Drag X Drive review: a successful experiment with no long term legs

My first big breakaway in Drag X Drive triggered a flashback to a particularly embarrassing memory of a real-life Basketball match from my youth. The situations were almost identical; my teammate had grabbed a rebound and passed it to me at the far end of the court. We were probably all around 10 at this point, so all strategy devolved into a mob of kids chasing the ball most of the time. But I had stuck to the outskirts and was wide open.

Running toward the basket, I knew I should do a layup. I was never great at them, but my coach insisted they were the easiest shots to make and we practiced them all the time. But I was panicking. I sprinted as fast as I could, sure someone was behind me, but also feeling the eyes of everyone in the stands watching me. In reality, there were probably only a dozen or two parents there, but it felt like the most pressure in the world to have the ball with no one to stop me.

In the end, I ran so fast directly at the basket that my “layup” hit the backboard so hard that it bounced well clear of the basket. In Drag X Drive, I fumbled in a completely unique way thanks to the distinct way moving works with the Switch 2 Joy-Cons. But that isn’t a negative. In fact, the controls are easily the most interesting part of Drag X Drive. Getting better at maneuvering, blocking, and a few advanced tricks is where the depth of the game lies. Sadly, the actual basketball game and the handful of distractions surrounding it don’t have enough to entice me back in the long term.

It’s all in the wrist

Drag X Drive‘s control scheme is its most novel feature. The idea of using the mouse functionality of both Joy-Cons to control a wheelchair-bound character is an inspired idea, but way more than just a simple gimmick. Holding both Joy-Cons in mouse-mode, I slide each one forward or back to push or pull that tire, just as I would turning the wheels on a wheelchair to move. The tutorial ran me through the basics of moving forward, turning, and braking, but there are a handful of more advanced maneuvers to learn. I can brake on just one side rather than both to make a sharp cut, or even brake and lift that Joy-Con up to tilt and ride on one wheel. Doing that sequentially in quick succession allows me to bunny hop.

committing the movements to muscle memory is uniquely satisfying compared to pulling off a complex button combo.

Shooting is as natural as lifting my shooting arm up and flicking my wrist as though I were tossing a ball. There’s a nice bit of risk vs. reward in the shooting system where my accuracy depends on how far I am from the hoop, how lined up I am with it, and how long I hold my arm back before actually taking the shot.

Most of the higher-level tricks are fun, but not exactly practical in the game itself. The only advanced movement that seemed worth striving for was the dunk, in which I need to speed toward the ramp beside the enemy net, push and pull my Joy-Cons in alternating directions as I hit the lip, and shoot the ball as I’m soaring past the net. It is harder to pull off than it sounds at first, but learning and committing the movements to muscle memory is uniquely satisfying compared to pulling off a complex button combo.

And that really is Drag X Drive‘s secret weapon; the act of playing is constantly engaging and deep. What might be considered the boring parts of a normal sports game are the highlights here because of how I have to think and perform them in a new way.

Not a slam dunk

As much fun as it is to learn how to control Drag X Drive, there’s sadly not much there to make me want to keep refining my skills. The core 3v3 basketball game is fun right off the bat, even when I struggled to properly line up my shots. But unlike Rematch, there’s not enough to it to make me want to invest a ton of time into it. One wrinkle to the game involves getting fractional points for doing trick shots, such as the dunk. Getting an extra .2 points may sound worthless, but those fractions made the difference more than I thought to break ties. On the other hand, the inclusion of three different classes with tweaked stats for things like speed and power doesn’t make much difference in the flow of a match. Drag X Drive never rises above feeling more like a great mini-game.

I admit that a fierce competitive scene could form around the game with strategies and techniques I simply wasn’t able to discover during my time, but I wouldn’t bet on it.

Where the core game is solid, the mini-games are comparatively lacking. Between rounds of classic basketball, lobbies cycle between one of two main mini-games. The first is just a straight-up race across the hub, while the other sees who is able to chase down a loose ball first. They’re fine distractions at first, but become tiresome very quickly.

Drag X Drive never rises above feeling more like a great mini-game.

There are also other ways to distract yourself in the park while waiting for the matches to start. Things like shooting challenges, obstacle courses, or challenges like jump rope are littered around the map. They’re inoffensive and offer a decent way to practice my movement.

What feels like the most glaring omission is any real sense of personality. Drag X Drive‘s art style feels incredibly utilitarian, with nothing about its presentation sticking out as memorable. There’s no charismatic announcer, distinct soundtrack, or even much in the way of customization for your character. Besides colors, the only cosmetic I can earn and alter is my helmet.

Drag X Drive feels like an excellent prototype more than a full package. The control scheme proves to be more than just a gimmick and makes the act of moving engaging. Combined with the twist that playing basketball in wheelchairs has on a familiar sport, the result is a very solid and enjoyable time. But with only that one mode to hang its hat on, I don’t see Drag X Drive rising above a novelty.

Drag X Drive was tested on the Switch 2.