--- title: "New Indie Game Feels Like the Second Coming of NFS Underground" date: "2026-08-24" modified: "2026-08-24" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/new-indie-game-feels-like-the-second-coming-of-nfs-underground" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "Video Games" --- # New Indie Game Feels Like the Second Coming of NFS Underground ![Screenshot of Heatwarped game, during race start]() *\Sealime\* Late last week, a demo for an indie racing game called *Heatwarped* appeared seemingly out of nowhere on Steam, and it very quickly began gaining people's attention. Take one look at the screenshot and gameplay footage, even the menus, and it's abundantly clear that *Heatwarped* is going for a very specific vibe that should appeal to many aging gamers and enthusiasts: It's trying to be *[Need for Speed: Underground]()*. Even wilder, as far as I can tell, it pretty much is. The demo contains a few single-player events including a drift competition, a chunk of the open-world city to explore, and some basic customization options for a fictional vehicle that looks like a cross between a Nissan 240SX and a Lexus SC. *Heatwarped*—which I regrettably keep accidentally typing as "Heatwrapped"—isn't complete at this stage, and there is no expected release window mentioned on [Steam](). Still, what little is present makes quite a statement. The way developer Sealime has nailed the visual makeup of [BlackBox's iconic games]() demonstrates the touch of a team that has seriously studied why *Underground* looked the way it did. The motion blur at speed, for example, isn't the more sophisticated and per-pixel blur more modern games use—it more closely resembles the accumulation blur effect that was common on the PlayStation 2, and *Heatwarped's* implementation is a dead-ringer for its inspiration. ![]() ![]() ![]() The city streets, just like *Underground's*, are weirdly glassy and reflective, even when it's not raining. The colors, neon lights, bloom, and vague bluish cast to everything just screams mid-aughts tuner *NFS*. It's all uncanny. It would already be something if *Heatwarped* simply looked the part, but I'm more taken by how it handles. There are a couple of behaviors that define BlackBox's physics engine for me, particularly from *Underground* through *Carbon*. Setting off from a stop is like spinning your wheels in mashed potatoes for like three seconds, until the tires grip and your controller stops quaking. Handling after that point is very grippy until the lateral momentum seems to entirely shift to your back wheels, and the steering gets heavy, but still pretty responsive. You never spin, but you can fishtail for days if you want. ![]() ![]() *Heatwarped* gets all that down pat, but it also benefits from the increased framerates and reduced input lag of two decades of technological progress. So it feels better than those games, too, and by a noticeable margin. Of course, the demo lets you drive exactly one car, so who's to say at this stage how the handling will map onto other vehicles. All the same, I immediately felt comfortable speeding through this alternate-dimension version of Bayview, that's apparently named Ratfield. Hey, it has a neighborhood called Ashtray! ![]() **Adam Ismail** As for other charming touches, I appreciate the BlackBerry-type cell phone used to explore the map, browse messages, enter photo mode, and find your next event. (Unfortunately, there's no Cingular Wireless sponsorship, to really couch *Heatwarped* in its era.) The customization options aren't super extensive at this stage but they're definitely appropriate, down to the body kit named "Ab-Smug." And I dig the music, which appears to come from lesser-known artists, but evokes the ambient techno and trance of early *[Midnight Club]()* games, as well as some instrumental rock that would've been home in pre-EA *Burnout*. ![]() ![]() ![]() While I'm usually the last person to hype up an indie project without a clear release date from a lesser-known dev, the fact that we already have a taste of how it'll play, and the fact what's here is already so competent, has me hopeful to watch *Heatwarped* take shape. [*Need for Speed* may be no more](), but as long as games like these are being made, its soul is immortal. *Got a tip? Reach out to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()