Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores, but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, all whilst including some lengthy gameplay, to give you, the reader, the chance to form your own impressions and views while reading and watching.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering Drag x Drive by developer, Nintendo EPD:
Drag x Drive (Nintendo Switch 2)
Developed by Nintendo EPD (Entertainment Planning & Development Department, Production Group.4), Drag x Drive is a three-on-three wheelchair basketball sports game, developed exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2, and released on August 14, 2025. (Recent games developed by Entertainment Planning & Development Department, Production Group.4, consist of: Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, Ring Fit Adventure, 1-2-Switch, as well as all Nintendo LABO and Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo products.)
Following the likes of Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, Drag x Drive is the second digital-only title Nintendo has released for the Nintendo Switch 2. But for anyone who was hoping Drag x Drive would be Nintendo Switch 2’s ARMS moment, it is more like 1-2-Switch. The entire premise of Drag x Drive heavily relies on using mouse controls, with both Joy-Con 2 being utilised to perform a variety of movements. Want to go forward? Move both controllers forward simultaneously. Want to go backwards? Do the opposite. Want to quick turn? Move one controller.
ZL and ZR buttons can be used together to apply your brakes, while L and R are used to pass the ball to another player. Just be advised that if a player from the other team is between you and your teammate, they will be able to intercept. Directional buttons are used to communicate with other players (“Cool“, “No prob“, “Hey”), whereas X is used for accessing the menu, Y focuses the camera, and holding the right directional button with the right analogue stick allows you to control the camera freely. But should you wish to go for glory, as long as you are square on to the net, it’s time to raise one Joy-Con 2 and flick your wrist forward.
If the ball goes in the basket, that’s great; 2 to 3 points will be rewarded based on where you are positioned in the court. Should the ball rebound, you will need to act fast to reclaim it and shoot again, but if the opposition claims the ball, you will need to drive into them head-on to knock the ball out of their possession. All these control options are simple to perform and easy to pick up, but where problems can arise is in trying to execute them. Just because you can use the Joy-Con 2 on your trousers’ legs to execute certain movements, it doesn’t mean you should, or that they will be extremely responsive depending on the fabric and if it is loose fitting.
In fact, while the game does look great in TV mode unless you’re seated in a very comfortable position with a large coffee table in front of you and do not need to lean forward too much, we found the best way to play Drag x Drive is on a desk with the Nintendo Switch 2 in handheld mode. Sure, the screen is smaller, but it’s more practical, and it becomes easier to execute trick shots, which reward additional points when scoring.
Other handy control inputs and tricks you can take advantage of are sliding one controller forward and the other backwards to perform a sharp spin. Move only one controller to turn your character round, or if you’re feeling adventurous, whilst holding down ZL and ZR to break, lift one Joy-Con 2 to tilt and then quickly put it down and lift the other one to perform a bunny hop.
Should you wish to go airborne, however, make sure you go as fast as you can, headed for a ramp, and once in the air, quickly slide your Joy-Con 2 to rotate the wheels, making your character spin in mid-air. If timed just right, you’ll even get a small speed boost upon landing, and, in the event you succeed in doing a halfpipe air trick to try to score a hoop, you will even net yourself bonus trick points. When performed close enough to the hoop, you’ll even dunk it in.
For the players who really want to show off what they can do, however, it is by approaching the ramp at full speed and then tilting one controller just as you reach the lip of the edge, which will cause you to do a backflip, and yes, you can attempt to score even whilst doing a backflip. With regards to the matches themselves, they are three minutes long and played in a singular session. Each match will pit either a team of three against another team of three, or two teams of two against another, depending on how many players are available. The team that scores the most wins.
When a match is over, for those who wish to see the match statistics, a breakdown is provided. Some of the stats covered include: 2-Point Shots taken, 3-Point Shots taken, Trick Shots, Dunks, Slams, Total Rebounds, Offensive Rebounds, Defensive Rebounds, Blocks, Fast Breaks, Turnovers, Ball Possession, Distance Covered, and the number of high fives that occurred.
Now, where the full game of Drag x Drive differs from the game’s Global Jam demo is that additional content is available regardless of whether you choose to play in a Public Park online with 11 other players, or in a Friend Park, which is a private online lobby where you can play with Friends. We will be breaking down the additional content momentarily, but we want to mention customisation as both the game and its demo allow players to decorate their player, changing helmet colour and textures from the options available.
You can also do the same for your character’s armor, the frame of their wheelchair, and even change the colour of their wheelchair’s tires. The only difference is that the full game has more customisation options, such as more helmets to choose from, but there are unlock requirements to obtain them. Some require you to gather a specific number of trophies, and one tasks requires you to have three Park Rings at the same time. Additional helmets aside, both the Global Jam and full game allow players to choose their preferred driver type. Guards have terrible Rebounding and Strength, but make up for it with Quickness. Centers have fantastic Rebounding and Strength, but terrible quickness, and Forwards are average in all three statistics.
Of course, when you are happy with your driver type and not ready to jump straight into a match, you can always alter your Pregame preference to select something more to your liking, such as only joining in when needed rather than always seeking an open game, or choosing to sit out of minigames such as Circuit Sprint and Rebound Scramble. Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, it’s time to talk about the full content of Drag x Drive.
Both the demo and full game start off the same way. First, you are put through the game’s demo to learn the control mechanics and get familiar with them before it pits you in a match against a team made up of bots. When the match is over, the tutorial carries on a little bit longer, with some tricks being explored but not all, and finally, the game plonks you directly into a Public Park. Now this is where the two versions of Drag x Drive begin to greatly differ.
While the Global Jam allowed the player to engage in online matches, the full game lets you choose whether you’d rather play in a Public Park or swap to a Friend Park. Both options are perfectly viable, as anyone who wants to endure online sessions playing match after match is free to do so, but should you wish to opt for some privacy and play with your friends or complete some minigame-styled challenges to earn trophies, Friend Park is the quicker way of going about it.
The challenges come in different forms, with some being repetitive and others being downright maddening. Of course, for true madness, you could always try performing 100 consecutive bunny hops without interruption just to get a specific helmet. But if you wish to complete what passes as the game’s “main campaign” and see its credits, collecting 25 trophies is necessary. But not every trophy is solely available via the challenges, as players will do some battles against bots.
The bots have nine different difficulty levels, eight being readily accessible, and the ninth being locked behind a 24-trophy requirement. However, you don’t need to beat the bots at every difficulty, as you can opt to do a match against Lv 08 bots. They will be hard to beat, and you won’t be able to rely on your bot teammates too much, but should you come out on top, you will instantly earn a trophy for “beating” the weaker bot difficulties. This might be something that could get fixed via a software update, but we’ll see in due course.
As a three-on-three sports game, Drag x Drive had a lot of potential; it’s just a shame the game failed to live up to the expectations placed upon it. Most moaned that Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour should have been free, but the contents of the game and the experience it offers in comparison justify its cost.
Whereas Drag x Drive, the game that was meant to sell us on what can be accomplished with mouse controls, comes across feeling like an overpriced hot mess. There is some enjoyment to be had, but you do need to nail precise movements to come out on top. Just don’t play for too long in a single sitting, as it can get uncomfortable holding the Joy-Con 2 in mouse mode for an extended amount of time, and it is very easy to become flustered once frustration sets in.
Should Drag x Drive have included regular controls for anyone who didn’t want to play with mouse controls? No, we don’t think so. They’re the whole point of the game and would give some players an unnecessary advantage. Besides, if you did want to use regular controls and have bigger goals, that’s what Rocket League is for, and that is free to download. But, for an additional challenge, a different way to play, look no further than Drag x Drive.
Game Specifications:
Developer: Nintendo EPD
Publisher: Nintendo
Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 (Digital)
Genre: Action, Sports
No. of Players:Â 1 (Single System) | 1 – 12 (Online)
Release Date:Â August 14, 2025
Price:Â $19.99
File Size: 1.4 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
