Let me introduce you to Drag x Drive, a wheelchair basketball-themed sports game that is mostly controlled by the Joy-Con 2’s mouse mode, if you’re among the Nintendo enthusiasts who are concerned that the firm lost its creative spark after playing it safe with the Switch 2. Even after 20 years of playing every weird motion-controlled game from the Wii onward, I can honestly say that this is something I’ve never seen before, even though it has a surprisingly flat personality given that it comes from the company that has given us some of the most recognizable characters and gaming worlds. The fact that I genuinely enjoy Drag x Drive’s gameplay may surprise you more.
Even while I am aware that the outcome will undoubtedly not be for everyone, I admire the desire to try something completely different. Drag x Drive’s content outside of its three-on-three online matches is quite disappointing, despite its unexpectedly superb gameplay. It lacks the variety and alluring unlockables you would anticipate from a game of its kind.
It appears that the primary purpose of this game is to demonstrate the Joy-Con 2‘s integrated mouse and motion capabilities. Your baller’s left and right arms are directed by the separated controllers; you can wave to a teammate to indicate that you’re open for a pass, lift and flick your wrist after aligning yourself with the hoop to shoot the ball, and slide the controller on a level surface to have your arm push your wheels forward and backward. A harder version of a Wii Sports game, Drag x Drive has less pick-up-and-play, requires you to learn more complex strategies, and requires you to move your controllers around a lot.
It didn’t feel natural for the first hour or so. I’ve never been forced to perform so many actions in a game before. Typically, titles like Wii Sports rely on basic controls and automatic movement, but Drag x Drive gives you total control over your character, and I wasn’t used to that. The physicality of it all made for a steeper, more frustrating learning curve than simply remembering which buttons to press on a traditional controller (an option that is completely absent here), especially when things weren’t going well, like when my opponent kept scoring and I hadn’t figured out how to stop it yet.
However, as I continued to practice, I began to appreciate Drag x Drive’s gameplay. After assimilating the concept, I began skillfully moving through the one arena that blends a typical basketball court with parts of a skate park, grabbing opponents’ balls and then dunking them after flipping off a halfpipe. The skill level in Drag x Drive seems fairly high, and I can see a dedicated fan base being quite attached to its features. With rock-solid performance and unique haptic feedback that lets you feel your wheels click in the controllers, the mid-match action is also quite well-executed.
If you play on a suitable surface, it’s usually fairly responsive.
If you have a suitable surface to play on, it’s usually fairly responsive as well. I’ve never had to go through so many wardrobe changes to determine which jeans were best to wear while playing a video game, so that’s a big “if.” According to Nintendo, you can use your legs to operate the mouse, although the greatest results differed depending on whether I was wearing athletic shorts, jeans, pajama bottoms, or cotton sweatpants. Motion accuracy was affected by any texture, folds, or wrinkles, and it occasionally didn’t recognize my attempts to move at all if I wasn’t seated with my legs exactly flat like a tabletop.
However, avoid using your lap if at all possible. After discovering that leaning over a coffee table in the living room wasn’t comfortable enough, I decided to play Drag x Drive on my desktop PC monitor in my workplace, where it performed the best. I merely set my keyboard aside and used my desk’s entire flat surface to repeatedly slam the Joy-Con 2 on (I must admit that I felt a little concerned about being this abusive with controllers that keep getting more expensive).
You have to really put your hands in the air to try to block a shot, smash into a player who is holding the ball head-on to knock it loose, or swiftly grab a rebound to regain possession. Defense is also a lot of fun. In order to stop right in front of an opponent and get up in their face, I discovered how crucial it is to apply the brakes. With amazing moments like collecting a rebound and driving all the way down the court for an open three or tossing up a last-second buzzer beater, complete with a dramatic slow-motion effect, it faithfully captures the energy and thrill of a close pickup game.
The action is best played online with five friends or strangers, but you can play offline with quite intelligent bots that will always give you the ball if you indicate that you’re open. Like most competitive online games of this kind, there’s really no reason to play offline, and it’s entertaining to coordinate with colleagues via GameChat to select who to guard on defense or set them up for an open shot.
One clever concept is that a huge TV screen shows real-time updates of the players who have the top scores in each challenge while you’re playing in an online lobby and exploring the park at your own speed. For everyone wheeling around the park to see who is the champion, several challenges provide gold rings to the record-holder. I can imagine this being a rather enjoyable location to hang out with a bunch of friends as everyone strives to set new high scores in between matches. Both aspects foster friendly competition if you all buy into it. A 30-second race or a rush to see who can get the ball first are the only group minigames available to break up the action. Thankfully, you may choose not to play and simply wait for the actual game to start. Both of them are quite skippable.
Drag x Drive’s main problem is that there isn’t much of a reason to take action. New helmet designs for your character can be unlocked by earning trophies through game wins and challenges, but that’s about all there is to customize, and when there are only a few small variations, like bunny ears or a spikey hairstyle, the customization options aren’t all that exciting. I could be playing Mario Kart, Splatoon, or any competitive multiplayer game instead of launching Drag x Drive because there is no leveling up, no significant milestones, and nothing to strive for.. After ten hours, I doubt I’ll have many reasons to return outside of buddy get-togethers, even if I don’t think a game really needs this stuff to be enjoyable. And only if my pals take the time to enjoy the gameplay as much as I do.
Unfortunately, the gameplay that I actually enjoy is presented in such a dull, one-dimensional manner.
It feels like the bare minimum, even though anything like a diverse soundtrack, several court designs, or unique characters with characteristics (like in Arms and Splatoon) would be very beneficial. It’s quite generic, and I regret that such a dull, one-note wrapper encapsulates gameplay that I actually enjoy. Nintendo isn’t often like that.
It’s also hilarious that the game, which is obviously based on wheelchair basketball, only allows you to play with these physically taxing motion controls, and there are very few settings to change how they operate. In terms of video game accessibility, it’s not exactly a shining example.
Verdict
Drag x Drive requires a lot of you to get acclimated to its intricate mouse and motion mechanics, and it controls like nothing else I’ve ever played. It goes without saying that you should avoid forced motion controls like this if you dislike them or are unable to use them. However, after dedicating time to “get good,” I thoroughly loved the surprisingly profound foundations of Nintendo’s distinctive wheelchair basketball style. I wish its ideas for encouraging friendly rivalry between rounds were a bit more developed, but its online three-on-three bouts are a lot of fun.
The most frustrating aspect of Drag x Drive is its lack of content; there aren’t many unlockables, customization options, personality traits, or variations. Although its movement is really cool and its thrilling trick system offers a ton of potential, I imagine a dedicated fan base could support it. However, given its high initial barrier to entry and lack of compelling reasons to stay after you’ve mastered it, it’s difficult to see Drag x Drive making a name for itself in the already crowded field of online multiplayer options.
