Mario Tennis Aces keeps on changing. Not too long ago, a hefty patch hit the game that nerfed Bowser Jr and brought with it a few notable smaller changes. Nintendo is at it again, however. The Mario Tennis Aces patch 1.20 is going live tomorrow in Japan, and it nerfs Bowser Jr again. Aside from this needed improvement, we are getting several upgrades to the game in multiplayer and singleplayer.
Although only available in Japanese thus far, the patch notes have been handily translated on ResetEra. Some of the best news from the new patch is that Bowser Jr is continuing to get nerfed. His movement was limited in the last update, but Nintendo is restricting him a little more as of tomorrow. Indeed, Nintendo is limiting Bowser Jr’s lateral technical shots. The height he can hit the ball from will also be reduced. Waluigi joins Bowser Jr on the nerf-front. His range of lateral technical shots is also being reduced, along with his movement and volley speed. Bowser, Wario, and Toad are also seeing balance adjustments.
Alongside these character adjustments come changes to the Story Mode. A new “retry” function allows you to quickly retry a failed mission, rather than transport you back to the map screen. Retry will also be available from the pause screen, which is nice. Aside from all this, patch 1.20 also brings with it a selection of gameplay tweaks. We will be able to choose whether trick shots only work with the right stick or not. Nintendo is serious about the balance, and ease-of-life at least.
Sadly, Nintendo and Camelot are not so serious about the tennis itself. We still won’t be able to play a normal game of tennis following the Mario Tennis Aces patch 1.20. Despite this glaring oversight, Mario Tennis Aces remains a fun game, and this latest patch should only improve things. We will be able to slightly extend Swing Mode matches, at least.
While this new Mario Tennis Aces patch 1.20 is bringing the goods, there is no word on a Western release date. The patch goes live in Japan tomorrow, however, so a release on Western shores shouldn’t be too far behind.
