Family Tennis cover art

Game dossier

Family Tennis

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A 1987 Namco tennis game for the Nintendo Famicom, featuring behind-the-court play and a space-themed Cosmos Mode.

The briefing

About this game

Family Tennis is a Namco tennis game released exclusively in Japan for the Nintendo Famicom on December 11, 1987. As the fourth entry in Namco's Family sports series, it focuses on tennis with a behind-the-court viewpoint.

Players move into position and tap the swing button to return incoming shots. The game features fictional tennis players loosely resembling real-world stars, along with Cosmos Mode, which shifts the action into outer space with a starry background and astronaut ballboys while leaving the core gameplay largely unchanged.

Of the 16 playable characters, four are female players with larger rackets, giving them an easier-to-use play style.