Drag x Drive Review

Among the first Nintendo Switch 2 games I tried when I went hands-on with the console in New York was Drag X Drive. Sure, there were bigger games to check out, but this one used the Joy-Con 2’s mouse controls in a way few people expected. Instead of just navigating menus or clicking and dragging objects, the mouse controls mimic the motions of pushing a wheelchair. I played the demo, thought “you know, that was sort of fun,” and then didn’t think about the game again until it got its release date a few weeks ago.

Now, after having more time with the game and playing it online with actual people, you know what? It is kind of fun, but also, I’m not sure how much I’ll think about it again.

See, there’s a problem with Drag X Drive, and it’s not the controls; they’re fine and they work. There’s a high skill ceiling I feel with them. That’s why you can just get by and play the game, but to be actually proficient at it and take on the best, the ones who will dedicate themselves to the game, it’s going to take a while to get the hang of it. The energy required for the repeated action of wheeling around, too, will be different for everyone. For my tired wrists, it actually meant having to take a break between matches and rest the old carpal tunnel. You can play the game on either a tabletop or use your legs or drag the mouse forwards and backwards, whatever is comfortable, and to be honest, you might never get there.

The game of basketball in the game too, that’s not the problem. Sure, it’s basketball, but it’s also augmented by the tricks you can pull off in the chairs. So, while standard 2 and 3-point shots stand, you can add some flair to it with a trick; you can add a decimal point to that score to make your opponents try that little bit harder to get back at you. Going coast to coast just to shoot threes won’t work if your opponents are good at pulling off tricks. There are three different driver types: Guard, Forward, and Centre, each with slightly different stats, but you’re probably just going to stick with the one that moves the fastest.

No, the real problem with Drag X Drive, is that there’s just not very much to do in it. There are a few mini-games littered around you can try out yourself, and the high scores are shared on the big screens in the park with other players. However, aside from the main basketball game, a circuit sprint where you race other people, and a mode where you have to chase a loose ball around the park—that’s about it. As you play, you’ll unlock a small number of helmets, and you can change your number on your back and the colours of your unnamed wheelchair occupier, but it doesn’t go any deeper than that. There are seven goals to get that unlock the helmets, but yeah, not much going on.

Granted, the game is cheap (well, at least Nintendo cheap) but that also poses a problem. Motion controls, mouse controls now, aren’t going to be everyone’s thing. Plus, then you need to have online because if you don’t, there’s absolutely no point in buying this game. You can play it against CPU bots, and the harder bots are brutal, but with almost nothing to unlock, it just seems pointless.

The other thing is that the game is entirely drab and boring-looking. There’s one park to play in; it’s set in some grungy dim warehouse that doesn’t change. All the characters in the game are personality-less, and there’s barely any music, flair, or even an announcer to liven the atmosphere. Nintendo’s likely done this because they think you’ll be using GameChat and that might just get in the way, but that’s just a guess. A good team, one that actually passes the ball, is really required to get the most out of it all.

You’ve also got to ask, did Nintendo deliberately make Drag X Drive devoid of any characters and personality to avoid actually having to have an actual person, Mii, or Mario-world character in a wheelchair to avoid that controversy?

Look, there’s nothing inherently wrong with Drag X Drive — the control scheme is engaging and fun — but there’s no getting past the fact that, aside from those controls, this is just a very bare-bones and drab-looking basketball wheelchair game. If the controls aren’t enough to keep you hooked, there’s really nothing else here to hold your attention. The game feels like it was split off from a bigger concept or a package of games, and while Nintendo has expressed a desire to make cheaper, smaller titles, could they at least make them less empty in both atmosphere and features than this one?

Rating: 3.5/5

Paul Roberts contributed to this review.