In doubles, each pair shares one energy gauge, and if a player's racket breaks during a rally, that player's team immediately loses the point. With proper stroke timing, these shots can be blocked, increasing the character's energy gauge and protecting their racket from damage. 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. Zone Shots and Special Shots are able to damage rackets.
Special Shots can be performed from anywhere on the court and require a full energy gauge. Zone Speed allows the player to slow down time to allow them to reach a far-off shot in time. When energy is fully depleted while in a Zone Shot, the stroke loses form, resulting the ball flying high in the air. The longer they take to aim, the more energy it depletes. Zone Shots can be performed upon reaching a rotating star point on the ground, and allow the player to aim their shot anywhere on the court using motion controls. The energy gauge can be increased by simple rallies, by charging shots, or by performing Trick Shots, which require proper timing to hit the ball back. Landing the ball on the court's sidelines has the same effect in singles matches, but this is allowed in doubles.Ĭharacters have an energy gauge that can be used to perform Zone Shots, Zone Speed, or Special Shots. The ball has to stay within the boundaries of the field if it lands out of it, the opponent will score. The speed of the ball is briefly displayed at the top of the screen when it gets served. Two consecutive faults (double fault) will cause the opponent to score. The server has to launch the ball on the opposite side of the court, otherwise it will be a fault. In every match, there is a server and a receiver, who switch sides at the start of every game. Matches can be played in singles, involving only two players, or doubles, involving two pairs of players. If players obtain a 6-point tie, they need a two-point lead in order to win. Seven points are required to win the tiebreaker and, by extension, the match. In tiebreakers, players score one point for each successful shot. A tiebreaker is used to settle the match if the players are constantly tied throughout the match. There are two games in one set, with the number of sets depending on the rules of the match. A deuce commences if both sides are tied at 40 points, where they need to score a two-point advantage to win the game. In normal matches, players who earn a successful shot score 15 points at 40 points, players earn a game point, and have to score another successful shot in order to win the game. Gameplay Basic gameplay Īs in a game of tennis, players have to hit the ball back and forth until one side misses it. Since release, the game has been updated with new playable characters, story mode levels, modes of play, and tournament features, most notably a rank classification. The game also offers expanded online features, mostly through tournaments and co-op challenges, where players can participate to unlock exclusive content.
These are powerful types of shots that can damage or break the opponent's racket if not countered correctly. Under certain conditions, it can also be used to stop time and launch the ball from a first-person perspective to the other side of the court through Zone Shots and Special Shots. Energy grants the ability to slow down the time during a match in order to catch a ball more easily. One of the prime features in this game is an energy gauge which can be charged throughout the course of a match by rallying the ball.
While the gameplay engine appears to be based on that of Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, it refines the traditional tennis gameplay of the series by introducing several new techniques. It is also the first game in the series since Mario Tennis: Power Tour on the Game Boy Advance to feature a story mode, in which Mario must advance through a number of missions and stop a powerful tennis racket, Lucien, from destroying the Kingdom of Bask, the game's setting. Mario Tennis Aces is a multiplayer sports game for the Nintendo Switch and the eighth installment in the Mario Tennis series.