Mario Tennis Aces is Nintendo’s latest entry in the Mario Tennis series. The Mushroom Kingdom crew is at it again – challenging each other to sports at an extremely high level.

Before we get started, let’s take a moment to appreciate the fact that Mario started his tennis career as a referee in 1984’s Tennis. Now, he’s got his own tennis saga.

Let’s go over the experience of playing Mario Tennis Aces!

Serving up a quirky tale

The single player experience of Mario Tennis Aces acts as a fun way for the player to practice the game’s different techniques. Using unique boss encounters and challenge stages, it educates the player while telling an oddball story.

Wario and Waluigi become possessed by a haunted tennis racket. After an evil spirit within this racket is unleashed, it’s up to Mario to set things right. Prepare for an adventure where every conflict is solved with tennis!

As the player progresses through each challenge, they improve Mario’s skills on the court. During the story, new rackets can be unlocked – each with their own design and stats. Although this is a fairly robust system, it’s less involved than previous Mario Tennis titles. Previously, players had access to features such as stat customization.

Treat the Adventure mode as your own personal tennis dojo, and you’ll be ready for the big leagues: multiplayer.

Ready to cause a racket

While Adventure mode is an ideal way to learn the ins and outs of Mario Tennis Aces, most players will dive right into a versus match without any practice. This is okay! Although newcomers won’t immediately understand certain aspects, one only needs a simple understanding of how to return and aim a shot.

To help players learn while doing, each shot type is color coded. New players will quickly realize that a purple streak means one thing, and an orange streak means something else. It isn’t long before they’re executing their own special shots with ease.

Context clues and helpful tips are everywhere, making this a great game to play with your loved ones who identify as casual gamers.

Everyone’s a student in Mario Tennis Aces

Mario Tennis Aces does its best to teach players how to compete. However, the most fun I’ve had involves teaching new players the things I’ve learned.

My partner went from calling shenanigans on my repeat wins, to wrecking me two times in a row. This is no exaggeration, she destroyed my racket during games where she also shut me out completely.

I’m still sour about it.

Once we communicated on some techniques, the playing field became completely fair. Rather than having to direct her towards the story, she was able to pick it up during our matches.

I’m very happy for her progress. Now, our rivalry in Mario Tennis Aces is thriving and I want my revenge.

Online play is serious business

If you’re looking for competition online, Mario Tennis Aces has that as well. There are monthly tournaments, as well as quick matches. Players online seem to always be of competent skill level.

After playing a handful of matches, I’ve only gotten close to winning one time. Of course, I’m not exactly an ace just yet. In any case, there are plenty of opponents out there who would love to face you in an online tennis showdown.

Should you play Mario Tennis Aces?

If you own a Nintendo Switch, you should try out Mario Tennis Aces. There’s something here for both experienced players and beginners alike. Furthermore, beginners won’t stay beginners for long with this game’s welcoming learning curve.

Mario Tennis Aces acts as a shining example of Nintendo’s continued dedication making video games approachable. This attention to accessibility is one of the many reasons that Nintendo has cemented their place in the gaming industry.

If you’re interested in seeing more examples of Nintendo educating players on the spot, check out this piece about Super Metroid.

Are you already playing Mario Tennis Aces? What was your most epic match like?