Given the fact that my heart jumps a little every time I see a new racing game that’s coming to the Switch, I’ll admit that the last generation has been a bit of a disappointment. Though the quality of the games themselves could often be better, I simply miss the days of there being a regular schedule of varied and decent titles arriving for folks who like to get behind the wheel and drive. With that in mind, even something like Drive Rally, though perhaps a bit too limited for its own good, are still appreciated.

What you really have here is a pick up and play-style rally racer that works quite nicely in short bursts. With your typical run only taking a few minutes, this isn’t the sort of game you need to set aside a big chunk of time to enjoy, and it suits the on-the-go nature of the Switch quite nicely. What’s nice is that though you’ll be tackling tracks solo against the clock, there is a need to work on developing technique for hitting turns effectively, which is multiplied when you’re moving between asphalt and dirt tracks. Working out when you’ll be able to simply let off the gas and coast through a turn, versus when you’ll need to engage your hand brake, does at least give the game some depth.

All that said, even though you’ll be able to work with a number of drivers, and steadily unlock new cars, it doesn’t take terribly long before everything starts to blend together a bit. Most tracks you’ll race on just feel like a mildly differentiated series of turns, rather than having some personality or being memorable in some way. I’m very happy there are at least changes in incline to contend with, since some games like this are content to work on almost entirely flat surfaces, but the tracks still feel mostly utilitarian in nature. That feeling unfortunately also extends to the game’s presentation, feeling like it's stuck somewhere between opting for a more retro look and simply not being well-optimized, with a cavalcade of odd visual quirks that are hard to miss. This does have something to offer people who enjoy more bite-sized racing, but even then it still has some issues.