Drag x Drive Review (Nintendo Switch 2)

Nintendo has always liked doing things its own way. Sometimes that means changing how we think about a whole genre. Other times, it means releasing something so strange you're not even sure what box to put it in. Drag x Drive is one of those games, a small-scale sports title built around a control scheme that mimics playing wheelchair basketball.

The idea is instantly interesting. Players push their Joy-Cons like they're rolling real wheels, with HD Rumble 2 making it feel like they're moving under your hands. Shooting is done with a simple lift-and-throw motion that works surprisingly well. It's the kind of offbeat Nintendo idea that makes you smile. But once the newness wears off, the game's weak spots start to show. It's fun for a few rounds, but it doesn't have much to keep you coming back. In the end, Drag x Drive feels less like a full game and more like a test run that somehow got released. Now, let us check out this review to find out more. 

Unique Controls

Let’s start with the good news: the controls are great. You move around the court by making long, rowing-style strokes with each Joy-Con. The improved motion tracking on the Switch 2 makes the whole thing feel precise. The “mouse mode,” Nintendo's own name for the control style, is strange at first but quickly becomes second nature.

The haptic feedback from HD Rumble 2 is easily the highlight. Players can actually feel the “click” of the wheels as they push forward, adding a layer of immersion that most sports games don’t even attempt. Shooting works like it did in Wii Sports Resort basketball: lift, flick, and release. It blends seamlessly with the movement controls so you’re never fumbling to switch modes mid-match. Mastering the controls is rewarding. Early on, you'll probably guess some moves, but after a while, you start gliding across the court like a pro. That skill curve is satisfying in a way that button-mashing sports games can’t match.

Unfortunately, there's no flexibility here. Suppose you can't use motion controls, whether due to physical limitations, space constraints, or just preference, you're out of luck. There's no traditional stick-and-button setup, no accessibility remapping, nothing. That's a big miss, especially for a game based on adaptive sports. Nintendo could have easily offered alternate inputs, dual mice, trackballs, or scroll wheel emulation, but instead, they've locked the entire experience to one control style.

Chaotic Basketball

After a short tutorial and a warm-up match against CPU players, the game drops players straight into online multiplayer. This is where most players will spend their time: 3-on-3 wheelchair basketball matches, with 12 players split into two games running in parallel.

On paper, that sounds fun and competitive. In practice, it’s often pure chaos. Everyone barrels around the court, collisions happen constantly, and very few people actually pass the ball. Teamwork is technically possible, but the communication tools are chaotic: three preset shout-outs and some simple arm waving. It’s amusing for a few matches, but when passing is crucial to success, it gets frustrating quickly.

There’s also nothing at stake. No ranked ladder. No season rewards. No detailed stats tracking. You might earn or lose a “ring” based on your performance, but it’s such a meaningless system that it doesn’t feel like progress. Without something to work toward, matches start to feel somewhat lacking, and the fun starts fading away.

That lack of structure makes Drag x Drive feel more like a tech demo than a full-fledged competitive game. It's “pick up and play” in the most literal sense: you pick it up, you play a few matches, and you move on. The problem is, there's very little pulling you back in.

Fun Mini-Games

Here’s the twist: the best part of Drag x Drive isn’t the basketball at all. It’s the optional mini-games and challenges tucked into the environment outside the main courts. The game offers obstacle courses, jump rope timing tests, and sprint-style time trials. They’re short, addictive skill challenges that double as stealth training for the main game. You’re practicing movement precision, acceleration control, and tight turns without even realizing it.

Some of them are tricky enough to keep players coming back. There’s a cone challenge that feels downright impossible the first time you try. But after playing a bunch of basketball, and then you return to it, you will crush it in one go. It's not because it gets easier, but because you actually get better at controlling your chair. That kind of tangible progress is rewarding in a way scoreboard victories aren’t.

Completing challenges earns you trophies, and every few trophies unlock new helmets and color options for your avatar. It’s a neat system, but customization is limited, and thanks to the game’s dull art direction, your shiny new gear doesn’t exactly pop on screen. If Nintendo had doubled down on these mini-games, added more variety, and expanded the cosmetics, Drag x Drive might have been more engaging overall.

Court Without Color

If the controls pull you in, the visuals push you right back out. Drag X Drive just doesn't look exciting. The courts have a plain gray-and-brown style that feels more like an empty skate park than a sports arena. There's no color, no spark, and no real detail to make the matches pop. It ends up feeling flat, like you're playing in a warehouse with hoops tacked on.

It's tough not to think of ARMS here, since that's the game people keep comparing this to. ARMS was full of energy, bright stages, loud characters, and music that made each fight feel like a big deal. Even if the gameplay wasn't your thing, you couldn't ignore the atmosphere. Unfortunately, Drag x Drive doesn't capture any of that. The world lacks some life, which makes the action less exciting than it should be.

There are, however, a few small sparks of life. Before a match starts, you can wave at your opponent, spin your chair, or toss out a high-five. Those quick moments bring a playful vibe and a fresh feel, almost like a glimpse of what the game could have been. Sadly, the feeling fades once the game begins, and you're left staring at lifeless walls. Sports games need energy. They should make players feel like every play matters. Here, the bland presentation makes the whole thing feel smaller than it really is.

Playing With Friends

Nintendo’s track record with online systems has always been a bit inconsistent, and Drag x Drive doesn't break the trend. In public matches, friends can hop into the same lobby, but there's no option to guarantee they'll end up on the same team. Sometimes the game pairs them up; other times it throws them onto opposite sides of the court. It can lead to some funny moments, but more often than not, it feels like an unnecessary limitation.

Now, private friend rooms solve that issue by allowing players to choose teams, but there's a tradeoff. Those lobbies don't pull in random players, which makes the matches feel smaller and less unpredictable. It's a compromise that works but leaves the whole system feeling clunkier than it should be.

Still, there are occasional happy surprises. Players have reported bumping into friends in public lobbies by sheer coincidence, creating fun and light moments. These moments give the game a small dose of life that the systems themselves don't provide.

The bright spot is that once the setup issues are cleared, Drag x Drive becomes a much better game with friends. The quick passing, the coordinated chair movement, and the chaos of keeping up with the pace all highlight the creativity behind the design. It may not be the smoothest online system Nintendo has ever made, but when everything lines up, playing together is the best part of the experience.

Verdict

Drag x Drive costs $20, and in some ways, that's the right price for what you get. It's a fun little experiment with unique controls and some solid side activities. But it's also shallow, repetitive, and overly dependent on a consistent online player base to survive. Now, that's the danger here: if the community dies off, the core basketball mode dies with it. There's no offline career mode, no deep single-player progression, and nothing to keep you invested without other human players. 

Launching alongside heavy-hitters like Kirby in the Forgotten Land: Switch 2 Edition and Starcross World makes things even tougher. Drag x Drive will struggle to grab attention when bigger games are pulling players in. The good news? There’s still room for growth. Updates that add ranked play, better matchmaking, new mini-games, cosmetic rewards, or alternative control schemes could transform this into something worth sticking with long-term. Right now, though, it feels closer to an early-access experiment than a fully fleshed-out release.

Nevertheless, there’s a lot to enjoy in this if players come in with the right expectations. The controls are genuinely fresh, the matches can get wild with friends, and the overall idea is a lot of fun. If someone is curious about trying a different kind of sports game and doesn’t mind a few rough edges, Drag x Drive is worth a shot.