Review Details

Formula D

Product Review (submitted on October 7, 2015):

Formula D has some of THE BEST components out of any board game in my collection (which is over 260 games large). The board is beautiful (although it does not always want to lay flat) and colorful. The cars are nicely done and each colored uniquely. The dice are great. But the best part is the player's "dashboard" where you shift gears and keep track of damage.

As far as gameplay goes, you start the race in first gear and can switch up or down as you go. The higher the gear you are in, the larger the die you get to roll (for instance, you only roll a 4 sided die in first gear, but as you go up to fifth you can move as much as 30 spaces!). There are a few rules in place to keep you in check so you don't just max out:
You can only go up one gear each turn
You can only go down one gear per turn (if you are forced to gear more than one you damage the car)
You MUST gear down and end your turn in the turns/corners (the sharper the corner, the slower you must take it)

You also can hit people and take body damage, wear out your brakes, wear down your tires and spin out, etc. There are pegs to keep track of your car's "health" stats in various categories.

What I love about this game is the fact that the mechanics make sense with the theme. Bumping opponents and taking damage makes sense. Having to change gears makes sense. Braking hard, drafting, slowing for corners, etc. JUST MAKES SENSE! It is very thematic.

I also like that it plays well with up to 10 people and it also is fairly easy to teach and play with people ages 8 and up. A great family game. A MUST OWN!