Drag x Drive

Last updated

Drag x Drive
Drag x Drive Icon.png
Developer(s) Nintendo EPD [1]
Publisher(s) Nintendo
Director(s) Yoshinori Konishi
Producer(s) Hisashi Nogami
Programmer(s) Yoshinori Konishi
Artist(s) Takahisa Ikejiro
Composer(s) Sayako Doi
Platform(s) Nintendo Switch 2
ReleaseAugust 14, 2025 [2]
Genre(s) Sports
Mode(s) Multiplayer

Drag x Drive [a] [b] is a sports video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch 2. The game resembles wheelchair basketball and has players compete in 3v3 matches. The game was designed to take advantage of the Joy-Con 2's mouse mode, with players using motion controls to mimic using a wheelchair to move.

Contents

Drag x Drive was one of the first titles revealed for the Nintendo Switch 2 during its debut Nintendo Direct. It released on August 14, 2025, to mixed reviews.

Gameplay

A player raising their arm to signal their teammate to pass the ball Drag x Drive gameplay.jpg
A player raising their arm to signal their teammate to pass the ball

Drag x Drive is a sports video game centered around wheelchair basketball. The player controls a robot in a wheelchair-like vehicle [c] with the goal of shooting a basketball into the opponent's basket. [6] [7] Matches are split between two teams of threes with the goal of scoring more points than the other team by the end of the match. [7] [8] The player controls the robot using the Joy-Con 2's mouse mode to mimic the motions of using a wheelchair. Each Joy-Con controls one wheel; moving both Joy-Con moves the wheelchair forward, whereas moving only one turns it. [9] [10] [11] Due to the Joy-Con 2's haptic feedback, performing this motion imitates surfaces such as concrete through vibrations. [4] [7] Shooting the ball requires the use of motion controls, with the player required to raise their arms and flick the Joy-Con whilst aiming at the hoop. [8] Depending on how far the player throws the ball, the more points earned when scoring. [7] Additionally, the player can raise their arms in order to signal teammates to pass the ball as well as clap. [11] Players automatically grab the ball if it's on the ground, or they can ram into their opponents to make them lose control of the ball. [10] In addition, the player may hold their hands out when the opponent is taking a shot to block the ball from making it to the hoop [12]

Matches are set within dark arenas fitted with bright, neon lights. [13] The perimeters of the basketball court are fitted with half-pipes, [14] allowing players to perform tricks on them as well as slam dunk the ball into the hoop. [15]

Development and release

The Joy-Con 2 being used in mouse mode I ACTUALLY Played The Nintendo Switch 2 (Hands On Preview) videoplayback-00.23.22.111.png
The Joy-Con 2 being used in mouse mode

Drag x Drive was first announced at a Nintendo Direct about the Nintendo Switch 2 in April 2025, [16] with a release date scheduled for Summer 2025. [17] According to Nintendo, Drag x Drive is expected to only be released digitally. [18] The game was made available to play to both journalists and the public during the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience playtests between April and June 2025. [19] It was announced to release on August 14 on the Nintendo Today! app. [2]

A live demo was held between August 9–10, for Nintendo Switch Online members to test the game before the final release. [20]

Reception

Pre-release

Upon the announcement of the game, some critics praised the game for representing disabilities in a positive light, [15] with Alana Hagues from Nintendo Life writing how it was a fantastic spotlight of wheelchair sports, as well as disabilities in sports as a whole, due to a lack of wheelchair sports representation within video games. [10] However, Video Games Chronicle 's Chris Scullion noted how he thought it was strange Nintendo avoided calling them wheelchairs in favour of vehicles, believing Nintendo was "being overly squeamish about a future scandal that will never happen, instead of embracing the game’s disabled representation". [5]

Feedback on the gameplay overall was mixed, with some journalists who attended Nintendo Switch 2 preview events recount feeling aches and pains after playing, [21] [22] with Hagues reporting it as "a workout for your arms". [10] However, other critics responded more positively to the gameplay, with Kate Kozuch from Tom's Guide praising the controls as feeling immersive, mentioning the game having "serious competitive potential". [4] Writing for Nintendojo, Robert Marrujo described the controls as feeling natural and easy to learn, noting that the controls felt "arcade-like". [13] Many critics compared Drag x Drive's aesthetics and gameplay to the 2015 video game Rocket League , [4] [10] [11] with GamesRadar+ 's Rollin Bishop characterising the gameplay of Drag x Drive "something akin to Rocket League combined with Wii Sports Resort 's basketball and wind-up cars". [9]

Post-release

According to review aggregator website Metacritic, Drag x Drive received "mixed reviews"; Metacritic rated it 61/100 based on 71 reviews. [23] On OpenCritic, only 16% of critics recommended the game based on 45 reviews. [38]

Notes

  1. ↑ Pronounced "Drag and Drive" [3] [4]
  2. ↑ Japanese: ドラッグ アンド ドライブ, Hepburn: Doraggu Ando Doraibu
  3. ↑ According to Nintendo, they are called "vehicles". [5]

References

  1. 1 2 Taylor-Kent, Oscar (August 13, 2025). "Drag x Drive review: "I'm left craving Arms' sauce from Nintendo's twitchy yet shallow basketballer, which feels like a tech demo"". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Romano, Sal (June 24, 2025). "Drag x Drive launches August 14". Gematsu. Archived from the original on June 24, 2025. Retrieved June 24, 2025.
  3. ↑ Parrish, Ash (April 3, 2025). "I'm not sold on the Switch 2's mouse-like controls". The Verge . Archived from the original on April 9, 2025. Retrieved April 11, 2025.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kozuch, Kate (April 4, 2025). "I played over a dozen games on the Switch 2 — and I have a surprise favorite so far". Tom's Guide . Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  5. 1 2 Scullion, Chris (April 22, 2025). "Drag x Drive controls well enough to be a Switch 2 gem, but there are still too many unknowns". Video Games Chronicle . Archived from the original on April 24, 2025. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
  6. ↑ Bailey, Dustin (April 2, 2025). "Nintendo shows off Switch 2 mouse capabilities with a 3-on-3 basketball game that's basically Rocket League with robot wheelchairs". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Lada, Jenni (April 3, 2025). "Preview: Drag x Drive May Be the Switch 2's Blast Ball". Siliconera . Archived from the original on April 9, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Abou-Nasr, Adam (April 6, 2025). "Nintendo Switch 2 Experience New York". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on April 6, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  9. 1 2 Bishop, Rollin (April 16, 2025). "I was a Drag x Drive skeptic, but playing the Nintendo Switch 2's wheelchair basketball game using two Joy-Con as mice made me a believer". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 Hagues, Alana; Lane, Gavin (April 16, 2025). "Hands On: 'Drag x Drive' Is Fantastic, But Is It Destined To Be Switch 2's ARMS?". Nintendo Life . Archived from the original on April 6, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  11. 1 2 3 Shea, Brian (April 4, 2025). "Drag x Drive Rolling Start". Game Informer . Archived from the original on April 5, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  12. ↑ America, Nintendo (July 30, 2025). "Drag X Drive - Overview Trailer - Nintendo Switch 2". YouTube. Archived from the original on July 30, 2025. Retrieved August 4, 2025.
  13. 1 2 Marrujo, Robert (April 16, 2025). "Hands-On Preview: Drag x Drive". Nintendojo. Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  14. ↑ Stewart, Marcus (April 2, 2025). "Drag X Drive Is A Mouse-Controlled Basketball Game Coming To Switch 2". Game Informer . Archived from the original on April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  15. 1 2 Nightingale, Ed (April 2, 2025). "Switch 2's first dual-mouse mode game is wheelchair basketball Drag x Drive". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on April 5, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  16. ↑ Cogswell, Jessica (April 2, 2025). "Nintendo Announces Drag X Drive, A Switch 2 Game That Relies On Mouse Controls". GameSpot . Archived from the original on April 18, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  17. ↑ O'Reilly, PJ (April 2, 2025). "Drag x Drive Is Nintendo's Switch 2 'Mouse Mode' Showcase, Puts The Rocket League Into Wheelchair Basketball". Nintendo Life . Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  18. ↑ "Ask the Developer Vol. 16, Nintendo Switch 2 – Chapter 2". Nintendo . April 3, 2025. Archived from the original on April 7, 2025. Retrieved April 18, 2025.
  19. ↑ Liao, Shannon (April 4, 2025). "In Search of The Perfect Pair of Pants to Game On". Inverse . Archived from the original on April 11, 2025. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  20. ↑ "Nintendo Announces 'Global Jam' Demo Event For Switch 2 Online Members". Nintendo Life. July 16, 2025. Archived from the original on July 16, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  21. ↑ Purchese, Robert (April 11, 2025). "How good are Switch 2's mouse controls? Eurogamer's verdict from the big reveal event". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on April 13, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  22. ↑ Parrish, Ash (April 3, 2025). "I'm not sold on the Switch 2's mouse-like controls". The Verge . Archived from the original on April 9, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  23. 1 2 "Drag x Drive reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  24. ↑ "Drag x Drive Reviews". OpenCritic . Retrieved August 16, 2025.
  25. ↑ Duwe, Scott (August 13, 2025). "Drag x Drive review – Not quite a Switch 2 slam dunk". Destructoid . Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  26. ↑ Lennox, Jesse (August 13, 2025). "Drag X Drive review: a successful experiment with no long term legs". Digital Trends . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  27. ↑ Hilliard, Kyle (August 19, 2025). "Drag x Drive Review Functional, But Shallow". Game Informer . Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  28. ↑ Watts, Steve (August 15, 2025). "Drag X Drive Review - Kind Of A Drag". GameSpot . Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  29. ↑ Quesada, Daniel (August 13, 2025). "Análisis de Drag x Drive, una muestra de la originalidad de Nintendo a la que le falta sustancia" [Drag x Drive review: a showcase of Nintendo's originality that lacks substance]. HobbyConsolas (in Spanish). Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  30. ↑ Plant, Logan (August 13, 2025). "Drag x Drive Review". IGN . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  31. ↑ O'Reilly, PJ (August 13, 2025). "Drag x Drive Review (Switch 2)". Nintendo Life . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  32. ↑ Minor, Jordan (August 13, 2025). "Drag x Drive A ho-hum b-ball game that isn't as fun as its concept". PCMag . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  33. ↑ Erskine, Donovan (August 13, 2025). "Drag x Drive review: Mousing around". Shacknews . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  34. ↑ Padoan, Harry (August 13, 2025). "Drag x Drive is a decently entertaining hooping experience – but bland visuals and tiring controls mean it's not the slam dunk Nintendo hoped for". TechRadar . Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  35. ↑ Cucchiarelli, Daniele (August 13, 2025). "Drag x Drive – Recensione" [Drag x Drive – Review]. The Games Machine (in Italian). Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  36. ↑ Thwaites, Sarah (August 19, 2025). "Drag x Drive review – wheelchair basketball that might give you wrist cramp". The Guardian . Retrieved August 24, 2025.
  37. ↑ Scullion, Chris (August 13, 2025). "Drag x Drive review: A great multiplayer game let down by a lack of features". Video Games Chronicle . Archived from the original on August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  38. ↑ "Drag x Drive Reviews". OpenCritic. August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 16, 2025.
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