One of the more curious elements of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct back in April was a set of games that were shown that were exclusive, but didn’t exactly “meet the expectations” of what fans wanted to see in the presentation. The gamers were expecting some huge, 1st party titles that would blow people away, and they did get that, but they also got much smaller games that they weren’t sure what to make of. For example, there was the “Welcome Tour” that cost $10 and would “introduce people” to the Switch 2. Then, there was Drag x Drive, which was all about using the Joy-Con’s new mouse control features to make a special sports title.
From the moment you saw it, you knew that this was a typical “Nintendo idea.” As in, it’s one they’re testing out to see how fans will like it, or if they’ll like it at all. Those who have played the game via demos and the recent Global Jam highlighted how you’ll like it…or you might not like the control scheme. Today, the first reviews dropped for Drag x Drive, and unsurprisingly, the reviews are average.
Currently, on Metacritic, 35 official reviews give the game a 61 score. What makes that score even more interesting is that the vast majority of reviewers gave it a “Mixed” rating. Thus, they’re not saying the game is bad, just not very good.
Even the four reviews that did give it a good score noted that the title is missing key features, like local multiplayer, which does feel like something this game should’ve had from the start.
As for the other reviews, pretty much all of them praise the unique control scheme, stating that it highlights the power of the Joy-Con 2 controllers, and that once you overcome the “learning curve,” you can get pretty creative with things. However, the lack of depth holds it back in more ways than one.
Others fairly note that this feels like a “demo” rather than a full game, which may also have been in the minds of Nintendo, as this is just an eShop exclusive that costs $20. The lack of multiple stages and modes is a hindrance to many, and some even admitted that they were curious about what the game would be like with a bit more polish and depth.
More than likely, the game won’t be the biggest hit on the Nintendo Switch 2, but then again, it was never meant to be that.
