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Family Guide To Mario Tennis Aces (PEGI 3)

If you've been inspired by Wimbledon, Mario Tennis Aces is a new tennis game on the Nintendo Switch. Like others in the series it recreates a relatively traditional game of tennis, although you play as Nintendo characters who each have special moves and powers.

All the usual characters are available to play with. Mario, Luigi, Wario, Peach, Waluigi, Daisy, Rosalina, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Bowser, Toad, Toadette, Chain Chomp, Bowser Jr., Boo, and Spike. It's worth noting that many of these need to be unlocked by participating in monthly tournaments. So if you have younger children, parents and guardians may want to play through some of this first -- a nice excuse for some game time once the kids are in bed maybe?

Controls

You hit the ball by tapping different buttons to apply topspin, slice, lobs or drop shots. This is similar to the previous Mario Tennis games. New to Mario Tennis Aces is the ability to use the motion-sensitive Joy-Cons to aim directly at the screen to mark where the ball will go. 

There's also Swing mode, where you use the Joy-Con like a real racket, similar to Wii Sports. it enables you to pull off the different shots by making different hitting motions with the controller. You can use one of the Joy-Cons to control the game like this (or with buttons) so you can play two players without the need to purchase extra controllers.

Young Players

For younger players, the Simple Rules mode, can keep things a little simpler and less bewildering as they get started. This can also be fun for adults who want to play a straight game of tennis without the thrills.

Playing doubles is another way that this can work well in the family, as the more experienced player can help out the novice. Also, playing against other family members rather than computer opponents can also help mitigate initial difficulty.

Age Rating

This game has been rated PEGI 3 and is suited for all persons. "Mario must battle with adversaries on the tennis court, some of these battles will involve defeating fantastical characters by hitting them with tennis balls. The violence in the game is generally very mild with flashing/blinking effects void of pain or suffering."

"Mario faces a variety of 'level bosses'. Some of these have a somewhat intimidating demeanour."

Other Versions

If you have older Nintendo systems and want to get in on the tennis action, the recent entries in the series include:

  • Mario Tennis Open (2012) Nintendo 3DS
  • Mario Tennis Ultra Smash (2015) Wii U
  • Mario Tennis Aces (2021) Nintendo Switch.

Also worth noting that Mario Power Tennis on the Wii also supports the motion controls similar to this new game.

Alternatives

If you are looking for a tennis game with a different spin (sorry) on the action, these games are great alternatives:

Go Vacation (PEGI 3)

Wii Sports (PEGI 7)

Yoku's Island Express (PEGI 7)

Clubhouse Games (PEGI 12)


Avatar for Andrew Robertson
Andrew Robertson
Andy Robertson is the editor of AskAboutGames and has written for national press and broadcast about video games and families for over 15 years. He has just published the Taming Gaming book with its Family Video Game Database.