This weekend, Nintendo hosted the Drag X Drive Global Jam, a time-limited beta test with 3 windows lasting 4 hours each. I managed to play all the first 2 sessions solidly for the duration to get hands-on with Nintendo’s latest sporting game that sees you locked into a wheelchair to participate in rounds of 3v3 basketball. Since this isn’t the final version of the game, we can’t really score it based on what we’ve seen, instead, I’ll show you some of my gameplay highlights and my thoughts on what it does well, what could do with improvement, and whether I think Drag X Drive will be a slam dunk with gamers. Let’s strap in!
For those who don’t know anything about the game, Drag X Drive is a 3v3 wheelchair basketball hybrid game that offers competitive multiplayer. Players wheel about the court, taking shots, doing tricks, and slam dunking balls. Tricks aren’t just for flair, as they add point modifiers to your score. For example, a dunk will award 2.2 points instead of the standard 2. This adds a new dynamic to the standard basketball scoring system, meaning games can be won by simply shooting with a bit of style. When players aren’t engaging in the standard games, they will be hanging out in the park, a lobby area with mini games, 2 courts for practice, and other players to interact with. You can clap and high-five as each Joy-Con represents your arms for movement.
The controls were a little daunting at first, and are fully motion-controlled. Each Joy-Con runs in mouse mode, and I sat in a chair without armrests while using the Joy-Cons on my trousers. They were really responsive, and it was quite the workout. Shot controls work similarly to the Nintendo Switch Sports Basketball game, with the addition of having to line your wheelchair up with the goal. The more in line you are, the higher the chance you have of landing a shot, provided another player doesn’t crash into you while aiming. You can also do some outlandish moves like hitting the ramp and dunking the ball, which will net you bonus points for style. Your trigger buttons are used to brake, and after a while, you get used to hitting the brake for some sharp turns to intercept players. While the controls and movement were all intuitive, I did find I struggled after a few hours of playing with my hands cramping up on the Joy-Con, so in between rounds, I would sit idle to let my hands recover and watch the games happening on the other court while in the Park.
Visually, it’s not exactly pushing the system to its limits, but it’s fast and fluid and even in the beta, there were no slowdowns or performance issues. There were some customisation options to choose from to add a unique look to your player, and I opted to change my player number to 64, to represent one of gaming’s greatest consoles, the Nintendo 64. You can choose from 3 different player positions, the Guard, Forward, and Centre, all offering different levels of speed, maneuverability and sturdiness to suit your playstyle. You can change your armour, helpmet, chair, and wheels along with your colouring to set yourself apart from the pack, and there appear to be more customisation options to unlock in the future.
What was really evident with Drag X Drive is that the players are building a great community already. Everyone was clapping for each other and high-fiving, as well as playing as a team. While there were a few players who hogged the ball a bit to practice some dunking maneuvers, the gameplay is geared towards rewarding those who play as a team. Even I was guilty of being a ball hog at first, because scoring a goal felt so rewarding. There was something so satisfying about weaving through the competition, lining up the shot, and landing a 3-point shot. It was also equally rewarding chasing other players and trying to hit them head-on to make them drop the ball.
The network play felt good, although there were multiple times where it was a 2v2 game during matchmaking, which was odd, as Bots would replace people in 3v3s if there was a player who dropped out. I never felt like I was lagging or at a disadvantage due to network conditions, and rounds went off without a hitch for the most part. The best action was when there were full 3v3 teams, but even the 2v2 games were exciting and offered a more strategic element and gameplay style.
My biggest concern with Drag X Drive is that I feel it will really benefit from some sort of progression system, like levelling up to unlock cosmetic rewards, or even a ranking system. So far, the games are really fun, but there’s nothing to strive towards aside from earning a ring by winning a match. But, like I said, it’s only a beta test, so there could be some more surprises in the final release. Games like Drag X Drive live and die by player engagement, and I feel like having monthly or weekly events could also go a long way in keeping the player base locked in. Events like this weekend’s Global Jam, where you had a chance to run into the game developers, caused a bit of buzz on socials, and if Nintendo capitalises on things like that, it could see some longevity to the game.
I feel like Drag X Drive is actually a fantastic game with a lot of potential. While many may be quick to dismiss it or laugh it off, the gameplay is fun and addictive, and we are already seeing the community of players cheering on each other, high-fiving, and playing some rather intense ball. I feel like it has the potential to become a really competitive game, like we saw with F-Zero 99. All of that depends on how Nintendo supports it, and I think it would really benefit from some sort of rewards or progression system, and limited-time events. Time will tell, and I’ll be sharing my full thoughts on Drag X Drive this Thursday when it releases for Nintendo Switch 2.
