Mario Tennis Aces Review: Aim High
MARIO TENNIS ACES: A HIGH FLYING GAMEThe last time we encountered Mario Tennis was on Wii U, in a slammed version like Djokovic. Despite great tennis qualities, we felt the game overdue, as evidenced by superfluous ideas and famished content which felt the difficult closure of the end of the generation. Almost three years later, Camelot already intends to set the record straight with a Switch version which, it should be noted, is not content with a "luxury" or "ultimate" port to liven up the summer. . Forget the dreadful simulations released a few weeks ago, because with its unbridled tennis arcade, Mario Tennis Aces is already establishing itself as a sure bet.
The arcade formula of 3DS episodes, itself refined on Wii U, has lived. No more small areas of color that activate on the field to boost the strikes: if Mario Tennis Aces takes the usual typology of shots (flat, lifted, sliced), Camelot introduces this time an energy gauge typical of the games of fight to oil the gameplay. Circular, it fills with each strike, more or less generously depending on the charging time. A good way to reward both anticipation and positioning, provided you arrive early on the ball; as always in the series, the preparation time for a forehand or backhand limits your ability to move, which can cause big failures in your eagerness. Just filled, the energy gauge allows you to activate two types of special moves, with in the first place the Instinct Strike, which allows you to aim, gyro activated or not, a precise point of the court, if possible the furthest from the 'opponent. In counterpoint, the Instinct Race slows down the time to catch a ball out of range, and in particular the Instinct Strikes which start like balls. Timing plays a fundamental role: caught too early, a super strike will affect the durability of the racket. Because yes, the worst idea of the video game ended up creeping into Mario Tennis, to the point of declaring forfeit if your stock reaches the fateful zero. Snowshoes can even shatter in one fell swoop on a "Super Frappe Instinct", to be triggered when the special gauge shines with a luminescent turquoise.
If this kind of arcade mechanics tires you in advance, Mario Tennis Aces always offers to deactivate them to return to classic tennis, which is ultimately quite close to the N64 spirit. It would be a shame to deprive them, because they overlap admirably to make the matches nervous, with all the dimension of mind game and resource management that looks like a fighting game - but with rackets. As a new demonstration of Camelot's know-how, the game guarantees a much more solid balance than expected, by marrying on one side a tennis logic, based on counterfoot and war of attrition, and another of the dilemmas linked to the scenario of the match. Is it better to let go of this Instinct Strike to keep a little energy on the next point? Start the exchange on a special strike instead of ensuring a "perfect" service that fills the gauge? Risking everything for a perfectly timed "Interception" that erodes the morale of the opponent? It is true that, after the initiation stage, the matches have a certain tendency to turn to the festival of special powers, which can make the exchanges a little too choppy, only on the visual level. Our current reservations would rather relate to the guarantees offered by technical strikes, catch-ups in extremis to be carried out with the right stick (or a double pressure), and which boost the energy gauge a little too grossly for risk-taking. minimal once the timing is well in mind. Not to mention the appearance of a random streak of chance boxes, whose logic has still not been understood well after more than twenty hours of play. But it is also this kind of deceitful technique that makes the difference between neophytes and seasoned players, ultimately ensuring a good margin of progress.
Hazard
Obviously, a Mario Tennis would not be the same without the countless adulterated courts filled with traps. And unlike the previous Wii U episode, which was content with a single stage, Aces does not miss the opportunity to stuff the arenas with carnivorous plants, Shyguys or magic mirrors. The worst is undoubtedly the mast planted in the middle of a boat, which can reverse the trajectories, but the Méchakoopas which explode under the nose also stand in the way of the beautiful game. The advantage is that it is always possible (locally) to deactivate these "events" to focus only on tennis, while taking advantage of the specifics linked to each coating - such as sand, which will greedily swallow your amortizations (a shortcut back + lob is now enough). And as we are in Mario Tennis, each character corresponds to a typology of players, between the versatility of a Mario, who seems gifted with an ability to cross otherwise more deadly than the bullies of service, whether Spike or Chomp, the new ones, never the last to push you away in the short on a full load strike. From Wii U / 3DS episodes, Mario Tennis Aces retains the game of cons (the slice responds to the lift, and vice versa), to try to limit the breakage on the charged strikes of the opponent. Like another layer of finesse spread over a game that definitely does not lack it.In short, even by reworking the system from top to bottom, Camelot has achieved a balanced, satisfactory result, which also offers a good margin of maneuver to pretend to anything other than casu parties. From a tennis point of view, we could sometimes regret the difficulty of certain characters to be angled, but it is to better leave the field to technical players like Peach, or cunning like Boo, to apply their delusional effects or to nail you net on a slated volley. Because yes, depending on the number of presses, the game also makes the distinction between precise hitting, ideal for maneuvering, and powerful, effective hitting along the line. By combining all these qualities, Mario Tennis Aces is therefore back in better shape than ever on the field, even if, with all this information to store, getting started is perhaps less accessible than in the past. It is precisely for this reason that the Adventure mode begins with a fairly long tutorial.
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Adventure mode, yes yes. Not far from 15 years after the GBA episode, we finally find something else on the menu than the inevitable series of tournaments (only three for this edition), even if we can't really talk about RPG mode like on the Game Boy versions . Despite the level gain and the stat gains, not to mention the rackets that unlock over the course of history, it is rather to chain missions in the form of workshops, all served by a scenario typical of the Mario universe. We sum it up: following the advice of a tennis deity, Mario will go in search of gems capable of captivating Wario, Waluigi and his own brother, even if he will have to browse a mini-map of half a dozen of worlds themselves divided into a handful of missions. Tennis matches are rather rare there, moreover: most often, it will be necessary to shoot down a certain number of targets, to turn over a certain number of balls and to draw the attack scheme of the numerous bosses, who invariably follow a pattern in three stages, with a life gauge more or less slow to descend depending on the number of "Instinct Strikes" that you are ready to sacrifice. A surprisingly sturdy difficulty level game mode, even if it can be quickly folded (four to five hours), except for a few tests to pull your hair out, in particular the mirrors of the haunted house or the super tight lap times on the last bosses. And no way to cut it to progress on the map. Clearly, a nice entertainment that does not teach you specially to play well, except perhaps for the timing of return of super strikes, at the moment of impact, which is not necessarily logical but better for the suspenseful.Unfortunately, it is once again on a question of content and general ergonomics that Mario Tennis Aces disappoints, at least while waiting for the probable changes and additions of post-release content. Five players, including Koopa Troopa, Birdo and Diddy, should arrive by next September, to be unlocked through monthly tournaments which will be organized regularly, in line with that which took place for the online beta. A rather functional variant, moreover, with its branching system and the counting of victories. Unfortunately, none of this in our test version, which offers us a mix of options and game modes that are a little too psycho-toxic to do the job. Impossible for example to get out of the tie-break scheme or two winning games (and therefore only one set) for local games or with friends. In singles as in doubles for that matter, whether you play with another player from a distance or directly on the same screen. From this point of view, the vertical split remains legible enough to avoid the "top of the court" syndrome and its crushed perspectives well known to fans of tennis games.
Another complaint: all random online matches will be played at a maximum of seven points. So ok, it allows you to send the matches when the level difference is too clear, to chain the opponents, but too bad not to leave more choice. Especially when these random games impose on you a rotation of stages which distorts the meetings a little, even when we play with the "classic rules", without the powers. Fortunately, the option "rematch with the same rules" switched to +/- guarantees to restart a game without changing either characters or arena. For its part, the creation of lounges capable of accommodating 10 players makes it possible to deactivate all or part of the courts, and the invitation system should in theory facilitate the sequence of matches, despite a very austere interface. Obviously, no accounting of the stats other than in tournament, to know for example the ratio of victories / defeats according to the characters. In short, we are still far from an online interface worthy of current standards, which is necessarily a shame when you have a multiplayer game of this quality.
Nintendo Switch Verdict
Take the risk of putting everything flat and set out again for the summits: after a Wii U version which did not convince many people, Mario Tennis Aces plays Nadal or Federer, and the efforts pay off. We do not escape a few setbacks here or there, but the game mechanics unfold and the parts are linked, all served by a realization without false note. Perhaps the return of the Adventure mode would have benefited from including a little more tennis and a little less party game, and undoubtedly there are still some patches to apply before obtaining a perfect balance between the courts, the characters and the dosage of the brand new energy gauge. But even as it is, this new Mario Tennis is an excellent evening host, whether you play for fun or for glory, alone or with others, with a Joy-Con in hand like Wii Sports or a foolproof Controller Pro .About hicham
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