
When Wii Sports helped to launch Nintendo Wii back in 2006, the Tennis mode was lauded as one of the reasons to own the console and an instant hit with gamers of any age or skill level. Its simple yet addictive gameplay was easy to pick up on and follow, and on top of that it shipped with four other excellent sports to try out. Now, 12 years later, a new title is hoping to replicate that simplicity and feel.
Tennis, as it’s simply called, arrives on Nintendo Switch to very, very little fanfare. But in spite of that, does the title offer up a solid back and forth encounter? Unfortunately not. Tennis is one of the most barebones experiences we’ve ever engaged with.
The core game centres around three modes: Rally Challenge, Tournament, and Quick Play. Rally Challenge is a test of endurance as you trade the ball from side to side with the CPU, Tournament pits you against three opponents in your quest for first place, and Quick Play is self-explanatory. Much of your time with the game will be spent within these three modes, and their depth goes as deep as a puddle. Rally Challenge will speed things up a little as you successfully trade the ball and the players you compete against in Tournament increase in difficulty ever so slightly, but besides these two modifiers, your very first match will play out exactly the same as your last does.

Tennis is so utterly devoid of content that we weren’t sure if the game had booted up correctly when the main menu first greeted us. The three modes are incredibly basic, their depth is pretty much non-existent, and you’re going to tire of them all too quickly. There’s maybe an hour or two of content present, and it’s almost insulting.
This sparseness also carries over to the characters you can choose from, with there being eight in total. They all come with their own set of stats, separated into the categories of power, spin, movement, and control, but in-game they have a minimal effect. What is so egregious about them though is their catchphrases, which they feel the need to say after every single hit of the ball. Take Chris for example, he’ll shout, “Yeah!” or, “Take that” every time he manages to return the green sphere, and it makes the simple act of just playing the game even more of a chore thanks to it becoming excruciating to listen to just two minutes in.

Six different courts accompany the sparse character cast, and these locations don’t fare much better. You’ve got the typical basic court that wouldn’t look out of place down your local park, the ever present grass court that tries to resemble Wimbledon, and a smattering of other courts that you’d find at other Grand Slam tournaments. Then there’s the court that’s situated in a field surrounded by a lake, which is probably the most imaginative Tennis gets.
Another factor that makes Tennis feel so basic is the fact that you’ll never directly control your chosen character, the game does it all for you. All this leaves you to do is to take the shots themselves, and this is where the tiniest amount of complexity can be found.
When using the Joy-Cons, you can either twist or flick the controllers to vary your shots. Tilting them will slice your shot, flicking them to the left or right will place some top spin on the ball, and a drop shot can be achieved by pointing the Joy-Con downwards. Executing these shots will build up a meter, which when full, allows you to unleash a super shot which pretty much guarantees you the next set of points. While these are probably the flashiest part of the game, they actually make matches even easier than they already are due to how often you can use them.

Everything you do in the game earns you TP, but they don’t actually seem to feed into anything. There’s an achievement section on the main menu that lists your accomplishments within the game and bonuses, but they just seem to be there for the sake of it. Tennis Points feel like they should be there for unlockables, but with there not actually being any, the whole system is entirely redundant.
Conclusion
Tennis is so lacklustre in every single department that we’re honestly baffled this managed to get a full release. The modes on offer are incredibly basic, the characters are dire, and the lack of any sort of progression through the game means there’s absolutely nothing to keep you going. The Joy-Con controls are a very small highlight, but Tennis is one we’ll want to forget in a hurry.
Comments 58
So who's looking forward to Mario Tennis Aces?
@Seacliff Who needs Mario Tennis Aces when you have this gem of a game already?? As this review shows, it's clearly the greatest tennis game ever released!
(Just kidding, I'm really hyped for Mario Tennis)
Can't believe they want $79 for this?!
yesssssss
so glad it got a 2
Who needs Monster Hunter World when you can play Tennis all day.
@Seacliff You beat me to it!
I can't control the character?! It was excusable in Wii Sports when you have a wii remote and nunchucks are rare to use but that was a launch title in 2006! Two thousand and six!!!!!
That's a shame. Who doesn't love a good round of Tennis? I'll wait for the Mario one.
Makes you wonder how this made it onto the Switch shop...
I bet if this had "Mario" in the title it would've got an 8 at worst
So how much content does this game have compared to Mario Tennis Ultra Smash?
I’m hoping Mario Tennis Aces implements some kind of motion controls as an option.
@EternalDragonX
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/mario_tennis_ultra_smash
@Seacliff Now more than ever! ^^ I'll say this though, no matter how Aces turns out, I'm still very much open to Sega to revive Virtua Tennis eventually - preferably on the Switch as well. Hell, EA might es well release another Grand Slam!
Wow. This game must really suck!
Wii sports was kind of a bare bones game as is, and it had 5 times as much content as this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZvbN4MXQDM
In 2018, you'd think they could at least make the best game with their own title. Nope! I'll play both the Atari 2600 or the NES games by the same name before I touch this turd. The aforementioned games are classics. This game should be forced to change its name.
Took me quite a while to figure out how to use motion control on a single joycon to hit the ball. And when I finally figured that out, I was really disappointed to find that all I could do was swing at the ball. Moving my character was controlled for me. Ugh! I guess I’m glad I paid the meager $7.99 this cost but only as a stopgap until Mario Tennis comes out. Once I can play it, I’m sure this will go into the junk bin.
@kepsux It’s $7.99 not $79. At that price, I guess I’m OK with using it to tide me over until Mario Tennis comes out. Then it’s into the trash for this dog of a game.
Is this the lowest score in the history of the site? Just wandering.
Thank you. I didn't want to say anything but I'd seen footage of this game elsewhere. Awful! Truly awful! I know I sometimes kind of mock this site about being 10% above average, but I do believe this score is double what the game deserves. The gameplay trailer was tragic. It was like a gramophone stuck on loop. I think this was the trailer I seen a few days ago. The player has like 3 chants but repeats 2 of them most of the time. "Yeah", Huh", Take that"!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUaaa0IHJdE
Love!
...no, I mean like the tennis score - 0/10!
I was filled with such excitement and suspense! ...until paragraph 2
Crap, I'd rather have the original Tennis for the NES.
@SLIGEACH_EIRE This game must be getting a n64 port I mean it could probably handle the graphics. 😂
Not surprised in the slightest. The screenshots and description on the Eshop told me all I needed to know. Is this from the same developer that made those Family sport games on Wii U? It looks like it is. I'd check myself but this game doesn't deserve an increase to its Google Analytics.
@EternalDragonX Also:
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/mario_and_sonic_at_the_rio_2016_olympic_games
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds/mario_sports_superstars
https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu/mario_party_10
I wonder where you got that misleading idea from.
@Seacliff Past gen, Switch can do no wrong here. And I love the thing but I mean cmon now.
@NinNin Out of my rear tbh lol
Gosh...
Well, better wait for Mario Tennis Aces.
So I am guessing the only way a game could get 1/10 on this site is if it actually was non-functional?
Honestly this review makes the game sound like what I expected of a game that couldn't even be bothered to come up with a title. No, calling your Tennis game "Tennis" doesn't count.
I don't think anyone even cared to acknowledge this game, much less grace it with review space.
Mario Tennis Aces is on the way. And I have a feeling that one's gonna be a real gem.
Shame. Was looking for something to scratch my Wii Tennis itch. If I remember correctly, my Mii had a rating of 2,100 in that game.
For every Celeste...
@Heavyarms55 There's been a fair few 1/10's over the years,enough to reach a 2nd page in the review section.Unsurprisingly the Wii U is the dominating console when it comes to the worst of the worst, considering it's non-existent barrier for entry. The Wii Classic 'Kidz Bop Dance Party! The Video Game' is in there too.
https://www.nintendolife.com/games/browse?sort=date&status=released&score=1&style=cover
i'll skip tennis until mario comes out
Holly W@nks!! Nintendo’s quality control is same as Steam now. It is not even worth my data to view this review.
@EternalDragonX Well we haven't had a bad Mario game this gen....
A developer so lazy they put as much effort into their game as they did for the title.
@OorWullie Ah, well I haven't been on this site long enough for that. I originally found Nintendo life when looking for news about the Switch when we still called it the NX.
This really makes me want a "real" tennis game somewhere down the line... Don't get me wrong, I am super excited for Mario Tennis this year but a good Virtua Tennis sim would be amazing on the go!
@crackafreeze eh, good point.
And yet people still liked/bought/played Super Tennis on Super Nintendo. Baffling. 🤔
@kokjopan I wouldn't go that far Games as bad as this are few far between thankfully. You could probably count them on one hand. Not sure how this one made it on there but I remember reading Vroom in the Night Sky was made by an indie that used to work for a bigger developer, so he obviously used his contacts to get past the curation team . overall though, I'd say Nintendo have done a pretty good job in keeping the Switch Eshop free of terrible games .There will always be the odd one appear every now and again though. Compared to the Wii U's Eshop it's like night and day.
@Kiyata Super Tennis was and still is a great tennis game though. You can't compare that to this lousy effort?Or am I missing some sarcasm in there?
Y'know, Super Tennis is the game I miss most on my SNES classic mini. If we get a virtual console, I hope it isn't forgotten (and Shadowrun too!)
@GrailUK Microsoft own the Shadowrun franchise, so it's unlikely. Super Tennis would be cool though. Namco's Smash Tennis was fun too.
Really think Nintendo has to implement some quality control now on the switch. Way too much shovel ware and poor titles flooding the eshop
Shame.... I do love a Good Tennis game and on paper you would think it's a pretty straight forward type of game to get right.
Can only assume that as there aren't currently that many Tennis games around (on all platforms) they are simply taking advantage of the situation and looking for a quick cash grab
In the past you could have argued "its only £6.29" (in the UK) but with so many vastly superior games at similar or even slightly lower prices that excuse is long dead.
Also the in game voices will grate through your skull very quickly.
Nope
@Kiyata
Did you ever play Super Tennis?
(note: I had played Super Tennis many times and had always liked it)
I'll just keep playing Tennis In The Face until Mario Tennis comes out.
@Mario500 yes I have that game and honestly I think it's terrible. The controls are bad, the view is bad, the graphics are bad, the whole game is bad. And I've played it recently enough to refresh my memory on it. I can't imagine the game reviewed here could be nearly as bad.
I'll stick with "Wii Sports Club."
A shame that the first tennis game for the switch is a dud. It has been so long since the original Wii tennis that I now miss it and was hoping to have some sort of good motion control tennis game I can play with anyone (gamer or not). From the review it seems like Nintendo shouldn’t have even allowed the dev to put on the system in current form.
@Seacliff
IMO mario tennis aces is the worst NINTENDO game on the switch but I can see how it could be enjoyable to others and i dont like sports games unless they have a very unique twist so mario tennis aces would probably be my choice for a sports game, im still gonna pass on it and 100000000000% pass on this
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