Hot Streak is the stupidest board game I’ve ever played, but I kind of love it

Roll up, folks! Hot Streak is a lightning-fast racing board game that assaults the eyes and delights the senses! Four knock-off mascots are charging toward victory, and there can only be one winner! Can that underdog hot dog finally cross the finish line? How many times will the fish make a U-Turn this time? Bet on any racer, bet on any outcome, bet on anything you can imagine! Don’t be afraid to take a risk – BET IF YOU WANT TO WIN BIG!

Hot Streak is as loud as that intro. The visual volume is turned up to 11 from the moment someone slaps the box down on the table.

Its colors are vibrant almost to the point of garishness, and peeking through a plastic window, you’ll find four chunky miniature racers. Our competitors are football mascots for some imaginary brands, with multiple sets of eyes that straddle the line between utterly charming and uncanny valley.

The board itself rolls out of the box thanks to a turn dial on the side, which feels both gleefully childish and wonderfully stylish. Production value on Hot Streak is sky-high. It makes a fantastic (and very deliberate) first impression. It says: ‘This game is silly. Unbelievably silly.’

Everyone starts with $10, and the goal is to earn the most cash by making clever bets. The actions of each racer are decided by a shuffled deck of cards, which everyone gets to see before the first race starts. Based on how many times a certain racer advances, veers off course, turns around, or falls over, you draft a limited selection of bets, putting your money on a certain racer or a specific event.

It sounds simple, but Hot Streak immediately throws some chaos into the mix. Before each of the three races, every player gets to add a secret card to the action deck from their hand. That might be a sneaky bit of sabotage for the frontrunner, or it might massively bolster an underdog. After the first race, there’s no more chances to scry the deck, so you’ll have to trust your gut.

Oh crap, that’s the starting pistol! All bets are placed, and it’s time to RACE.

The action deck has been shuffled, and the first card is out the gate! Dangle the fish swims forward two! Next, Hurley the hot dog moves one space, but he veers onto the track of Gobbler the bear – who then knocks that hasty hot dog down! Mum decides she doesn’t want to play anymore, and she makes a U-turn, running right off the course and into a disqualification!

Flipping cards and moving minis doesn’t sound all that exciting. That is, until one friend is narrating the action like it’s the Kentucky Derby. Suddenly, butts are off seats, and somebody is screaming at the top of their lungs “MUM, GET UP, FOR GOD’S SAKE!”

There is no strategy here. The drafting mechanics put an interesting spin on the racing formula, but they don’t reward smart decisions. Instead, the first players who get to draft that round usually pick up the best bets – unless the deck shuffle utterly humbles them. It often does. Gobbler can have all the ‘Move 2’ cards in the world, but if both of his ‘Fall Down’ cards are drawn in succession, he’s disqualified.

This is the rubber-banding that means, most of the time, it’s still anyone’s race. That keeps the tension high from start to finish, but it may frustrate players who prefer to see a careful plan play out.

I’m yet to meet one of those players, though. When this appeared at my local board game night, we raced through multiple games. Even the most tactical tabletop veteran was hollering by the end – and every single person there was smiling.

Often, the best board games of the year are tactical marvels. This year, though, I won’t be surprised to see Hot Streak make the list. It’s not my favorite game, but it’s near-flawless in what it sets out to achieve.

Want to share your favorite board games of the past year? I’m all ears over in the Wargamer Discord.

Source: Wargamer