Mario Power Tennis on GBA, Western version of portable Mario tennis. Accessible and fun gameplay, varied characters. A colorful arcade tennis that satisfies series fans.
Your verdict
Category
Sports2 players3+
Description
Nintendo tennis simulation with RPG elements, developed by Camelot and published in Europe in January 2005. Alex and Kate, two ambitious tennis players, train on Mario's courts to face Nintendo characters. Activatable power special shots tied to a gauge, solo and tournament modes, RPG level progression and link cable multiplayer with data transfer to Mario Power Tennis on GameCube. European version.
Mario Power Tennis review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The European edition attends first to the surfaces: clay, grass, hard court and parquet each have their texture, colour and ball mark, visible after every bounce. The slightly high-angle perspective keeps both halves of the court on screen, and the shadow cast beneath the ball constantly indicates its true height.
The soundtrack follows the mechanics of the rally: a light, steady loop during ordinary points, a step up on break points, near-total silence just before the decisive serve. The end-of-game jingles, very short, punctuate the match without ever breaking the momentum of the longest ones.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Trading shots with tight timing, unleashing devastating special moves and climbing the ranks of a real career: arcade tennis here gains a surprisingly gripping RPG-style progression. The handling stays clear, but tactics hide in every spin. Snappy, generous and addictive, a pocket sport with irresistible charm.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
European PAL edition of Mario Power Tennis on GBA, parallel to the GameCube entry of the same name but structurally distinct, designed by Camelot as a separate hybrid tennis RPG. That GameCube and GBA editorial duality explains the frequent confusion in listings and gives a PAL identified complete copy extra value for anyone mapping Camelot's mid 2000s output.
Better with friends
Tennis crossed with an RPG whose two-player matches, over a cable link, blend net skill with characters you've leveled to your liking. The competition stays readable and snappy, each rally rewarding positioning and the right spin. Facing someone needs two units and the cable, but pitting your long-trained players feeds a hungry rivalry, ideal among friends.
Is Mario Power Tennis still worth playing in 2026?
The portable Mario tennis of the GBA era, released as Mario Power Tennis, Mario Tennis Power Tour or Mario Tennis Advance, picks up the Camelot arcade plus RPG formula from the Game Boy Color and fleshes it out. The academy adventure mode lets the player raise a human character, unlock shots and climb tournaments brimming with personality. Connecting with the GameCube version expands the ecosystem further. Probably one of the most complete portable tennis games, recommended to fans of the genre.
