Mario Tennis Aces

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"MTA" redirects here. For the canceled Philips CD-i game with the same abbreviation, see Mario Takes America.

Template:Infobox Mario Tennis Aces is an upcoming sports game in the Mario Tennis series for Nintendo Switch set to release on June 22, 2018. It is the eighth installment in the series and will be the first Mario Tennis series game since Mario Tennis: Power Tour on the Game Boy Advance to feature a Story Mode. The game was first announced via a Nintendo Direct Mini presentation on January 11, 2018.

Gameplay

The base gameplay appears similar to that of Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, featuring different types of shots. Characters have an energy gauge that can be used to perform Zone Shots, Zone Speed, or Special Shots. The energy gauge can be increased by simple rallies or by performing Trick Shots, which require proper timing to hit the ball back. Zone Shots can be performed upon reaching a star icon on the ground, and allow the player to aim their shot anywhere on the court using motion controls. The longer they take to aim, the more energy it depletes. Zone Speed allows the player to slow down time to allow them to reach a far-off shot in time. Special Shots are performed like Zone Shots, but require a full energy gauge. Zone Shots and Special Shots are able to damage rackets. Rackets can withstand three Zone Shots or one Special Shot before breaking, and after being broken they are replaced with a new one, forcing the player to retire when they no longer have any usable racket. With proper stroke timing, the shot can be blocked, increasing the character's energy gauge and protecting their racket from damage. In doubles, each pair shares one energy gauge. Unlike Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, there will be a left-handed option for characters.

Other than the base style of gameplay, the game will also include a "simple rules" mode which excludes the new types of shots, as well as "Swing Mode", which allows the player to use motion controls to swing their racket, similarly to Wii Sports. Unlike Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, the game will feature a traditional Tournament mode where the player can challenge computer opponents. Online multiplayer is also supported for up to four players (friends or other players) as well as for online tournaments. Participating in these can provide the player with participation prizes, including special in-game outfits or additional playable characters.

Exclusively in Swing Mode, players can challenge a decision that the ball was shot out of the court.

Adventure Mode

The game also features a story mode set on an island, which includes various challenges for the player to complete, such as missions and boss battles. The story appears to focus on Mario (partnered with Toad) as he tries to rescue those that have been possessed by a dark force, whose energy is imbued in a special tennis racket called the Lucien. The possessed characters take on a mummy-like appearance with glowing eyes, and their souls are taken by the dark force. To rescue them, Mario has to go around the island and complete challenges given to him by various Mario franchise enemies, like Boos and Petey Piranha, in his attempt to locate the five Power Stones that power the racket before Lucien does. Wario and Waluigi heard the myths of this powerful racket and wanted it for themselves, becoming corrupted by its power. Aster, who resides in the Temple of Bask, tells Mario of his objective and teaches him the skills needed to restore peace to the island. Along the way he can obtain different rackets that have different attributes, as well as level up his own stats such as running speed. Should the player's rackets all break, they will receive a game over.

The level selection appears to be based on that of the New Super Mario Bros. series, with red circles indicating an unfinished level and blue circles indicating a completed level, with the name of the level being shown when Mario stands on one.

Levels

Marina Stadium

• Marina Stadium

Bask Ruins

• Bask Ruins: A Bone to Pick
• Temple of Bask: An Ancient Trial

Piranha Plant Forest

• Piranha Plant Forest: Pipe Gripe
• Forest Practice Court: Rally Challenge (Beginner)
• Piranha Plant Habitat: Rapid Fire
• Forest Edge: Sure Shot Challenge (Beginner)
• Ancient Altar: Forest Monster
• Bay Ferry: Battle Boat

Mirage Mansion

• Mirage Mansion: Malicious Mirrors
• Mansion Practice Court: Panel Challenge (Beginner)
• Reflection Room: The Great Mirror Mystery
• Detour: Rally Challenge (Intermediate)
• Royal Chamber: All Hail the Mirror Queen

Snowfall Mountain

• Snowfall Mountain Station: Snowball Fight
• Snowfall Mountain: One vs...One?

Savage Sea

• Savage Sea Coast: The Sort-Of Sea Monster

Characters

Playable

Default

All-Around

• 

  Mario

• 

  Luigi

• 

  Daisy

Technical

• 

  Peach

• 

  Toadette

Speedy

• 

  Toad

• 

  Yoshi

Powerful

• 

  Wario

• 

  Bowser

• 

  Donkey Kong

• 

  Spike (new)

• 

  Chain Chomp (new)

Defensive

• 

  Waluigi

• 

  Bowser Jr.

Tricky

• 

  Rosalina

• 

  Boo

Available post-launch

Speedy

• 

  Koopa Troopa

Tricky

• 

  Blooper (new)

Unspecified

• MTA Models DiddyKong.jpg

  Diddy Kong

• MTA Models Birdo.jpg

  Birdo

• MTA Models Paratroopa.jpg

  Paratroopa

Unlocking criteria

Unlocking criteria for these participants
Koopa Troopa	Obtainable in July 2018 tournament, otherwise available from August 1, 2018
Blooper	Obtainable in August 2018 tournament, otherwise available from September 1, 2018
Diddy Kong	TBA
Birdo	TBA
Paratroopa	TBA

Bosses

• Petey Piranha
• Madame Mirage
• Snow Ogre
• Gooper Blooper
• Bowser Statue
• Bowcien

Non-playable characters

• Piranha Plants
• Lakitus
• Biddybuds
• Yoshis
• Little Birds
• Rabbits
• Fire Piranha Plants
• Munchers
• Piranha Creepers
• Ant Troopers
• Conkdors
• Dry Bones
• Kleptos
• Peepas
• Bob-ombs
• Spinies
• Mechakoopas
• Monty Mole
• Lumas
• Parabones
• Whomp
• Dark Luigi

Audience members

• Toads
• Shy Guys
• Koopa Troopas
• Koopa Paratroopas
• Hammer Bros
• Sledge Bros
• Goombas
• Paragoombas
• Penguins
• Stone Spikes
• Fire Bros
• Boomerang Bros

Unknown

• Aster
• King Bask
• Lucien
• Boom Boom
• Shy Guy
• Kamek
• Dry Bones

Possible future playable characters

Alongside all other confirmed playable characters and the latter three above, Dry Bowser was reportedly found in a datamine of the demo. Additionally, his emblem can be seen on a few of the in-game advertisments.

Courts

Like in Mario Power Tennis, some courts contain hazards that can be toggled on or off.

• Marina Stadium (Hard, Clay, Grass, Night)
• Bask Ruins (a court set in desert ruins)
• Piranha Plant Forest (a court set in a forest - Piranha Plants can eat the ball to change its direction)
• Snowfall Mountain (a court set in a snowy plaza)
• Mirage Mansion (a court set in a haunted house)
• Savage Sea (a court set on an airship flying over a sea, apparently themed after New Super Mario Bros. U)
• Inferno Island (a court with hexagonal tiles, featuring Mechakoopas and Bob-ombs)

Demo and pre-launch online tournament

Prior to the game's release date, a free demo was released on the Nintendo eShop on May 24, 2018. This demo includes a pre-launch online tournament, as well as the ability to practice with CPU players. The tournament allowed players to play as Mario, Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser, with Waluigi, Toad, Spike, Rosalina, and Chain Chomp becoming available as players earned points, for a total of nine playable characters. All tournament participants could receive an alternate costume for Mario that dresses him in his usual clothes (effectively making him appear identical to his appearance in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash), usable in the full game.

Character unlock criteria

Unlocking criteria for these participants
Waluigi	Earn 100 points in total.
Toad	Earn 300 points in total.
Spike	Earn 600 points in total.
Rosalina	Earn 1000 points in total.
Chain Chomp	Earn 1500 points in total.

Reception

Mario Tennis Aces received somewhat positive reviews from critics. Praise was directed at the visuals and welcome new additions of gameplay, but minor criticism was directed at customization issues and the story mode not being rewarding or satisfying enough. The Swing Mode also received mixed reception, with points of contention directed at its unresponsiveness. The game currently holds a score of 78% on Metacritic based on 32 reviews, and a score of 76.86% on GameRankings based on 14 reviews.

Tristan Ogilvie gave the game a score of 7.5/10, praising the visuals, the court gimmicks, and the multiplayer mode, but criticized the story mode as being bare-bones, with nothing making it a fresh and satisfying experience, and also criticized the way local multiplayer works, stating "The biggest problem with Mario Tennis Aces' Adventure mode is how poorly it incentivises you to keep playing. I had completed all 27 of its levels and unlocked all of its courts and rackets by the time I was on level 34, which was around a half a dozen hours of game time. Out of curiosity, I replayed a number of the challenges and boss fights several more times over to grind my way up to level 55, but was rewarded with absolutely nothing aside from incremental boosts to Mario's stats, thus making the existing challenges even easier. With no New Game+ or more challenging versions of its levels to unlock, or even the option of playing through it with a different character, Mario Tennis Aces' Adventure mode becomes increasingly simple and repetitive the more time you put into it." In a more positive review, Mike Diver of Nintendo Life gave the game an 8/10, praising the vast improvements over its Wii U predecessor Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, stating "Where Ultra Smash's extras were a pure Monkey Island's worth of living without that particular piece of junk – here's your context, kids – Aces stuffs its kit bag with activities until the zip's positively pinging off across the locker room like a smartly volleyed can of energy drink. Not everything is evenly fleshed out, but whatever your preferential way to play, there's plenty to get stuck into, both solo and with pals." In a slightly more positive review, Justin Clark of GameSpot gave the game an 8/10, praising the game's new playing mechanics over past games as well as the story mode's incentive to teach players of the new mechanics, but had mixed to somewhat positive feelings about the story mode, stating "The story itself is ridiculous, but ridiculous in that very specific, quirky way Nintendo has been getting away with for decades. During the Mushroom Kingdom's annual tennis tournament, an evil tennis racket--yes, really--named Lucien takes possession of Luigi and flies off to find five Power Stones that will help him take over the world."

Reviews
Release	Reviewer, Publication	Score	Comment
Nintendo Switch	Tristan Ogilvie, IGN	7.5/10	"Despite some single-player shortcomings, Mario Tennis Aces is still a lot of frantic tennis fun with friends."
Nintendo Switch	Mike Diver, 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."
Nintendo Switch	Justin Clark, GameSpot	8/10	"It's not like Aces needs a gimmick like motion controls to win you over, anyway. 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."
Aggregators
Compiler		Platform / Score
Metacritic		78%
GameRankings		76.86%

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Tennis Aces.

• 

  Mario

• 

  Peach

• MarioTennisAcesLogo.jpg

  International logo

• MTA Mario Waluigi.jpg

  A tennis match

• MTA Story Mode Hub.jpg

  Story hub world

Quotes

Main article: List of Mario Tennis Aces quotes

References to other games

• Mario's Tennis: This is the first time in the Mario Tennis series since this game that Mario and Luigi wear short-sleeved T-shirts and shorts and athletic shoes instead of their casual shirts and overalls and brown shoes. However they wear visor versions of their signature caps while in Mario's Tennis they wear their casual caps.
• Super Mario 64 / Super Mario 64 DS: The design of Snow Ogre highly resembles that of Eyerok.
• Super Mario Sunshine: The sounds that Piranha Plants make are reused from this game.
• Mario Power Tennis: The sound Chain Chomp makes is reused from this game. Many characters' voice clips from this game are reused for their Special Shot animation.
• Mario Party 6: Mario's artwork from this game is reused on one of the large banners.
• Mario Party 8: Chain Chomp's artwork on the character select screen is from this game.
• Mario Party DS: Wario's artwork from this game is reused on one of the smaller banners.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii: Boo’s artwork from this game is reused on one of the smaller banners.
• Mario Party 9: Koopa Troopa's artwork on the character select screen is from this game.
• New Super Mario Bros. U: The Koopalings' airships appear from this game. The large claw arm Bowser Jr. uses for his Special Shot also first appears here.
• Super Mario 3D World: Several enemies from this title appear in the background of the courts, such as Piranha Creepers and Conkdors. Rabbits also appear and retain their design from this game.
• Mario Golf: World Tour: Several of Rosalina's voice clips, provided by her former voice actress (Kerri Kane) are taken from this game.
• Mario Party 10: The artwork on the character select screen for Rosalina and Spike are from this game.
• Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition: Artwork of Luigi and Yoshi from this game are reused on one of the smaller banners.
• Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash: Marina Stadium bears a striking resemblance to the stadium found in this game. Character models, animations, and voice clips are reused from this game. Yoshi's artwork is also recycled from this game.
• Mario Party: Star Rush: The artwork on the character select screen for Luigi, Waluigi, Daisy, and Blooper, as well as the artwork for King Boo (used for Boo), are from this game.
• Mario Party: The Top 100: Wario's artwork on the character select screen is from this game.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning
Japanese	マリオテニス エース Mario Tenisu Ēsu	Mario Tennis Ace
Chinese	瑪利歐網球 (Traditional) 马力欧网球 (Simplified) Mǎlìōu Wǎngqiú	Mario Tennis
Korean	마리오 테니스 에이스 Mario Teniseu Eiseu	Mario Tennis Ace

External links

• Official North American website
• Official Japanese website
• Official UK website
• Official Australian/New Zealand website