You know what? Azul feels like a calm puzzle and a sneaky fight, all in one. It looks pretty on the table. It sounds nice, too. Those tiles click like candy. I taught my mom in five minutes. She beat me twice. I’m still a little salty.
What it feels like
Azul is a tile-drafting game. You grab tiles from little circles (they’re called factories) and slide them onto your board. At the end of each round, you move completed rows to your wall and score points for touching tiles. The game ends when someone finishes one row on the wall.
I usually play with my husband, and with friends on Friday nights. We play in 30 to 40 minutes. My niece is nine, and she gets it. She loves the blue tiles. She calls them “candy blues.” I don’t correct her. I get it.
A quick snapshot of play
- 2 players: 5 factories
- 3 players: 7 factories
- 4 players: 9 factories
You take all tiles of one color from a factory. The rest slide to the center. If you take from the center first that round, you grab the first-player tile—but it’s a tiny penalty. It drops to your “floor line,” which means minus points. Ouch, but sometimes it’s still worth it.
When you place a tile from your pattern line to your wall, you score for lines that touch. Count left and right. Count up and down. If both sides connect, you add both. Feels great when it chains.
Real moments from my table
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The “floor line drama”: Last Sunday, my friend Ethan got stuck with four black tiles at the end of a round. They didn’t fit his rows, so they fell to the floor line. That was -6 points. He laughed, then fake-cried into his seltzer. We still tease him.
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The “big chain”: I placed a yellow into the center spot of row three. It touched two yellows to the left and one above. That was 3 points for the row and 2 for the column, so 5 total. Later, that same column filled. End game, I got +7 for the column bonus. That swing helped me win 78–70.
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Kid clutch play: My niece grabbed three reds from a factory and blocked me from finishing a color set. She didn’t even mean to. I ended with four of that color, not five. That’s missing the +10 color bonus. She did a tiny dance. I ate humble pie.
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Two-player stare-down: In a date-night match, my husband tried to make me take the center late. I counted tiles and took a small, weird pick from a factory just to delay. He had to take the center instead and ate a -3. I won 74–66. We still held hands, so it’s fine.
What I love
- The tiles: Heavy, smooth, and very “clicky.” Feels like a clean desk toy.
- Easy rules, real depth: You score by adjacency. But timing the grab matters a lot.
- Quick setup: Two minutes. Clean up is fast, too.
- Pretty table look: The wall pattern pops, even under warm kitchen lights.
- Scales well: Snappy at two. Chaotic at four. Both fun.
What bugs me (a little)
- Color clashes: The black and blue can blend under soft light or for color-blind friends. The patterns help, but not always. (If you’re as obsessed with bright palettes as I am, you might enjoy reading about my full week with the riotously colorful Color Rush prototype.)
- Late-round pain: If you miscount, you may eat a handful of tiles and lose points on the floor line. Feels harsh for new players.
- Analysis paralysis: Some folks think too long. A sand timer wouldn’t hurt.
- Box insert: It’s okay, not great. My tiles slide if I store it upright.
Tiny strategy tips that helped me
(If you’re hunting for even more ways to outscore your friends, this thorough Azul strategy guide breaks down advanced tactics.)
- Track colors: If five blues are already on walls, maybe don’t chase more blue that round.
- Don’t overfill early: One perfect tile now beats four wasted tiles later.
- The center trap: Leaving a rotten mix in the middle can force someone to take a penalty. Be that villain—kindly.
- Grab for chains: Place tiles where they touch both a row and a column. Double points feel like fireworks.
- Try the variant board: Once you learn, flip the board to the open side. It’s puzzly and spicy.
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Scoring bits I keep in my head
- Completed row at game end: +2
- Completed column at game end: +7
- All five of one color: +10
- Floor line penalties stack: -1, -1, -2, -2, -2, -3, -3 (it hurts, trust me)
Who will like Azul?
- Families who want a calm game with sneaky choices
- Puzzle fans who like patterns and clean lines
- Date nights with tea, music, and light trash talk
- Board game cafés—this one teaches fast and looks good on a table
- Word-game lovers who crave the quick-fire pressure of Tapple but want something calmer between bouts
If you want something a bit crunchier later, Azul has cousins. Stained Glass of Sintra moves tiles and feels more tactical. Summer Pavilion gives you wilds and bigger combos. For another tile-drafting delight, check out Calico at Flatout Games; its quilt-building puzzle scratches a similarly satisfying itch. I still come back to the original. It’s simple, clever, and cozy.
Final take
Azul is my comfort game. It’s easy to teach, quick to play, and just plain pretty. I love the clack of the tiles and the little “gotcha” moments. It can be mean by mistake, which is funny… unless you’re the one taking -6.
Would I pull it off the shelf on a weeknight? Yep. Almost every time.