Drag x Drive Risks Landing in the Same Boat as Another…

Drag X Drive was one of the most unique titles to come out of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct in April. A sports game based around wheelchair basketball, Drag X Drive was the first new IP Nintendo revealed for its upcoming console. Set to launch in the summer, this title is just one of the many major first-party games that look to contribute to an exciting first year for Nintendo’s long-awaited new system.

Among all the first-party titles revealed for the Nintendo Switch 2 in April, Drag X Drive is the lone Nintendo-developed new IP for the system in its first year. While it’s definitely an exciting prospect to see Nintendo branching out into new territory, the early promotion for the game strikes a few of the same notes that another title did in the early part of the first Switch’s life. Thus, Nintendo will have a lot of work to do to make sure Drag X Drive stands out more than one of the Switch’s early games did eight years ago.

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By Max Borman

Drag X Drive Needs To Carve A Greater Identity Than Arms Did

Drag X Drive Could Be The Switch 2’s Arms

In a couple of ways, Drag X Drive feels like the Nintendo Switch 2’s version of a previous Nintendo Switch title, Arms. Like that game, Drag X Drive is positioned as a very early title in the Switch 2’s life, and it’s also a showcase of one of the system’s unique features. Where Arms was a showcase of the Switch Joy-Con’s motion controls, Drag X Drive will demonstrate the Joy-Con 2’s new mouse control scheme.

While Arms did fairly well commercially with almost three million copies sold, the game was overshadowed by another multiplayer Switch title released around the same time, Splatoon 2, and lacked a bit of shelf life for Nintendo. While the character Min-Min appeared as a downloadable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, a graphic novel tie-in by Dark Horse Comics was canceled in 2021, and the aspirations for a franchise didn’t seem to come true. Even if Drag X Drive doesn’t have the immediate franchise expectations of Arms, it should make sure it doesn’t fall into some of that game’s traps.

Drag X Drive Needs More Content If It Is To Succeed

If Drag X Drive wants to carve out a larger audience than what Arms was capable of, it will need far more content than that game. Arms lacked much in the way of single-player content, so Drag X Drive could very well benefit from adding a more robust single-player mode to the game to ensure players don’t move on too quickly. Nintendo should also ensure that Drag X Drive has a decent amount of online options and modes, especially if the publisher hopes for it to reach anywhere near the level of another game it’s been closely compared to, Rocket League.

More than anything, Drag X Drive will have to be a bit more accessible than Arms to succeed. One of the biggest issues with Arms is that it got stuck at a crossroads where it didn’t quite know what types of fighting game players it wanted to appeal to. Thus, it proved too complex for casuals and not deep enough for hardcore fighting game players. Drag X Drive’s mouse-based control scheme may already be a bit of an arm-sore for some players, so Nintendo will have to balance the gameplay accordingly to compensate for the unique method of play.

Even if Drag X Drive doesn’t have the immediate franchise expectations of Arms, it should make sure it doesn’t fall into some of that game’s traps.

Drag X Drive Shouldn’t Get Swept In The Pricing Controversy

Another sticking point that could influence how well Drag X Drive does in comparison to Arms is the game's price. Ever since the Switch 2’s announcement, the prices of the games have been one of the system’s biggest sticking points, with titles such as Mario Kart World even selling for as much as $80. Arms was a full-priced game for the Switch back when “full-priced” still meant $60, and given that the Switch 2 prices will be variable, Nintendo will have a lot to consider with Drag X Drive’s price before the game hits the market.

Drag X Drive is certainly one of the most unique new games arriving on the Switch 2, but it doesn’t seem to be escaping comparisons to Arms. It looks to be following the game’s footsteps of being a wacky early-life title that shows off one of its new system’s new features, but how much shelf life it’ll have isn't clear yet. Here’s hoping Nintendo adds enough content to this title to make it a worthwhile play throughout the Switch 2’s life.

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