Asmodee HEAT: Pedal to the Metal Board Game - Intense Car Racing and Strategy Game, Fun Family Game for Kids and Adults, Ages 10+, 1-4 Players, 60 Minute Playtime

Speed. Reaction. Competition. Strategy. Adrenaline. As a race car driver three generations deep in motorsports in the last 20 years, I feel as if I know a little something about the sport. As an avid table top gamer who is, right this second, looking at a shelf in my gaming unit with 13 different racing games on it, I also feel qualified to review this one. And let me state... It does NOT disappoint. Let's start with the obvious... It's pricey, I get it. It's more than my internet bill. But hear me out... you'll find some things are simply worth the price of admission and HEAT is one of those things. Firstly, my initial thoughts as I saw the box art and slid the lid off the first time. The box art is superb. Colorful, racey, appropriate and stylish. Slide it off, and the top tier quality continues to shine throughout the components. The cards, driver dashboards, tracks, cars, shifters... everything... feels and looks like money. The rule set. Ahhhh, the rule set. The core factor in determining if a game is fun, exciting and worth our time. HEAT... Easy to follow? Check. Easy to grasp? Check. Easy to learn and retain? Check. Polished and play tested to reduce potential issues? Check. The core rules can be learned in literal minutes. Everything you need to go through a game turn in, quite literally, right under your nose. I mean.. it's printed right on the game dashboard in front of you as you play. Everything you need to know is quickly referenced with a list of graphics as instructions on every players dashboard. The rules are easy to concept, fun to play and replicate the excitement and stress of racing wheel to wheel and door-to-door lap after lap. Beyond the basic rules, the game also comes with a secondary rule book for the modules and advanced rule set. The modules are a wonderful addition to the base game and include custom car building, weather and track conditions, Championship mode with sponsorship bonuses, and even a solo play mode with an extremely intuitive AI system that creates extremely competitive racing when you use them to fill out your field. This has quickly become my favorite game to play both with people and as a solo game. There is an expansion that expands your field to seven cars and adds severe weather to the game to create more adversity on track. There are also slots in the game insert for an eighth car and eighth gear shifter so we can only imagine a second expansion will be released. My only complaint is really a personal preference and that is there needs to be some sort of collision system to implement the dangers of crashing and damaging your car. I have solved this with a house rule that states landing on the same space as another car results in a die roll. That resolves possible collisions on a collision chart. So with a little imagination, this small oversight is easily corrected making HEAT the perfect racing game. In my opinion HEAT is well worth the pretty substantial asking price. I already feel as though I have gotten way more than my money's worth out of the game and will continue to see returns in fun and excitement for years to come.

Heat: Pedal to the Metal combines fast-paced racing action with smart hand management and tactical decisions. Every turn feels exciting as you balance speed, gear shifts, and engine heat. The components are high quality, and the artwork really captures the vintage racing vibe. What I love most is how replayable it with different tracks, weather conditions, and upgrade options keeping each race fresh. It’s easy to learn but has enough depth to keep strategy lovers engaged. Whether you're playing solo or with a group, it’s always a fun and competitive experience. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys racing themes or clever card-driven games!

Absolutely amazing game, excellent production value, and just general value for what you get in the box. The mechanic of adding heat to your car is... It's intuitive, but the thematic sense of it is hard to understand. I take the heat out of the engine? Is my deck the car? Yes I know the rulebook explains it, but I still forget each time. It's great fun and a need risk/reward balance that gets better the more little modules you add from the box. The tracks are all beautiful to look at and the cards feel great in your hand. Only small thing is the teeny tiny cars sometimes feel like you'll bust the wheels off pushing down on them racing down the track ("just don't do that" you say, well so do I each time the kids do it).

Quick to learn, fun to play. Great game with enough luck element to give a winning chance to novice players. We are racing fans and felt that the game simulated the racing elements pretty well. We haven't yet tried all the add-ons and are looking forward to trying all of the game modes.

I really like playing Heat. So bummed my wife is not a fan of the theme or mechanics. I don’t understand why!?! Artwork is outstanding and I think the flow is great. I play with a friend and we use the automated cars along with us which really helps make it fun. Amazing how well the automated cars stay about the same pace and they are super easy to run on the side. Great game. For a feel of other games we are currently also loving - River of gold, Earth, Targi, Living Forest, Harmonies among others. I think Heat is right there near the top for fun and replaying and I haven’t even used advanced cards yet.

My 17 yo wanted this so we got it and have enjoyed playing it. You do have to think and use some strategy, but it was fun. You can even play it by yourself since you can play some of the cars like bots and they have their own moves. The boards and cards are well made and will last a long time, and it packs back up easily into the game box.

It was somewhat challenging to learn, that's why I docked a star. Thankfully there are you tube videos out there to help learn this game. The game pieces felt like they were of quality build. Once the concept was learned it as a fun exciting board game that my family keeps going back to.

Love this game. Played with friends that had the game and had to get it for myself. Easy to set up and play. Great for teenagers and up. Has a strategic element!