Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash

Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash is a sports game in the Mario Tennis series for the Wii U. It is the fourth home console installment in the series and the seventh overall. It retains several elements from two predecessors, Mario Power Tennis and Mario Tennis Open, while introducing Mega Battles and Jump Shots. It is set to be released in November 20, 2015 for Europe and North America, while slated for a holiday release in Japan and Australia. The Wii U GamePad is taken advantage of in two player singles, where a second player can get a second screen in perspective of their character. Initially announced at E3 2015 in June, it is one of the few games to be released in the same year it was announced in.

Gameplay
The game plays similarly to previous entries of the Mario Tennis series, and follows the basic rules of tennis. Players serve and hit the ball back and forth until one side misses the ball. Players earn 15 points for each successful point, and win a game point if a player makes a point in their 40th point. If the other player ties with the player at the 40 mark, a deuce commences, and a player has to score two consecutive points to win a game point. Winning a number of game points makes the player win a set, or a match, and matches can be divided into sets. If two players tie in a set, a Tiebreaker commences, in which whichever player reaches 7 points wins the set or match.

Chance shots, which made their debut in Mario Tennis Open, make a return in the game, acting exactly as they did previously; players can input a certain command over color-coded areas of the court to send a powered version of the ball specific to that certain Chance Shot. A new technique mixed in the Chance Shots is called the Jump Shot in which the character does a leap and sends the ball flying down the court.

Players can use the Wii U GamePad, the Wii Pro Controller, or the Wii Remote on its side to play the game; for the Wii Remote, it is confirmed that the game does not support motion controls, meaning that the Wii Remote on its side is the only control option for it.

The game has been confirmed to work with amiibo. When a compatible amiibo is scanned into the game, that character appears in the game as a computer partner that can be trained, similar to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U. After every five matches in Knockout Challenge, it earns a random stat boost, and the amiibo character can get 10 in total. Players can access the amiibo training menu to change up stats, however, by spending coins to alter stat slots. amiibo partners make it possible to play on 2 vs. 1 matches, though only with CPU opponents, making it the first and only game where 2 vs. 1 matches are possible.

Game modes
The game offers various game modes. It includes Mega Battle, Classic Tennis, Knockout Challenge, and Online play.

Mega Battle
The default mode is the Mega Battle mode, where Mega Mushrooms can randomly spawn in the court. If players run into them, they grow the characters to give them an advantage in offense and defense. In doubles play, only one player of each side can grow large at a time. Players can play against the CPU or with up to four players.

Classic Tennis
Another game mode is Classic Tennis, where players can play normal tennis without Mega Mushrooms. Standard mode features play with Chance and Jump Shots, while Simple is pure tennis without any Chance or Jump shots. Players can play against the CPU or with up to four players.

Knockout Challenge
Knockout Challenge is a single player mode that replaces the Tournament modes from earlier installments of the Mario Tennis series. Players challenge and win against a consecutive number of CPU opponents, who gradually get harder over time. The matches, by default, are Mega Battles with Tiebreaker rules; the player has to win 7 rounds in order to win the game. With every battle won, players earn coins, which can be spent on buying unlockables, such as star characters and courts. amiibo characters can help the single players out; however, other human players cannot help the single player.

Mega Ball Rally
The sole minigame of Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash, players rally a large ball for the highest score possible. It can be played solo or up to four players.

Online
Online can be played alone or with another player or amiibo character in Singles or Doubles. The game does not support lobbies or communities, whereas the only options are Singles and Doubles. Similarly to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U, online play is split into two categories: Relaxed and Serious. Serious play lets players play in ranked settings to grow their standing compared to their online opponents, whereas, Relaxed has no ranking. Players can chose a Tiebreaker or a two-game, one set match.

Confirmed playable characters
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash has been confirmed to have sixteen playable characters. Out of the sixteen, Toadette, Rosalina, and Green Sprixie Princess are new playable characters.


 * Toadette (unlockable)
 * Bowser Jr. (unlockable)
 * Dry Bowser (unlockable)
 * Green Sprixie Princess (unlockable)

Courts
Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash features only one stadium, but players can choose different skins for the court. The following skins can be selected:


 * Hard Court - The most popular court used in competitions. It yields a steady bounce.
 * Clay Court - A court covered with hard clay. The ball speed is slower than on Hard Court.
 * Grass Court - A court covered with grass. The ball speed is faster than on Hard Court.
 * Mushroom
 * Carpet
 * Ice
 * Sand
 * Water

References to other games

 * Mario Tennis Open: Chance shots return in this game. Various court settings such as the Mushroom Court is also inspired by courts from Mario Tennis Open.
 * Super Mario 3D World: The green Sprixie Princess appears as an unlockable playable character.