Mario Tennis Aces

This article is about the Nintendo Switch game. For the digital soundtrack album on the Nintendo Music app, see Mario Tennis Aces (Nintendo Music).

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

Mario Tennis Aces
For alternate box art, see the related gallery.
Developer	Camelot
Publishers	Nintendo Tencent Games (China)
Platform	Nintendo Switch
Release dates	June 22, 2018 June 22, 2018 June 22, 2018 June 22, 2018 June 22, 2018 June 22, 2018 June 22, 2018 June 22, 2018 January 14, 2021
Languages	English Japanese Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Dutch French (Canada) French (Europe) German Italian Korean Russian Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Europe)
Genre	Sports
Ratings	ESRB: - Everyone[?] CERO: - All ages[?] PEGI: - Three years and older[?] USK: - All ages[?] RARS: - All ages[?] ClassInd: - General audience[?] SMECCV: - All ages[?] CADPA: - Eight years and older[?] Gmedia: - Three years and older[?] GRAC: - All ages[?] GSRR: - All ages[?] NMC: - Seven years and older[?] ACB: - General[?] FPB: - Parental guidance[?]
Modes	Single player Multiplayer (2–4 players) Local Wireless Play (2–4 players) Online Play (2–4 players) LAN Play (2–4 players)
Format	Nintendo Switch: Game Card Digital download
Input	Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Joy-Con (horizontal) Nintendo Switch Pro Controller
Serial codes	HAC-ALERA-JPN LA-H-ALERB-CHN

Mario Tennis Aces is the eighth installment of the Mario Tennis series, released for the Nintendo Switch. One of the prime features in the game is an energy gauge which can be charged throughout the course of a match by rallying the ball, as it grants the ability to slow down everything during a match in order to reach a ball more easily. Under certain conditions, it can also be used to launch the ball from a first-person perspective to the other side of the court through Zone Shots and Special Shots, powerful types of shots that can damage or break the opponent's racket if not countered correctly.

In addition, it is the first of the series since Mario Tennis: Power Tour 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 also offers expanded online features, mostly through tournaments and co-op challenges, where players can participate to unlock exclusive content. Additionally, since release, the game has been updated with new playable characters, story mode levels, modes of play, tournament features, as well as a rank classification.

Gameplay

Controls

Traditional controls

Action	Dual Joy-Con / Pro Controller	Joy-Con (sideways)
Run	/ /
Topspin
Slice
Flat
Lob	/ / up + or →	up + or →
Drop Shot	/ / down + or →	down + or →
Cancel Charge	or
Leap Shot (only in Simple Mode)	or
Trick Shot	up/down/left/right or / / up/down/left/right + →	up/down/left/right + →
Zone Shot	or on rotating star point	on rotating star point
Zone Speed	Hold or	Hold
Special Shot	or (when Energy Gauge is full)	(when the Energy Gauge is full)

Swing Mode

Action	Joy-Con
Run	, though the character will run automatically towards the ball
Topspin	Swing the Joy-Con diagonally from the waist up
Slice	Swing the Joy-Con diagonally from the shoulder down
Flat	Swing the Joy-Con horizontally without bending the waist
Lob	Swing the Joy-Con vertically from the knees up toward the head
Drop Shot	Flick the Joy-Con down

Basic gameplay

Mario against Boo in Mirage Mansion

As in a game of tennis, players have to hit the ball back and forth until one side misses it. 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. A deuce commences if both sides are tied at 40 points, where they need to score a two-point advantage to win the game. There are two games in one set, with the number of sets depending on the rules of the match. A tiebreaker is used to settle the match if the players are constantly tied throughout the match. In tiebreakers, players score one point for each successful shot. Seven points are required to win the tiebreaker and, by extension, the match. If players obtain a 6-point tie, they need a two-point lead in order to win.

Matches can be played in singles, involving only two players, or doubles, involving two pairs of players. In every match, there is a server and a receiver, who switch sides at the start of every game. The server has to launch the ball on the opposite side of the court, otherwise it will be a fault. Two consecutive faults (double fault) will cause the opponent to score. The speed of the ball is briefly displayed at the top of the screen when it gets served. The ball has to stay within the boundaries of the field; if it lands out of it, the opponent will score. Landing the ball on the court's sidelines has the same effect in singles matches, but this is allowed in doubles.

Special features

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, by charging shots, or by performing Trick Shots, which require proper timing to hit the ball back. 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 longer they take to aim, the more energy it depletes. When energy is fully depleted while in a Zone Shot, the stroke loses form, resulting the ball flying high in the air. Zone Speed allows the player to slow down time to allow them to reach a far-off shot in time. Special Shots can be performed from anywhere on the court and 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, these shots can be blocked, increasing the character's energy gauge and protecting their racket from damage.

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. Also in doubles, each player has their own racket counter. When playing in doubles, the match will end if just one player loses all of their rackets (no matter how many rackets that player's teammate has remaining) and that player's team immediately loses. Exclusive to doubles, the result screen also shows X marks in the sections where a player's racket took damage, and the X marks are colored as appropriate to show which opponent did the damage to that player's racket.

Other than the base style of gameplay, the game also includes a "simple rules" mode which excludes the new types of shots.

Types of shots

Shots can be charged to increase their power by pressing their corresponding button early before the player hits the ball. Max Charges result in powerful, quick shots that can push the opponent back. These can be countered with certain shots to reduce the push. In matches with standard rules, charging up a shot confers the player energy which can be used to perform Zone Shots and Special Shots. However, simple rules only allow basic tennis shots.

Basic shots

Shot	Description
Topspin	Topspins are shots that cause the ball to spin forward and bounce high. The shot is denoted by the red trail behind the ball. A Max Charge topspin can be countered with a slice.
Slice	Slices are shots that cause the ball to spin backward and bounce low. The shot is denoted by the blue trail behind the ball. A Max Charge slice can be countered with a topspin.
Flat	Flats are shots that do not inflict any rotation on the ball, making it move on a straight trajectory. It is faster than topspins and slices. The shot is denoted by the purple trail behind the ball. A Max Charge flat can be countered with another flat.
Lob	Lobs are high shots that send the ball far into the court. The shot is denoted by the orange trail behind the ball.
Drop Shot	Drop shots are low shots that send the ball close to the net with little bounce. The shot is denoted by the white trail behind the ball.
Star Shot	Star shots are shots that return the ball at high speed. These shots can be performed when the player stands on a Star Point, which usually appears on the ground when the ball gets sent high into the air by the opponent or when the player's energy gauge is filled one third. They are slightly more powerful than Max Charge shots, pushing the opponent behind when countered.
Leap Shot	Leap shots are weak shots that are performed when the character leaps for the ball and loses form. When the character lunges to hit the ball, it gets sent back at a low speed, and the character gains no energy. If the ball is sent high into the air, the opponent can strike it back with a star shot. Leap shots can cause the ball to land out of bounds or on the same side of the court.

New shots

Shot	Description
Trick Shot	Trick Shots are shots that involve the player moving quickly towards a distant ball to hit it, usually slowing time in the process as in a Zone Speed. Players spend energy to perform Trick Shots, but if their timing is right, they can gain energy instead.
Zone Shot	Zone Shots are shots that can be performed on a rotating Star Point once the player's energy gauge turns yellow. They can also be performed when the player is serving. As of version 3.0.0, the Star Point also turns turquoise when the character stands within it. The ball can be aimed anywhere on the court in a first-person perspective, then struck with power. The opponent can successfully block a Zone Shot with proper timing. However, if the ball is hit too early or too late, the racket will be damaged.
Special Shot	Special Shots are the most powerful types of shots in the game. They can be performed from anywhere on the court, but only when the player's energy gauge becomes full. They will trigger a short animation which shows how the character is going to perform the shot, after which the player can aim and shoot the ball in a first-person perspective like Zone Shots. Unless countered with a block, Special Shots have the power to break the opponent's racket instantly.

Game modes

Adventure

Adventure mode acts as the game's story mode, featuring cutscenes and levels like a typical Super Mario game. It is revealed that the game takes place in the Kingdom of Bask, which was destroyed in ancient times by a powerful tennis racket named Lucien. After being discovered and stolen from the Bask Ruins by Wario and Waluigi, Lucien is rewakened and proceeds to possess them and Luigi during a match on Marina Stadium. Lucien's motivation is to seek five Power Stones scattered throughout the kingdom, which conceal his true power. Under the guidance of Aster, a mysterious voice, Mario sets forth to retrieve the five Power Stones before Lucien and defeat him once and for all. On his journey, he must complete various missions and level up to become stronger.

Toad accompanies Mario throughout the jorney, acting as his spokesperson, as Mario does not talk. After selecting a mission on the map, a short dialogue between Toad and other involved parties will commence, then the player can begin the mission. Mario can exit to the world map or (as of version 1.2.0) retry the mission if the player pauses or fails it.

Tournament

Tournaments are successions of matches (here also called rounds) in which the player can challenge computer opponents or online worldwide opponents in an 8-player bracket. They return from previous Mario Tennis games after being absent in Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash. Tournament matches feature up to three sets, each divided into two games. If players are tied by the end of these sets, there will be a tiebreaker that decides the winner of the match.

COM Tournament

Mario facing off against Daisy in the semifinals of Mushroom Cup

In computer tournaments, the player can choose to compete for the Mushroom, Flower, and Star Cups, each representing a different difficulty level. Computer tournaments consist of one preliminary round, semifinals, and finals. Each cup has a number of possible opponents that are selected from the game's base roster; in other words, they cannot be characters added after the game's release or characters in alternate costumes. The character used for winning one of these cups receives a small crown next to their name and under their icon on the character selection screen of that cup.

The table below lists all cups with the corresponding rules and opponents.

Cup	Court	Rules	Possible opponents
Mushroom Cup	Grass Court	Round 1: 1 set of 2 games Semifinals: 1 set of 2 games Finals: 3 sets of 2 games Total rackets: 6	Mario Luigi Wario Peach Daisy Toad Toadette Boo Yoshi
Flower Cup	Clay Court	Round 1: 1 set of 2 games Semifinals: 3 sets of 2 games Finals: 3 sets of 2 games Total rackets: 7	Mario Luigi Wario Waluigi Peach Toadette Bowser Jr. Boo Spike
Star Cup	Hard Court	Round 1: 1 set of 2 games Semifinals: 3 sets of 2 games Finals: 5 sets of 2 games Total rackets: 8	Mario Waluigi Peach Rosalina Bowser Bowser Jr. Donkey Kong Spike Chain Chomp

Online Tournament

See also: List of Mario Tennis Aces online tournaments

Players can connect to the internet to compete against other human players in online tournaments. In order to participate, players need to have the latest version of the game and a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. They can participate in the standard class, simple class, or (as of December 2018) the doubles class. For the doubles class, the player can pick a partner either locally or online.

As of December 2018, online tournaments consist of one preliminary round followed by a semifinal and a final round, similarly to how the COM tournaments are structured. Originally, tournaments featured three preliminary rounds instead of only one. In every online tournament match, there is one set with two games and (in the standard and doubles classes) each player has only two rackets.

Players can obtain rating points by winning matches, or lose points otherwise. The amount of points earned or lost in a match depends on the player's performance. Rating points determine a rank from D- to A+, which are used to match players of similar proficiency. If someone has rank B (2,500 points) or higher, they will start each tournament from the semifinals. When players enter a month's tournament for the first time, the points they had obtained during their last online tournament period played are rounded and kept for the current tournament period, along with their rank. Each tournament period keeps track of player statistics such as tournament wins, round wins, and round losses, with the latter two being calculated in a win ratio.

When the player wins a championship, they are congratulated with a trophy resembling the Special Cup from other Super Mario titles. However, unlike in COM tournaments, characters that are used to win an online tournament are not given a crown on the character selection screen.

Between July 2018 and July 2019, playing at least one match in an online tournament each month awarded the player with an additional character as a participation bonus. Starting with the January 2019 tournament, the player can also earn Participation Points, which can reward alternate costumes.

If a player disconnects or is disconnected during a match, the match will be forfeited and the opponent will win. Players who forfeit the match in this way too many times will not be permitted to participate in the rankings.

Co-op Challenge

Co-op Challenges were added as part of the version 2.0.0 update. In this mode, four players (which can be local and online) participate in a limited-time online event to earn points that can unlock alternate costumes and colors for playable characters. The player can wait 60 seconds for the console to search and connect to other players. If not enough players are found in this timeframe, the game will substitute them with computer players. The player can choose to keep searching for online players for 180 more seconds. At the end of a challenge, the points earned by all participants are totaled and awarded to everyone. Once the player's total score surpasses a certain amount of points, they unlock a new alternate costume or color for the character that the event is themed around (i.e. Boo in Boo Hunt). In addition, they earn a different title within a Co-op Challenge event for each surpassed goal; for example, the player is a "Veteran Boo Hunter" if they complete the 2,500 point goal in Boo Hunt.

Game mode	Description
Boo Hunt	Players must knock balls of light into Boos to earn coins. Boos steadly move forward and if they cross the line of mirrors on the court, they steal players' coins instead. prevent them from stealing their coins. During Frenzy Time, King Boo appears and can be attacked to earn extra coins. Alternate variants of Boo with colored visors can be unlocked by playing this mode.
Shy Guy Train Tussle	Players must knock snowballs into Shy Guys on train cars filled with crates and barrels. The bandit boss who appears at the middle and the end of the challenge must be defeated to win the game. During Frenzy Time, tall Shy Guy Towers need to be taken down to earn extra coins. Alternate colors of Shy Guy can be unlocked by playing this mode.
Yoshi's Ring Shot	A special game of Ring Shot playable only with Yoshis. Rings have different colors, and if a Yoshi hits a ball into a ring of their color, they receive double points. During Frenzy Time, a rainbow flower-shaped ring floats appears in the court and can be used to earn extra coins. Alternate colors of Yoshi can be unlocked by playing this mode.

Free Play

This mode allows players to play custom matches at their leisure. Up to four players can join in Free Play, both locally and online. By pressing the or button, players access a menu where they can change the match rules, with the following options:

Mode	Options
Match Type	Singles Only: Every match is 1 vs. 1. Doubles Only: Every match is 2 vs. 2. Singles and Doubles: Singles and doubles matches are chosen at random.
Doubles Partners	Random: Teams are completely random P1 and P2: Teams are always P1 and P2 vs P3 and P4. P1 and Random Player: A random participating human player is chosen as a doubles partner for P1. P1 and Random COM: A random computer player is chosen as a doubles partner for P1. Note: Available only if Match Type is set as "Doubles Only" or "Singles and Doubles".
COM Difficulty	Players can select different proficiency levels for computer players: Novice, Intermediate, Expert, Pro and Ace. These determine how fast they react and build up energy. Intermediate players and up also often approach and remain near the net to hit the ball early.
Play Style	Standard: Players can gain energy in a gauge and use it to perform special moves. Simple (Beginner): Players can only use classic tennis moves. Computer players will send the ball at a moderate speed. Simple: Players can only use classic tennis moves. Computer players will send the ball at a higher speed.
Play Time	Tournament: Players have to win two games in a set in order to win the match. If both players win one game in each set, a tiebreaker will commence. Quick Play: A tiebreaker match, in which players have to score 7 points in order to win. Extended Play: Two sets, each divided into two games, and a tiebreaker. The player who wins two consecutive games in a set wins the match. A tiebreaker commences if there is a tie in both sets. Full: A single set-match divided into six games. The first player to win six games wins the match. If both players are tied at five games, a two-game lead is required to win.
Court	Select every time: The player can select a preferred court before each match. All: The court will be selected at random from all available options. Stadium Only: The court will be a random variation of the Marina Stadium. Custom: The court will be selected randomly from the player's custom court selection.
KO Loss	Yes: Players instantly lose the match if all of their rackets break. No: Players have an unlimited supply of rackets.

Swing Mode

Yoshi and Toad in Swing Mode

In this mode, players can use motion controls to play tennis. This mode is played solely with the left or right JoyCon, which may be chosen depending on the player's dominant hand. During matches, the camera is positioned lower than usual. There are multiple features in Swing Mode, all of which only allow simple tennis rules (i.e. no Zone Shots, Special Shots or Zone Speed).

Regular Ball

Matches can be played with a regular ball, just like in Free Play. Most rule options from Free Play are also present here, though the player cannot adjust the Play Style and, by extension, the KO Loss. One added option is to activate the challenge system, wherein the player is allowed to challenge the decision that the ball was shot out of the court. Up to four local players can join a match in Swing Mode.

While rallying a ball, players can hit it a bit early to send it towards the corner on the opposite side from their racket (pull shot) or a bit late to send it towards the corner on the same side as their racket (push shot). If the ball is hit too early or too late, it will be sent at a low speed (similarly to leap shots), allowing the opponent to strike it with a flat shot and return it faster than usual.

If players have enabled the challenge system, they will be allowed to challenge whether the ball bounced very close to the court's bounds and was called out by the judge. During a challenge, the camera zooms into the spot where the ball bounced, showing precisely if it landed in or out of the court. If the ball has merely touched the boundary line, it is considered to be in the court. If the challenge is successful, the call will be overturned and the opponent will receive no points, but if it is not, the opponent will receive their points and the player will lose one challenge. The player can incorrectly challenge a call three times, after which they can no longer challenge a call during a match.

Big Ball

Matches can also be played with a large-sized ball, which is slower and easier to hit than a regular ball. All basic rules and features seen in regular ball matches apply here.

Special Game

In this feature, players can play the Boo Hunt and Shy Guy Train Tussle minigames both cooperatively and competitively. Players can earn different high scores for each mode of play, and in cooperative mode, they also receive a rank based on their high score. By pressing the or button while highlighting a minigame, players can view the rules of that minigame.

Rally Challenge

Similarly to Mega Ball Rally from Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, players have to rally a ball as long as possible. The game can be played with up to four players.

The ball starts out large-sized and moves slowly. With every 10 rallies, the ball's size decreases while its speed increases, changing colors to reflect this. If the ball lands on the sidelines of the court, it is not considered out, even if the game is played in singles. The game is over once one of the players/teams misses the ball. No high scores are recorded for this feature.

Change Number of Players

This feature enables secondary players to join or leave the game by synchronizing different Joy-Cons with the game.

Settings

The Settings menu

In the Settings, the player can adjust miscellaneous functions in the game. These include:

• enabling or disabling music during matches.
• enabling or disabling Toad commentary during tournament matches.
• displaying the ball speed in kilometers per hour or miles per hour.
• player 1 default settings:
  • changing the handedness of the playable character.
  • enabling or disabling gyroscope controls for Zone Shots and Special Shots.
  • use normal or inverted horizontal camera control during Zone Shots and Special Shots.
  • use normal or inverted vertical camera control during Zone Shots and Special Shots.
  • change controls for Trick Shots.
  • change trigger controls for Zone Shots and Zone Speed.
  • change trigger controls for Special Shots and Cancel Charges.

Player controls can also be changed in the character selection screen by pressing as well as the character's dominant hand by pressing .