Mario Tennis has never been overly serious, of course, but Aces might be its sternest - and deepest - offering yet. When played at full pelt, this is hardcore, an electric flurry of shots informed by systems that have been lifted straight from fighting games. After the flimsy Ultra Smash that was such a disappointment when it limped onto the Wii U back in 2015, this feels like something of an about-face, as well as an apology. Quite an effective one it is, too.
And so you have a full tournament mode, a succession of matches across different difficulty tiers where you compete for a variety of cups. So too is there an adventure mode, harking back to the single-player RPG that made GBA entry Power Tour so cherished, and a fine diversion it is too. Here you're taking Mario on a tour of an island, tracking down five Power Stones in what's a nice excuse to face off against five different bosses, those battles interspersed by several challenges that allow you to level up your abilities.

It provides a rigid workout of the new systems that Camelot has introduced to the fundamentals, too, so it's as good a place as any to learn the ropes - and there really is a fair amount to learn. The basics are all present and correct - you've topspin, slices, flat shots as well as lobs and drop shots at your disposal - but it's beyond that where Mario Tennis Aces comes alive. Or comes apart, if you find yourself at the wrong end of some of its new mechanics.

At its best, it's a game of risk and reward, a toing and froing between players as they manage their energy bars as well as the basics of a decent rally, though there's the nagging feeling that not everything is quite in balance. The timing to effectively block an inbound special shot seems a little punitive, the punishment for mistiming - an instant loss, if you're playing with the default ruleset - more than a little excessive. All of which means playing Mario Tennis Aces can often be an exercise in frustration, whether with others or alone, and this is a family-friendly game that I'd never dare play with my family for fear of turning the air blue. In Mario Tennis Aces, you're never far away from shouting out in a fit of umpire-baiting rage: 'bullshit'.

But after the dismal Ultra Smash and the lacklustre compilation that was Superstars, Mario Tennis Aces is a return to form for Camelot, even if it's not quite the equal of this series at its very best. It's a good game, if never quite a great one, and one that's still capable of some real magic. This is Mario Tennis serving up a much more full-blooded spin on the sport than we've seen in quite a while, even if its new depths have been pursued to a fault.
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