Mario Tennis Fever review: Mario Kart power-ups reinvent a sports classic

Camelot’s new Mario Tennis Fever for the Switch 2 pairs a more fleshed-out Adventure mode with a bold dose of power-ups — the Fever rackets — that reshape how the series plays. Adventure returns but often feels like an obligation in the long shadow of the GBA classics.

The Fever rackets, by contrast, are spectacular and immediately distinct. The core tennis remains familiar: forgiving, rhythmic, and strategic rather than punishingly precise. You pick topspin, slice, or flat shots, charge for more power, and build a Fever meter that holds up to two charges.

With a standard racket a Fever shot grants a moment of slow motion and a strong, high strike; with Fever rackets the results range from combative hazards like fireballs, mud, and banana skins that drain HP, to tactical effects that slow opponents or force them off court.

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