When comparing Perception vs Mario Tennis Aces, the Slant community recommends Mario Tennis Aces for most people. In the question“What are the best single-player games for the Nintendo Switch?” Mario Tennis Aces is ranked 17th while Perception is ranked 24th. The most important reason people chose Mario Tennis Aces is:
Playing with a friend right beside you makes the game much more enjoyable. Reacting to each other in real-time is just better than playing against a computer opponent. There's no online co-op -- only multiplayer matches against random people -- meaning you'll have to be in the same room together to play.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Unique premise creates compelling gameplay
Using echolocation to get around as blind girl is a very interesting premise. By taking a step or tapping your cane on the floor, it sends back information that you can use to navigate the house. However, this same noise can also alert a ghost to your location, meaning you'll need to tread carefully while you search the sprawling house. Carefully navigating the house, searching for clues, and avoiding the ghost all come together to create some pretty compelling gameplay.
Pro Tense atmosphere
Stumbling around a strange house only using echolocation to guide you can be daunting enough, but the addition of a scary presence who stalks you creates some very scary moments. Having to stand perfectly still in a dark corner or hiding behind some boxes while some unknown entity strolls through the room really gets the heart racing. Every footstep or tap of your cane can alert it to your whereabouts, making each step a fairly nerve-racking experience.
Pro Easy mode makes it accessible for all
There is an easy mode where the ghost can't hurt you. This is great for players who just want to enjoy the story and soak up the atmosphere without having to watch out for danger. While it ruins much of the tension and fear, it's still a great way to experience the adventure without worry.
Pro Great horror audio design
Since the protagonist is blind, much of the horror in Perception is delivered through audio. The lack of detailed visuals and having a clear picture of your surroundings help to make the sounds stick out a bit more. Hearing constant footsteps in distant rooms, doors slamming, and all the bumps and scrapes in the dark can be pretty disturbing and amplify the horror.
Pro Couch co-op with a friend is tons of fun
Playing with a friend right beside you makes the game much more enjoyable. Reacting to each other in real-time is just better than playing against a computer opponent. There's no online co-op -- only multiplayer matches against random people -- meaning you'll have to be in the same room together to play.
Pro Solid roster of Nintendo characters to play as
There's a good variety of characters you can play as. If you're familiar with first party Nintendo games, then you'll see a lot of familiar faces here, like Yoshi, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Luigi, Peach, and of course Mario. Everyone has their own playing styles, with bigger characters like Bowser and Donkey Kong favoring hard-hitting power shots, and others like Yoshi and Mario that have a more balanced approach. You can go with whichever style or character you prefer, practicing with them until you master everything. Getting to see all of these characters together in one game is great for fanservice as well.
Pro You can compete against others online in multiplayer
When you run out of single-player content to enjoy, you can hop online to play against random opponents. The main game mode is the tournaments you can play, which rewards you with special characters if you score well. Online connectivity is good too, especially with the choice to drop out of matches beforehand against players who have bad connections. Playing online is a really great way to test your skills and improve your play, since anyone you get matched with is an actual player who has their own strengths and weaknesses.
Pro Intense and engaging tennis matches
Mario Tennis Aces is incredibly addicting to play. Matches are fast-paced and exciting, with one particular mechanic that keeps things unpredictable. Every time you successfully hit the tennis ball to your opponent's end of the court, you build up a power meter that you can use in a couple of different ways.
When you want to quickly finish off a match, you can slow down time and take aim at a vulnerable corner of your opponent's court for an instant win. Or, if they try to do that to you, you can instead expend some of your power meter to quickly reach the ball and hit it back. Things can get pretty tricky when you both use up your power meters at the same time, leading to some satisfying wins.
Cons
Con Voice acting is poor
Much of the voice acting is overacted to the point of sounding forced or very generic. Sometimes when Cassie is scared or in a panic she will utter one-liners meant to portray her fear, but they normally just come off sounding humorous.
Con Bland visuals
While walking around using echolocation is a unique mechanic, it creates some pretty boring visuals. Walking around in the dark in video games is usually pretty annoying and uninspired, and this is no exception. Lighting is extremely dark with neon highlights around objects such as doors, tables, and walls. It's a very promising idea; it just doesn't translate well to being visually pleasing.
Con Getting caught by the ghost feels cheap at times
Being spotted and caught by the ghost is sometimes a matter of pure luck. Having it appear randomly when you're not even making any noise can be frustrating and dampen the excitement of carefully managing your footsteps. Sometimes, it will just show up to ruin your day, often giving the impression that it's simply spawning next to you. Depending on your difficulty level, this either sends you back to entrance of the house or to the game over screen.
Con Can become boring
Walking around in the dark only using vague outlines of objects can lose its appeal fairly quickly. There's not much to look at, and this simplistic style may wear thin after the first hour or so.
Con Fairly generic horror premise
Exploring the haunted house you saw in your dreams is far from an original premise, and has been done a million times.
Con Very wide skill gap between experienced and inexperienced players
Mario Tennis Aces can be unwelcoming to new players. While playing co-op or online, it's tough to catch up with everyone else who knows how to time their power shots with the meter. If you don't pick up on this mechanic fairly quickly, you may feel like you're getting left behind. You don't necessarily have to use the mechanic if you and a friend agree not to, but this sadly makes matches pretty dull. Running against computer opponents is a good way to get your feet wet before moving up to other levels of play.
Con Limited gameplay options for solo players
If you're the type who prefers to game alone, then Mario Tennis Aces might not be for you. There's only one single-player mode, while the rest of the game is mostly dedicated to co-op and online play. The solo mode is also extremely short, clocking in at around four hours. Aside from that, there really isn't much else for you to do.
Con Certain characters are locked behind online tournaments
The primary way to unlock new characters is to win tournaments, but this isn't entirely fair. They're only available for a limited amount of time, with the rewards changing from tournament to tournament. Even though some of these characters are in the actual game as opponents in the single-player adventure mode, you can't get access to them unless you unlock them through these tournaments. If you don't like playing online, or if you don't have the means to pay for Nintendo's online service once it's implemented later on in 2018, then you're basically out of luck.
Con Single-player adventure mode is pretty difficult
The game's adventure mode makes up for its short length with some real difficulty. It's a rough introduction to the gameplay, as some of the matches and bosses are really hard. There's plenty of variety to things, like courts that have certain hazards in your way and uneven terrain such as tall grass, as well as inventive boss designs like a giant squid that shoots out tennis ball-shaped blobs of ink. But all of these things can get quite overwhelming, especially if you're using the single-player mode to get better at the game.