Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis: Next! Review (PS5)
Summary:
3.75
Tennis fun!
Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis: Next! arrives as a fun arcade‑sports game that successfully merges the colourful world of Nickelodeon with that of tennis. The title is available for the PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Developed by Old Skull Games and published by Gameloft, it expands upon the original Apple Arcade version with upgraded features and platform‑specific enhancements. From the outset, it positions itself as a fast, family‑friendly alternative to more serious tennis simulations, favouring exaggerated physics, colourful presentation, and accessible controls over realism.
Although it fails to deliver a true tennis ace, the gameplay embraces its arcade identity, thanks to the beloved characters of Nickelodeon. Rather than striving for the precision of something like TopSpin, it focuses on quick rallies, dramatic ball movement, and a constant sense of momentum. Best of all, each character possesses a unique ultimate ability capable of completely shifting the direction of a match, whether through Aang’s elemental trick shots or SpongeBob’s wonderfully absurd underwater distortions. As a result, the gameplay focuses on quick bursts of fun.
To increase the replay value, the game offers a wide variety of unlockable outfits and accessories that allow players to personalise their favourite Nickelodeon characters in increasingly fun ways. This sense of personality extends to the roster itself, which includes fifteen characters drawn from across Nickelodeon’s long history, with headliners that include SpongeBob, Aang, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Garfield. They are also joined by other familiar faces from Danny Phantom, Hey Arnold!, Rugrats, Invader Zim, and Rocko’s Modern Life, creating a line‑up that blends the classic and modern eras of the network. In other words, it’s pure Nickelodeon.
There are also a handful of gameplay modes to help draw you into the title, ranging from a “story” mode to a tournament mode; however, the local 1v1 split‑screen play provides the most enjoyable way to experience the game. Additionally, the mini-games offer quick diversions outside the standard matches, which adds to the overall enjoyment factor. But as mentioned, Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis: Next! is best experienced in short bursts of fun. On the PlayStation 5, the DualSense controller enhances the tactile feel of play with haptic feedback and adaptive triggers, giving each hit a more physical sensation. Our family (pun intended) had a ball playing it.
Graphics / Audio
Visually, the game is bright and faithful to the television shows it draws from. Courts are packed with references, from the laundry‑draped streetlamps of the Hey Arnold! stage to the cel‑shaded savanna inspired by The Wild Thornberrys. The graphics often resemble the look and tone of the original cartoons, and the power‑ups burst with colour, culminating in a satisfying finishing shot that lands with exaggerated flair. While SpongeBob and Aang look excellent in 3D, other characters—most notably Angelica Pickles with her stylized, slightly exaggerated proportions—can appear slightly uncanny, though somehow it suits the premise. The sound design also follows the same philosophy as the graphics, with an over-the-top nature that is a staple of the Nickelodeon universe.
Despite its strengths, the game carries a few quirks inherited from its mobile origins. The built‑in slowdown effect that triggers when the ball approaches a character—originally designed to assist touch‑screen players—remains in the console version and can interrupt the natural rhythm of rallies. The absence of online multiplayer also limits the game’s longevity for those who prefer to play alone or cannot gather friends in the same room. Single‑player content does become repetitive over time, but younger gamers playing against siblings, friends, or parents will still enjoy that couch co-op experience, which is where Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis: Next! shines.
Final Thoughts
In the end, Nickelodeon Extreme Tennis: Next! is not a deep or competitive tennis simulation, nor does it aspire to be. Instead, it offers a cheerful, chaotic, and relatively inexpensive cartoon party game that thrives when enjoyed with friends on the couch.
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