Ahh, Mario Tennis Aces. It brings that wonderful time of year when the Mushroom Kingdom’s finest take their rackets in hand, saunter to the courts, and settle all of their many differences through a distinguished game of tennis. Mario and Bowser may be mortal enemies, but they sure seem receptive to the idea that fights to the death can be settled through more innocuous means.
The usual suspects are always there: Luigi, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Peach… Even the legendary Waluigi first made his debut in this quirky tennis series. Alas, there are other aspiring athletes who seem to keep misplacing their invite for one reason or another, and it’s an absolute tragedy. Now is their chance to be heard once and for all: here’s our wishlist of who we hope to finally see hoisting that glorious golden trophy into the air in Mario Tennis Aces.
Goomba
Conventional wisdom would suggest that a Goomba would be a particularly poor tennis player, what with their short stature, subpar athleticism and – most damning of all – a distinct lack of arms. However, the Mushroom Kingdom is a whimsical place where dreams are made, and in the latest Mario Tennis entry, we have seen far less likely culprits manage to make the cut.
One need look no further than Chain Chomp to understand that the bar has been lowered significantly en route to qualification (perhaps in the interest of more entry fees, because Mario loves himself those sweet sweet gold coins), and though the squat mushroom thug is a few rungs down on the minion pecking order, there have been examples of Goombas that have achieved great things.
Both Goombario and Goombella traveled the lands of Paper Mario in search of adventure, while one Goomba is set to finally crack the playable roster in Super Mario Party. We’ll call him Tim. Tim the Party Goomba.
And last, but most certainly not least – is the fact that we have seen Goombas play baseball prior to this. Not with the bat clutched haphazardly between its teeth, mind you, but by floating it in mid-air. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.