Skip to main content
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+ The Games, Movies, TV & Comics You Love
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
flag of UK
UK
flag of US
US
flag of Canada
Canada
flag of Australia
Australia
  • Games
  • TV
  • Movies
  • Hardware
  • Video
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Guides
  • Deals
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • SFX
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Total Film
Gaming Magazines
Gaming Magazines
Why subscribe?
  • Subscribe from just £3
  • Takes you closer to the games, movies and TV you love
  • Try a single issue or save on a subscription
  • Issues delivered straight to your door or device
From$12
View
Trending
  • Summer Game Fest
  • New games for 2025
  • Upcoming Switch 2 games
  • Switch 2 stock
Recommended reading
Mario Kart World screenshot showing Toad elated after hitting a boost pad on a bike
Nintendo Switch 2 "We can't fully imagine all the types of ways that people will play": Like Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart World is going to thrive on player imagination
Princess Peach on bike with Mario and Bowser on track in backdrop.
Racing Games Mario Kart World gets my gold medal thanks to the thrilling 24-player Knockout Tour, and I can't wait for another lap
A screenshot from Mario Kart World's photo mode in free roam.
Racing Games Nintendo teases that "there is more" to Mario Kart World's new free roam mode than we're aware of, and I'm hoping for the return of my favorite DS feature
Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
Super Mario Mario Kart World borrows some tips from the other open-world racing epic Forza Horizon with a handy rewind feature
Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
Racing Games Mario Kart World has rail-grinding, wall-riding, and a ska remix of a classic Super Mario Bros 3 song so I think it's an unofficial Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game now
Donkey Kong punches towards the screen in Donkey King Bananaza with a big, mischievous grin on his expressive face
Donkey Kong Donkey Kong Bananza feels like a sequel to Super Mario Odyssey to me, and it couldn't be in better monkey paws
Mario Kart World screenshot showing Mario drifting into pole position on a highway corner with Peach, Donkey Kong, Bowser, and Toad behind him, all while a giant goomba rushes the pack on foot
Nintendo Switch 2 Everything announced at the Mario Kart World Direct - all of the new courses, items, and characters revealed by Nintendo
  1. Games
  2. Sports
  3. Mario Tennis

Mario Tennis Open - See how the minigames go to a whole new (but nostalgic) level this time

Features
By Henry Gilbert published 5 April 2012

Out next month, this game has some of the more interesting diversions in Mario sports history

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Older handheld Mario Tennis titles had deep single player campaigns with RPG elements and richer-than-expected stories. This time around Nintendo is going a simpler root with this handheld release, aiming for an experience closer to console versions. But in our recent play time with the nearly finished game, we did get to see several interesting new modes that beef up the single player fun.

Page 1 of 7
Page 1 of 7
Play level 1-1 in a whole new way

Play level 1-1 in a whole new way

A staple of tennis video games (and actual tennis) involves "playing" against the wall. Bouncing shots against the bricks and returning them for as long as you can have appeared previously in Mario Tennis, but none have been as inventive or nostalgic as this. The new "Super Mario Tennis" mode has you serving against the wall as classic Mario stages scroll by. As we started 1-1 we quickly learned to aim our shots at Goombas and question mark boxes, but it wasn't as easy as it seemed...

Page 2 of 7
Page 2 of 7
Same goes for level 1-2

Same goes for level 1-2

Once we moved on to level 1-2, we noticed it wasn't all fun and games, as the timer was counting us down, with time about to run out before we reached the stage's end. We quickly learned that hitting the enemies on screen added seconds to the clock, while coins added to your overall cash collection (we'll have more on that later). After besting both levels, we're curious just how many classic Mario stages we'll see recreated in this clever new way.

Page 3 of 7
Page 3 of 7
Practice around the Galaxy

Practice around the Galaxy

Galaxy Rally is another fun enhancement of classic tennis minigames, where you try to aim your shots to hit specific areas of the court. In Mario Tennis Open that minigame gets a Mario Galaxy twist as you collect star pieces and do your best to build full star like the one that transports Mario throughout space in Galaxy. Admittedly it plays about the same as the old minigame, but the Galaxy aesthetic really enhanced the flavor.

Page 4 of 7
Page 4 of 7
3D Land's Inky Piranha Plants invade the court

3D Land's Inky Piranha Plants invade the court

The last of the new minigames takes a page from Super Mario 3D Land. The ink-spitting Piranha Plants that first appeared in 3D Land spit tennis balls at you, but occasionally send out inky shots as well. Hit those and it obscures the whole screen for a few moments, just like in 3D Land. It's another instance of Camelot creating similarly exciting gameplay but embracing Mario's legacy more than ever.

Page 5 of 7
Page 5 of 7
Why play all these minigames?

Why play all these minigames?

Aside from being fun, what's the point of those minigames? They allow you to collect coins that you then can spend on different items at the in-game shop. Rackets, shoes, wristbands and more unlock, all of which you can use to outfit your Mii. Though we were initially disappointed that the Mario characters couldn't wear the new clothes, we do like the idea of making our Mii unique (especially for online matches).

Page 6 of 7
Page 6 of 7
RPG elements are back (for Miis)

RPG elements are back (for Miis)

The collecting of coins to buy items aren't the only RPG elements to bleed back into Mario Tennis, as each item has their own special buffs and powers to add to player. You even get extra bonuses if your Mii wears all the items from a collection, like Bowser or Waluigi lines. Though we still miss the RPG story, additions like this could easily extend our time with the single player. But will it be enough?

Page 7 of 7
Page 7 of 7
CATEGORIES
Nintendo Platforms
Henry Gilbert
Henry Gilbert
Social Links Navigation

Henry Gilbert is a former GamesRadar+ Editor, having spent seven years at the site helping to navigate our readers through the PS3 and Xbox 360 generation. Henry is now following another passion of his besides video games, working as the producer and podcast cohost of the popular Talking Simpsons and What a Cartoon podcasts. 

Mario Tennis Open is out in the US May 20, and bounces into UK stores May 25.

You may like
  • Mario Kart World screenshot showing Toad elated after hitting a boost pad on a bike "We can't fully imagine all the types of ways that people will play": Like Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart World is going to thrive on player imagination
  • Princess Peach on bike with Mario and Bowser on track in backdrop. Mario Kart World gets my gold medal thanks to the thrilling 24-player Knockout Tour, and I can't wait for another lap
  • A screenshot from Mario Kart World's photo mode in free roam. Nintendo teases that "there is more" to Mario Kart World's new free roam mode than we're aware of, and I'm hoping for the return of my favorite DS feature
See more Nintendo Features
Read more
Mario Kart World screenshot showing Toad elated after hitting a boost pad on a bike
"We can't fully imagine all the types of ways that people will play": Like Tears of the Kingdom, Mario Kart World is going to thrive on player imagination
Princess Peach on bike with Mario and Bowser on track in backdrop.
Mario Kart World gets my gold medal thanks to the thrilling 24-player Knockout Tour, and I can't wait for another lap
A screenshot from Mario Kart World's photo mode in free roam.
Nintendo teases that "there is more" to Mario Kart World's new free roam mode than we're aware of, and I'm hoping for the return of my favorite DS feature
Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
Mario Kart World borrows some tips from the other open-world racing epic Forza Horizon with a handy rewind feature
Screenshot from Mario Kart World's reveal trailer showing a Moo Moo Meadows cow on a bike.
Mario Kart World has rail-grinding, wall-riding, and a ska remix of a classic Super Mario Bros 3 song so I think it's an unofficial Tony Hawk's Pro Skater game now
Donkey Kong punches towards the screen in Donkey King Bananaza with a big, mischievous grin on his expressive face
Donkey Kong Bananza feels like a sequel to Super Mario Odyssey to me, and it couldn't be in better monkey paws
Latest in Sports
WWE 2K25
WWE 2K25 has the biggest game file size on Switch 2, and is releasing as a code in a box despite advertising a game key card in its trailer
Rematch players celebrating in a large stadium
"The essence of football is not in the rules": Rematch's creative director on nailing that five-a-side feeling and making a game "about kicking a ball rather than kicking heads in"
FC 25
FC 25 Path To Glory tracker with all Women’s Euro 2025 cards
Rematch
Rematch players have discovered that flopping around the field is faster than sprinting, but Sloclap is going to stop the flop
Rematch
"Chasing safe bets is a death sentence": Rematch devs had no desire to simply chase FIFA or Rocket League, but they spent years planning out their hit football game
Sloclap's Rematch and FromSoftware's Elden Ring Nightreign
I spent 75 hours unlocking every trophy in Elden Ring Nightreign, only for Rematch to steal its thunder with a single hat trick
Latest in Features
Emma Mackey and Fiona Shaw as Sofia and Rose in Hot Milk
Sun, sea, and strained relationships: Andor's Fiona Shaw and Barbie's Emma Mackey play a mother and daughter on the brink in new drama Hot Milk
Two menacing gingerbread men look intimidating while a candy person waves from a cage
I didn't expect to like the latest D&D book, but after an utterly stupid adventure I'm all in on Dragon Delves
Mion and Rena look uneasy in the classroom in Higurashi: When They Cry
The Silent Hill f writer's debut game was basically the original Doki Doki Literature Club, and it's still terrifying me 23 years later
Quantum Witch screenshots
This stunning 2D "plotformer" is the ultimate cottagecore fantasy with an extra dose of mystery, sapphic witches, and a giant lady who fights you
Superman
Krypto the Superdog - The comic history of Superman's best friend
All-New Spider-Gwen: The Ghost Spider #1
Spider-Gwen's new comic introduces her own personal symbiote villain, Tantrum: "Tantrum is the embodiment of everything Gwen was trying to leave behind"
  1. Sam fires at the ghost mech squid boss in Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
    1
    Death Stranding 2: On the Beach review: "This tarpunk delivery epic is more Metal Gear Solid than ever, for better and worse"
  2. 2
    Rematch review: "As with Rocket League, the just-one-more-game pull is magnetic"
  3. 3
    Tron: Catalyst review: "Disc slinging is a thrill in this gorgeous rendition of the series, but I'm let down by a time-loop story that falls flat"
  4. 4
    FBC: Firebreak review: "A disappointingly bland multiplayer FPS that's missing far too much of what made Control special"
  5. 5
    Dune: Awakening review: "Both extremely compelling and extraordinarily boring, sometimes at the same time – yet still a true Dune love letter"
  1. A T-rex in Jurassic World Rebirth
    1
    Jurassic World Rebirth Review: "An unscary sequel that needed a little more time in amber"
  2. 2
    M3GAN 2.0 review: "A bold sequel with a slightly underwhelming conclusion"
  3. 3
    28 Years Later Review: "Enough terror, splatter and suspense to satisfy”
  4. 4
    Predator: Killer of Killers review: "Great characters, thrilling action, and gorgeous Arcane-esque animation"
  5. 5
    From the World of John Wick: Ballerina review: "Brilliant action, even if the plot gives you a sense of déjà vu"
  1. Lee Jung-jae as Gi-hun in Squid Game season 3
    1
    Squid Game season 3 review: "A staggeringly excellent final season wraps up one of the greatest Netflix shows ever"
  2. 2
    Ironheart review: "A relic of Marvel's content-at-all-costs era"
  3. 3
    Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 3 review: "The show's most assured run of episodes to date"
  4. 4
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 8 spoiler review: 'The Reality War' is "a mix of the good, the bad, and the truly baffling"
  5. 5
    Doctor Who season 2, episode 7 spoiler review: 'Wish World' is "an exciting and ambitious" start to the season finale, with hints of WandaVision

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...