Tennis in the Face (2013)

What it boils down to is whether you're looking for something light, silly, and generally pressure-free to enjoy for a reasonably low price. If this all looks and sounds like something of interest I'd say it is wonderfully varied and probably has more content than you'll complete anytime soon. If you like applied geometry and physics, some tricky puzzle scenarios, and a dose of silliness, Tennis in the Face isn't a grand slam but it plays a respectable game nonetheless.

There are more than 100 levels in Tennis in the Face and while their bite-sized design playing is a perfect match for playing Nintendo Switch on the go, it isn’t long before your enthusiasm for slamming tennis balls into foreheads starts to waver. There’s no chance of rain cutting play short though, and those that keep their rally going are sure to find this quirky game entertaining.

Tennis in the Face is not going to amaze or disappoint players, it's a serviceable physics-based puzzle game designed to provide a short, but challenging experience.

Tennis in the Face feels like a lazy port that was thrown on the Switch as a cash grab to take advantage of the platform's early success. Whilst the game itself runs fine, the lack of innovation or attempt to improve over other earlier mediocre ports is aggravating. It's a hollow experience that offers very little beyond the surface and other than a bit of mental stimulation from later, more challenging levels I can't honestly say I ever enjoyed myself playing this. I will reiterate that at just £4.49 it is fairly cheap but somehow still feels a little pricey. After all, it's £2.99 on iOS which is where it belongs in the first place. Is there any reason at all to spend the extra money to get this on a port that adds nothing of note to the original? No, not at all. Sadly, even its value on mobile is diminished as, whilst it works fine as a mobile title, its just such a saturated market filled with dozens of similar titles. At least with the Xbox One and PS4 versions I suppose you could get easy achievements and trophies which I'm sure some people valued but here, on Switch, such arbitrary accomplishments don't exist. With all of that considered, I can say without doubt that buying the Nintendo Switch port of Tennis in the Face would be a complete waste of both your time and money. I'll take back those words if we see effort to actually make this the definitive edition but I heavily doubt such improvements will ever come. For now this will remain as just another mediocre mobile port on a system that didn't need it.

But how much will the occasional, inconsistent physics dampen your fun factor? If that thought gives you pause, I'd suggest checking out some of 10Tons' other Switch releases first.