Mario Tennis Aces

Mario Tennis Aces
Developer	Camelot
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Nintendo Switch
Release Date	June 22, 2018
Rating	ESRB: E

Mario Tennis Aces is a Mario-themed tennis game that was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2018. It is the seventh game of the Mario Tennis subseries.

Story

Mario and Peach have just won a tennis championship. In the aftermath of the victory, Wario and Waluigi give Mario's group a legendary tennis racket known as Lucien. Luigi claims the racket, only for it to possess him as well as Wario and Waluigi, and it causes a great storm. Mario travels to the Temple of Bask, where the racket was found, and he learns the truth: Lucien was an evil racket that nearly destroyed the Kingdom of Bask in the past, and its power was divided between five Power Stones. Mario embarks on a quest to retrieve the Power Stones before they are regained by Lucien.

Gameplay

This game follows the basic gameplay of past Mario Tennis games while adding some new features. Characters now have energy gauges which can be used to perform Zone Shots, Zone Speed or Special Shots. Zone Shots and Zone Speed are both tricks which involve slowing down the time. The former allows the player to control the ball's trajectory with motion controls, while the latter allows the player's character to move around freely while time is slowed down. Special Shots deplete an entire energy gauge and are powerful enough to break an opponent's racket. The refilling of an energy gauge can occur while sustaining a rally or by performing trick shots. It is also possible to block other characters' Zone Shots and Special Shots. In this game, it is possible for a racket to receive damage and break. If a character runs out of rackets, they automatically forfeit the game.

This game also includes several options for playing. The simple rules option removes the new types of shots, while Swing Mode allows the players to control the rackets directly with motion controls. There is also an option to adjust the controls for left-handed players. This game features an Adventure Mode that follows Mario going on an adventure, marking the first Mario Tennis game since Mario Tennis: Power Tour to have a storyline. The game also has a Tournament Mode and a mode that was added in an update, Co-Op Challenge. That mode entails two different minigames (Boo Hunt and Yoshi's Ring Shot) that can be played by groups of four players, either locally or online. A January 2019 update also added a Hosted Matches mode, in which one player could act as a host overseeing a match between two other players, either locally or online.

The game also features online connectivity, including online tournaments. Players are encouraged to take part in online tournaments, with incentives such as gaining new characters early and earning Participation Points that can be used to unlock alternate costumes for characters.

Playable Characters

• Mario
• Luigi
• Peach
• Daisy
• Rosalina
• Yoshi
• Toad
• Toadette
• Donkey Kong
• Wario
• Waluigi
• Bowser
• Bowser Jr.
• Boo
• Spike
• Chain Chomp

Unlockable/Download

This game features additional playable characters who have been made available as free DLC, with a new character being added every month starting in July 2018, the month after the game's release. Each character was initially unlocked by competing in a tournament within a certain month and then became available freely for all players as part of an update in the following month. For each character, the month in which they were available through tournaments and the month they were added freely to the game are respectively marked in parentheses.

• Koopa Troopa (July/August 2018)
• Blooper (August/September 2018)
• Diddy Kong (September/October 2018)
• Birdo (October/November 2018)
• Koopa Paratroopa (November/December 2018)
• Shy Guy (December 2018 - Doubles tournament only/January 2019)
• Petey Piranha (December 2018 - Singles tournament only/January 2019)
• Luma (January/February 2019)
• Boom Boom (February/March 2019)
• Pauline (March/April 2019)
• Kamek (April/May 2018)
• Dry Bones (May/June 2019)
• Fire Piranha Plant (June/July 2019)
• Dry Bowser (July/August 2019)