Mario Tennis Aces is out next month on Nintendo Switch, and the game is shaping up to be one of the most exciting Nintendo sports games to release in years. If you aren’t sure about whether or not to buy it, however, Nintendo is holding a beta test of sorts — and it’ll let you show off your skills to the world.
Nintendo will hold its Mario Tennis Aces pre-launch tournament from June 1 at 9 p.m. ET to June 4 at 2:59 a.m. ET, and the software will be available to download in advance on May 24. You’ll be able to play as Mario, Peach, Yoshi, and Bowser and compete in online play, and by playing either online or against the computer in offline play, you’ll unlock Mario’s classic overalls outfit for use in the full game.
As you win online matches and earn points, you’ll unlock an additional five characters, as well. Nintendo won’t say who those characters are yet, but we have a pretty good idea.
Along with the tournament news, Nintendo also released a short trailer showing off the single-player Adventure mode at the heart of Mario Tennis Aces. The mode sees Mario attempt to “thwart the wicked plans of Wario, Waluigi, and the legendary racket itself,” with Luigi captured by the cursed tool. It’s the first time we’ve gotten a full-fledged story from the series since Mario Tennis: Power Tour on Game Boy Advance, though it doesn’t appear the original characters created for those games are making an appearance.
The tennis you’ll be playing in the mode isn’t your standard back-and-forth match. We see Mario and a Boo ghost battling it out, with the ball moving between two magical mirrors, as well as a match against Piranha Plants that you must target with precision shots.
Mario Tennis Aces releases exclusively for Nintendo Switch on June 22. The previous game in the series, Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash for Wii U, was met with scathing reviews, mostly due to its limited content. As the Switch user base is already larger than the Wii U’s, it should be easier to find a multiplayer match this time around.
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