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Mario Tennis Aces’ next playable star will be Diddy Kong, who joins the game next month. He’s a free addition, but players will have to compete in the game’s online tournament to get him.
Diddy Kong, most recently featuring in the Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze re-release on Nintendo Switch (and confirmed for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) is a speedy-type player, which should make him a popular choice. Here are his moves, including a vine-swinging special shot to finish off Donkey Kong.
Diddy Kong may be small, but he’s speedy and can acrobatically reach any kind of shot! Play the #MarioTennis Aces Online Tournament from 9/1 - 10/1 and receive him as a playable character. pic.twitter.com/0ZqFomZGYq
— Nintendo Versus (@NintendoVS) August 21, 2018
Diddy Kong is the first of three new characters coming to Mario Tennis Aces this fall. The other two are Birdo and Koopa Paratroopa. No word yet on when those two will arrive, but Nintendo is really prioritizing online play, so it’s possible that those two will be accessible by playing an online tournament, too. Koopa Troopa and Blooper arrived under similar auspices back in July. And with Nintendo Switch Online launching — at $19.99 per year — sometime in September, the company wants a strong incentive for people to sign up and use it.