a good arcade game on Nintendo Switch?

For a few days, the Nintendo Switch holds its Mario Tennis with a brand new episode Aces, which takes some risks … including that of disorienting some fans.

Mario and tennis is a love story that has been going on for over twenty years now. After the excellent opus Nintendo 64, each generation of home console was entitled to his episode (more or less successful), with 2015 an album Ultra Smash on Wii U that will not have left memories really memorable … Since a few days is Mario Tennis Aces which is available on Nintendo Switch . No DX version of a previous opus, but an episode all beautiful, brand new, which gives pride to the arcade but dares an Adventure mode, an online mode and even a brand new system of special moves.

Nintendo changes Mario Tennis's formula a bit

Thus, in 2018, Nintendo takes the risk of renew a little the formula of Mario Tennis . Mario and his troupe (about fifteen players in all) will therefore enjoy a gameplay still as complete (with different types of strikes and different ways to hit according to a prolonged support, two pressures fast …) but also a new management of snowshoes and energy.

Indeed, the player stores energy according to his performances on the court, which can be used to make special offensive shots but also to defend, slowing space time of a few seconds. Each player also has a great instinct to trigger when the gauge is filled to the maximum … which eventually destroy the opponent's racket and involve the same way the package of the opponent.

As in a Mario Kart, each character has its strengths and weaknesses with the bonus of a special stroke to activate by pressing the X key twice. By force of practice, one manages to adjust his timing an essential element to succeed both fast and (well) placed shots, but also an effective defense. Opportunity Zones can further improve the quality of the exchanges. The gameplay is so very nervous and arcade . It will take a good deal of strategy and thinking to hope to get into the top of the basket.

Note however that it is possible to opt for a gameplay more "clbadic" putting in the closet the majority of special moves, thus promoting (long) exchanges.

Mario facing the challenges of the RPG

As stated above, Mario Tennis Aces also has an Adventure mode tinged with RPG . Our dear Mario will evolve over the challenges, with the added bonus of getting hold of various racquets. However, we are (very) far from the adventure mode of the GameBoy Advance opus here, since it will be meet various challenges on a mini-map to progress, with boss fights but also mini-games on totally fanciful courts, taken from the Mario universe (haunted manor, carnivorous plants …).

This mode will allow you in the end of to master all the subtleties of this Mario Tennis Aces through tests sometimes quite difficult elsewhere, but which will not require more than 4 to 6 hours of your time.

Some regrets for this Mario on Switch

Of course, Mario Tennis Aces also allows to play multiplayer, locally and online, with the opportunity to participate in ranked tournaments. It is a pity, however, that the general personalization is also limited notably in terms of the duration of the parties. In the register of defects, we also note a general finish a little less resplendent than what we have proposed the series in the past, and a management of "powers" that sometimes comes too chop exchanges. Those who appreciate the fact of being able to engage in long exchanges will be disappointed here, as well as those who expected a solid adventure mode, as well as basic customization options that are unfortunately absent (no season mode, no possibility of playing a "real" set …). Too bad to be able to participate only three small tournaments solo …

In short, some finishing problems and other absences for this Mario Tennis Aces: rather complete and technical gameplay level, the game Switch still seems to have forgotten some fundamentals in the process of road.

Clubic's slanted forehand note

Untouchable from a strictly technical point of view and at the level of the fun released when one embarks on a fast part, Mario Tennis Aces is a little less flashy as soon as one leans a little more seriously on its content or its general ergonomics. Even its gameplay, yet quite rich, sometimes lacks a little intensity, special shots even tend to chop a little too trade.

We can only praise the risks taken by the developers, who offer a gameplay much more technical than what the first exchanges let appear, but we still quickly like a general impression of unfinished here a rare fact at Nintendo to be underlined.