Nintendo has announced a special online demo for Mario Tennis Aces, which goes live on April 26 at 12PM PT / 3PM ET and continues until May 3. Downloading the demo gives you a free seven-day trial to Nintendo Switch Online as well.
“Taking part in the special demo will also allow players to reap some special rewards that even carry over into the full Mario Tennis Aces game,” Nintendo said in a press release. “Playing just one match in this week-long tournament unlocks an outfit for Mario that decks him out in classic overalls, while by collecting points in the demo’s co-op challenge mode, players are eligible to unlock blue, red, and yellow Yoshi that can also be used right away in the special demo or in the full version of the game.”
Mario Tennis Aces’ latest update added an expanded Ring Shot mode to the game. In Ring Shot, you play cooperatively with other players and try to rally as long as you can while hitting the tennis ball through randomly appearing rings on the court. There are Singles, Doubles, and Yoshi’s Ring Shot variations to the mode. Yoshi’s Ring Shot is a limited-time event which ends on June 1. You rack up points hitting the ball through the rings that are the same color as the Yoshi you’re playing as, and the event gives you the chance to unlock three new Yoshi colors: pink, orange, and light blue.
The roster in Mario Tennis Aces has grown in recent months, with Pauline, Boom Boom, Kamek, and several others joining. Dry Bones will be added as a playable character next month.
In our Mario Tennis Aces review, Justin Clark wrote, “It speaks volumes that even the multiplayer limitations don’t entirely dampen my enthusiasm for Aces. The Tetris Effect is in full swing here; days after the credits rolled, I still crave the satisfying thwack from a Power Shot, mentally replay matches and imagine how I might do things differently given a bit more focus and know-how. Mario Tennis Aces does what this series has done best, and for the most part, improves what it’s rarely gotten right prior.”
