts like invincibility.
This system successfully blends classic tennis fundamentals with the over-the-top, arcade-style fun expected from a Mario sports title. Game Modes & Value for Players Mario Tennis Fever launches with a comprehensive selection of game modes.
The expanded Adventure Mode offers a narrative-driven single-player experience, taking players through training minigames, progressive tournaments, and boss battles.
While some may find its length modest at around four hours, it provides an engaging and effective tutorial for new and returning players. Additional content includes Trial Towers—a challenging arcade-style gauntlet with three themed towers and 100 unlockable trials—as well as Tournament Mode, Mix It Up (special matches and score challenges), and Swing Mode for motion control fans.
Local and online multiplayer are robust, featuring customizable match options, ranked leaderboard play, and GameShare functionality for offline sessions.
The versatile options ensure that both competitive and casual players will find lasting appeal. Final Verdict With its impressive roster, refined mechanics, and visual splendor, Mario Tennis Fever sets a new benchmark for Mario sports games on Nintendo Switch 2.
While Adventure Mode could offer deeper content, the variety of modes, unlockables, and highly entertaining Fever Racket system deliver an experience that surpasses its predecessors in both scope and gameplay depth.
Mario Tennis Fever hits the mark as the most complete title in the franchise’s history—and is an easy recommendation for series fans and newcomers alike.
Mario Tennis Fever launches exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 on February 12, 2026.
