Mario Tennis Open

Mario Tennis Open is a 2012 Mario sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was developed by Camelot, the company that produced most of the previous Mario Tennis titles. The game was first released on May 20, 2012 in North America and in other regions the same month. It was later released as a downloadable title on the Nintendo eShop in late 2012 and Nintendo Selects in 2015/2016.

Like the earlier Mario Tennis titles, Mario Tennis Open incorporates characters, settings, and scenarios from the Mario franchise. Players can engage in standard tennis matches but also play special variants with different rules and objectives. Twenty-four distinct playable characters are available, each with special qualities that are used to the players’ advantage. Mario Tennis Open is also the first Mario Tennis game to feature simultaneous online play, although region locked to the game’s region.

Mario Tennis Open features variants of tennis matches, played either in singles or doubles. Different shots (lobs, slices, and dropshots) can be executed with different button combinations or by selecting them from the Nintendo 3DS touch screen. In addition, the player can use the 3DS gyroscope to turn the in-game camera by rotating the entire console during gameplay. Mario Tennis Open does not feature any RPG elements, unlike the previous handheld games Mario Tennis and Mario Tennis: Power Tour.

Mario Tennis Open features twenty-four playable Mario characters, with four being unlocked by accomplishing specific tasks, and eight more being unlocked by scanning certain QR codes. Each character possesses a pre-determined skill, such as advantages in speed, offense, or defense. Mii characters saved in the Nintendo 3DS Mii Maker are also selectable. Unlike the Mario characters, Mii characters’ skills vary and are customizable, determined by the tennis gear the player equips.