This genre seems to be fairly popular, and I can see why. Instead of just building a deck for the sake of building it (like in Dominion), adding a racing element makes the game more interactive, tense, and tangible. I’ve only played a few, and I’m interested in how Heat compares to for example.
I really enjoy Clank! and The Quest for El Dorado. I’d say Quest is the better game. It’s cleaner, has fewer rules, and more variety in terms of maps. However, Clank! can be more fun. All the weird cards, the fights, drawing from the Dragon bag, and trying to get out alive make it a more lively (but also more random) game.
There’s also Cubitos and, my fave, Robo Rally (which has deckbuilding in 2016—it’s a fun deck building where decks get worse and worse).
Clank! is probably my favorite board game, especially the legacy version, so I’m very happy to get the red of Quest for El Dorado 😬
I haven’t had the chance to play the Slay the Spire board game yet (my friends warn me against buying tabletop versions of video games) but it may be worth checking out if you like the genre.
What about something like Aeon’s End? Not racing on a map, but racing against a clock, because the big monster is going to destroy the world if you are too slow.
Awesome deck building, but an extreme sense of urgency.
