Drag x Drive wants to be Rocket League; one of my favourite games of all time. In concept, it nails the basics. The game is a chaotic, 3 v 3 contest that is easy to pick up and incredibly difficult to master.
Swapping soccer for basketball is a great idea. But swapping rocket-powered cars for motion-controlled wheelchairs is a tough sell. Especially when comparing Drag x Drive’s $30 price tag to the free-to-play juggernaut.
Mouse Mode Activated!
When Nintendo revealed its new Joy-Con controllers could be turned on their side and used like a computer mouse, I don’t think anyone imagined the gimmick’s first big showcase would be using both at once to simulate pushing a wheelchair.
Forget joysticks, motion controls are your only option. Drag x Drive asks you to do just that and — for the most part — it works well.
Slide the both Joy-Con forward to roll forward, slide both back to go backwards, slide one forward and the other back to spin on the spot.
Pressing ‘ZL’ or ‘ZR’ will slam on the brakes for the left and right wheel respectively.
Pressing ‘L’ + ‘R’ at the same time will pass the ball.
And shooting is as easy as lifting one Joy-Con and flicking your wrist.
READ MORE: Review | Donkey Kong Bananza: ‘Imperfect Masterpiece’ (NS2)
The game starts with some excellent tutorials to teach you the fundamentals, and there’s a dedicated “tricks” section in the menu to help you pull off some more complicated moves.
Holding the brake and lifting one Joy-Con will lift that wheel off the ground. Lifting the other quickly after will trigger a bunny hop, which you can use to jump before taking a shot, block another player’s shot or pull off a backflip on a half-pipe ramp.
You’ll need a fair bit of practice before performing these properly during a match but the basics are pretty intuitive. That said, after a few hours, I’m still struggling to turn the right amount at the right time!
The new controls are intuitive, but there’s a fair bit to wrap your head around.
In better news, playing on your legs is just as good (and just as comfortable) as playing on a table.
Pass The Ball!
When you’re ready to jump into a match, Drag x Drive gives you two options.
You can play with anyone in the “Public Park” or play with friends in the “Friend Park.”
Public Parks will match you with players of a similar skill to you. I wasn’t able to test this out during the early access period, and our sessions for this review have been limited to Friend Park games with other reviewers.
The main way to play is competitive 3v3 matches, but there are options for 2v2 and 1v1 games with CPU opponents (which can be brutal by the way).
It doesn’t look like you can play competitively, against others, with friends.
To break things up, a host can also trigger one of two minigames: circuit sprint (a short racing game) or rebound scramble, which challenges players to catch a ball that is ricocheting wildly over the area.
These are fun little side dishes but the main course is competitive basketball.
I’m sure we’ll see incredible highlights on YouTube in a few days time, but the games I played amounted to something closer to an Auskick match.
Basketball is all about spacing and moving the ball for cleaner or closer shots. Unfortunately, that is not how people are playing Drag x Drive.
READ MORE: The Crystal Critters of Donkey Kong Bananza
Defending in the game is incredibly difficult. You can only knock the ball loose if you collide with an attacking opponent head on and — because everyone is battling motion controls — the easiest way to score is to simply grab the ball, power down the court and take a shot yourself.
If you want to dislodge the ball from an opponent, you have to hit them head on.
I’m sure that will change as players get better but for now, the best way to play is with friends on GameChat.
Are You Talking to Me?
Outside of a few Mario Kart World sessions, I haven’t had a chance to use my Switch 2 camera.
But boy is it fun with Drag x Drive.
Being able to yell at friends to pass the ball and set up defensively is how this game should be played, and it’s so fun seeing everyone’s reaction when someone scores.
In classic Nintendo fashion, I’m assuming you won’t be allowed to chat with strangers — so here’s hoping they allow you to party up with some friends to play competitively one day (although, I’m not holding my breath).
So, is it worth my $30?
Outside of playing online, there’s relatively little to do in Drag x Drive.
Completing challenges dotted around the arena can earn you ‘rings’ and unlock a limited number of customisable cosmetics. I’m looking forward to a few more games online — if my friends pick up a copy!
There’s no local multiplayer and (as far as I can tell) GameShare isn’t an option, so everyone that wants to play online will need to own a copy of the game.
READ MORE: Review | Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour (NS2)
Regardless, when in full flight, the game is undeniably fun. Playing with friends is an absolute blast and GameChat elevates the entire experience.
If you have five friends with Switch 2s, a copy of the game and and ability to organise gaming nights, Drag x Drive is a solid title to add to your rotation.
Playing does take a toll on your arms though, so after an hour or so, you’ll probably want to pick up Rocket League for the rest of the night.
Quest Daily scores Drag x Drive:
6.5/10
Early access to Drag x Drive was supplied to Mark Santomartino for the purpose of this review.
