Several of the most recent Nintendo consoles have all featured a new "gimmick" of sorts, with varying success and reviews, along with specific games that helped them shine. The Wii had Wii Sports as a pack-in to demo the Wiimote's motion controls, the Switch had ARMS to show off the JoyCons, and now the Switch 2 has Drag x Drive for the JoyCon mouse functionality.
This interesting three-vs-three wheelchair basketball sports title could have really shone as a "pick-up-and-play" game with family and friends, but the learning curve behind playing it with odd motion controls makes it so that isn't likely to happen.
You must have the drive
Drag x Drive utilizes both of the Switch 2's JoyCons in "mouse" mode, with each controller mimicking the hand motion one uses when moving and rolling their tires in a wheelchair, and a raised arm motion for shooting a basketball. It's a really cool idea, especially as one that helps shine some light on an under-represented sport that's estimated to be played by over 100,000 people worldwide.
But in practice, Drag x Drive is more annoying and uncomfortable than fun. As always, the potential is there for some joy to be found when queuing up for silly matches with friends. At a base level, though, this game lacks the charm and excitement you might expect from a Nintendo first-party title.
To move at all in Drag x Drive, you need to slide the JoyCon mice forwards or backwards on a flat surface, using the trigger buttons as brakes. I'm sure there's fun to be found when mastering these controls and showing off your skills, and it's very fun to pull off techniques like slam dunks or alley oops. But I get the feeling that most gamers will play for a bit and then move on.
You can get used to the controls after a few games, but they still feel wonky and sometimes painful for your wrists and arms. None of this is helped by the fact that the JoyCons are not ergonomic for this sort of gameplay, so I'd suggest some sort of controller grips if you plan on picking this up.
As a positive, the motion tech behind the game works well. The motions are basically one-to-one on screen, but we've had that sort of excitement from Nintendo for nearly two decades now. This game just forces you to use your legs as a playing surface, which is an issue in and of itself, as I do not recommend using a table or other flat surface to play on, because that's somehow even more uncomfortable, but others may feel differently.
But it's kind of a drag
Outside of the main basketball game that you can play with and against friends or bots, there's not much to do in Drag x Drive. There are several shallow and pointless-feeling minigames like races to consume some time, but this is a multiplayer title, and the wheelchair basketball is the whole point.
Even the basketball experience is relatively barebones. You can pass to teammates, run into opponents head-on to make them drop the ball, and shoot to score. Your chances of getting a bucket rely on distance from the hoop and facing the net properly, and that's about it.
The most depth and strategy that the game offers comes by way of driver types, like positions in basketball. There's a Guard, Center, and Forward, all with their different attributes like speed and strength, so you may have to think about who's playing what on each squad.
You connect to an online lobby, which is basically like a big skate park with activities and basketball courts, and wait for a match to queue up. You can also play offline against bots, but there's no split-screen options.
One of my main issues with Drag x Drive, though, is it truly feels like a tech demo meant to show off the JoyCon mouse controls that was then twisted into a $20 game. That fair price tag is one of its perks, unfortunately, and it doesn't take away from the fact that the visuals of the game are quite generic.
You play as a faceless character in a motorcycle helmet, and the customization options are limited, save for some colors and textures and a number you can choose to wear on your back, so there's little shine here.
I hope this doesn't end up being the Switch 2's best use of the JoyCon mice. I'm hopeful that FPS games may feel better in that regard, but for now, Drag x Drive feels largely like a pass, unless you're super into these sorts of motion control games, or appreciate the representation of wheelchair basketball in video game form.
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