Azul, the gorgeous game of tile-placing, is now available across the Outposts. A real stand-out and perfect for the holidays, we could not miss out on the opportunity to put Azul in the spotlight.
The story of Azul goes as follows: Once there was a Portugese king who completely, head-over-heels, fell in love with Moorish decorative tiles. He immediately ordered his tile-placing-minions (aka the players) to start decorating the walls of his royal palace in Evora ...
... and it was so incredibly BORING! Seriously nobody cares about this backstory at all ....
Now wait a moment, don't go yet! Just because that story was sleep-inducing doesn't mean the game is .... in fact, you'd be incredibly surprised at just how interesting a game of Azul actually is.
In any random game of Azul players first need to take tiles from one of 5 different locations. They HAVE to take all the tiles of a single colour and then put them on their boards.
The goal is to match up a bunch of tiles and transfer them to a premade pattern where you score points. Whoever gets the most points at the end of the game wins!
Ok, that sounds simple enough. Take tiles, match tiles, and then place them strategically on a pattern to score points .... but it doesn't sound very exciting?
Ah, well, in a universe where you'd be the sole tile-placing minion that would be true yes. But do you know what always messes with perfection, tranquility, and your dreams? Both in real life and games?
OTHER HUMANS!
Suddenly someone takes those three tiles you needed to complete your row! But wait, if you take these tiles, then those tiles become available on the next turn .... assuming nobody takes them. Aha! But now I have stolen that one tile you needed to complete your column, mwahahaha!
Seriously this game is cutthroat!
Before you know it you'll have dug yourself into a right ol' mess where you suddenly start to accrue penalty points (because that's a thing) and every little decision you make becomes a tactical fight to the death as you struggle with other players for the tiles you need to match up and complete your patterns.
And all the while the game looks so innocent and pretty! I mean the tiles themselves are tactile and gorgeous, the cardboard sturdy and thick, the game boards look sublime and simple.
Honestly, the contents of this box are so well thought out it stands upon the edge of tactical complexity and simplicity of rules .... I know right? We couldn't believe it either ...
There you have it. Behind the innocence and beauty of an otherwise unnoticeable game lies a true depth of strategy and 'wheedling-yourself-out-of-tight-spots-you-yourself-created'!
So if you're tired of slaying dragons and killing hordes of zombies, why not treat yourself to a murderous game of tile-placing this Christmas? We promise you'll have fun in the process!
Azul is available right now on both our web and physical stores.
