Azul Showdown | All 4 Azul Games REVIEWED, COMPARED & RANKED!

Подписаться 21 тыс.

Просмотров 22 тыс.

50% 1

It's time to do a head-to-head-to-head-to-head video comparison of all 4 Azul versions! We're doing mini-reviews of each game, picking our favourite in a variety of categories and then each ranking all 4 versions to determine which we each like the best (and least)!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
If you enjoy our videos, consider subscribing to the channel and/or joining our Discord community for further discussion, or support us either on Patreon, Paypal or by purchasing merchandise from our store! All links can be found below and we really appreciate your support!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/3...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
✨Official AYCB Discord Community✨
/ discord
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
👕The All You Can Board Merch Store👕
all-you-can-boards-store.crea...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
🌟If you'd like to, support us on Patreon!🌟
/ allyoucanboard
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
🙏Or if you'd prefer, send us a tip!🙏
www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted...
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
0:00 Overview
3:42 Azul Review
10:35 Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra Review
20:28 Azul: Summer Pavilion Review
29:15 Azul: Queen's Garden Review
39:45 Category Breakdowns
39:53 Art & Components
41:28 Scoring
43:01 Player Count
44:48 Player Interaction
46:44 Complexity
48:02 Gameplay & Mechanics
49:52 Dylann's Azul Rankings!
52:51 Carlo's Azul Rankings
55:16 The FUTURE of Azul

Игры

Опубликовано:

1 июл 2024

Ссылка:

Скачать:

Готовим ссылку...

Добавить в:

Мой плейлист

Посмотреть позже

Комментарии : 100

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

How would you rank the Azul versions? Which Azul is your favourite? And what would you like to see from Azul next?

@unlimitedrabbit Год назад

It all depends on what you like out of your Azul experience. I like brain burny strategy and Original Azul, while a modern day classic, feels kind of samey to me after a while, which is what made Queen's Garden rise to the top for me, although Summer Pavilion has the more solid mechanics.

@Cameronwatt Год назад

azul 4 is my favourite. I'm all for games like cascadia that are light and breezy, but I love the almost migraine feeling azul 4 does to my head.

@zmollon Год назад

OG>Summer pavilion>Sintra>Garden.

@michaelibk418 Год назад

1/3/4/2

@scottmackintosh5934 Год назад

My favourite is Sintra. I would like to see an outer space theme. A bit unrealistic but you never know

@scottmackintosh5934 Год назад

I’ve only played the original and stained glass. Stained glass is one of my favourite board games ever. I just absolutely love it and the strategy is perfect for my wife and I. For 2 players it is way better than the original and it feels and looks good to play. The addition of the tower for broken glass is genius. Even when losing points it’s still satisfying putting the pieces in the tower. I played a 4 player game recently and even though I finished 3rd I still enjoyed it and was still able to get a decent amount of points. Not possible in a lot of board games

@jamessherman7797 Год назад

Thanks for your thorough review and comparison. I have a gaming group and so far different members of the group own Azul (original) and Summer Pavilion. I just purchased Stained Glass of Sintra which I think looks fantastic with the game mechanics. Another member purchased Queen’s Garden. Soon, we will play them all. So far, we all really enjoy Summer Pavilion. When we played with 4 players the scoring was super tight with only a 4 point max. Difference between low and high score. That made it really fun.

@fr.philiplastimosa6799 Год назад

Awesome video. I just played all four this afternoon.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Wow! All 4 in one afternoon, that sounds awesome.

@xandermichael78 Год назад

Nice to hear your views on the Azul series. For me it's Queen's Garden WAY in the lead - first time I played it I knew it was my favourite for it's complexity. Then Summer Pavilion, which I almost got rid of thinking I didn't need two, but when I played it again it was nice to have a lighter, more relaxed version. Then regular Azul and lastly Sintra. For the future, I don't know if I need anything more. I love what they've done with Queen's Garden and I think that it'll be really hard to beat.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

That's totally fair and I see the appeal in Queen's Garden, even if it's not really for me. I agree that the series is in a good spot right now, I'm not sure I want anymore Azuls unless Kiesling comes up with something truly brilliant. - Carlo

@LoftOfTheUniverse 11 месяцев назад

Why Sintra last?

@DavidSupina Год назад

Okay, so just so you know, the centre in Summer Pavilion is supposed to be one of each colour, which because you can choose which colours take high numbers or low numbers, is the easiest star to complete. So it makes sense that this star is the lowest point value.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Riiiiiight, thank you! We both forgot during filming clearly, probably because that's the Azul that I think we've played the least.

@marmosetfreund8506 Год назад

Very helpful and thoughtful, thanks guys!

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

You're very welcome!

@jacobjslee Год назад

Thanks for doing this. I have the first Azul and have been wanting another one, but I wasn't sure which one to try next. I suspect they're not all for me. This video was helpful.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

You're welcome Jacob! ☺️

@markpatoka Год назад

1. Azul 2. Summer Pavilion 3. Sintra 4. Queen's Garden

@FlarkeFiasco 2 месяца назад

Great video, this was very helpful. Thanks

@AllYouCanBoard 2 месяца назад

Glad to hear it was helpful. Thanks for watching!

@ManL02 Год назад

I love the original, it's a game my 9 year old will always pick first. But after a couple dozen times I still like to confirm her point count. Also, Azul worker placement!!! Yesssss!!!

@tonycork2pa469 Год назад

- Thanks for another great video discussion - I really like your content! - My version ranking from 4th to 1st is Sinistra, QG, SP and Original (I have only played the Original, however, and only imagine my experience of the others). I think with time, the more complex QG could grow on me. - As for the future, it's really an open book, isn't it - but I would like to see more innovation in "Azul 5", let me pitch something wild. - 3-by-3 grid of Octagons, which leave 4 diamond shaped between them. - In lieu of the Factory, 2, 3 or 4 consecutive tiles are drafted from one community string (starting with 6 tiles). - Players choose to pick up 2, 3 or 4 straight or add one to the line. - All tiles chosen must all be added to one of the 9 Octagons. - Octagons earn more points for being most diverse (1 of each of 8 available colors), with pts scaling down for pairs, triples etc. - Bonus pts earned in the 4 diamonds for the number of connected completed Octagons (0 to 4, completion being an Octagon filled with 8 tiles). I haven't thought through the rest, but this could be fun. I agree with Carlo that I would not like to see the brand milked with a Roll & Write or Dice version. I am also not a big fan of Campaign or Legacy style games.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Cool idea for a 5th! Time to do a pitch meeting with Plan B Games haha. :P

@jacobramirez5974 Год назад

I remember not being too keen on original Azul so I didn't even try the others. Then my wife showed me Queen's Garden and I loved it! Next in series? 🤔 Perhaps King's Castle?

@Snuffy1604 Год назад

I’ve only played the original. It was an early addition to my board game journey, so nostalgia runs deep in its tiles and gameplay. The enjoyment was complete when we added a second bag to replace the box lid collection option. This video will lead me to try another version for sure. Thank you.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Let us know which version you play next!

@Snuffy1604 Год назад

Well, I’ve just gone and ordered Summer Pavillion. Thanks again.

@marcoperilla9152 Год назад

OMG! I was like “ok, they aren’t spending much time in the first one” and nine minutes later I’m like “dude, this is an hour long video! 🥶”

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Yup, that was the goal - to review all 4 games and have an in-depth discussion of how they all compare to each other. We have time stamps in our videos, so you can skip the parts you might not want to watch. But for people who want all the details, they can watch the whole thing. This way everyone can get what they want out of the video.

@jalinstockdale9625 Год назад

I finally played Queens Garden. I think after more plays it could be my number 1. 1. Summer Pavilion 2. Queens Garden 3. Regular Azul 4. Stained Glass

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Seems like the most common thing people agree on is Sintra being #4, even though it's still a good game.

@garytheosophilus Год назад

I can’t answer your prompt questions because I haven’t played any. I’m thinking about buying at least one for my “collection” and I think you’ve described their features comprehensively that I’m now confident where I’ll start ;+)

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Yes! So exciting to get into Azul for the first time.

@Oaklestat Год назад

I own and have played all of them a lot. My ranking would be Queens Garden, Stained Glass, Summer Pavilion, and then OG Azul. For my wife it is Queens Garden, OG Azul, Summer Pavilion and then Stained Glass.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Lots of love for Queen's Garden! That's awesome.

@diamondmeeple Год назад

Carlo, you're the man 🙂

@CJM3407 Год назад

Its weird that you ping Sintra for basically being solvable (based on your statement of once you get good, you lose replaybility), when base azul has always been that for me. I have tried different tactics, but the clear and best (very solved) way to play azul, is to concentrate to the best of your ability on columns in vertical order 1,2,3... and when you have to take a consolation color, work on the next column adjacent to your first. The scoring just racks up so fast with that strategy. While SIntra, especially at 2, you are have to play what you are given, and really watch what you can sneak right now because your opponents glazier can't claim these X colors. We have Base and Sintra, and there is definitely player interaction heavy in both. But my wife and I are generally always able to pull off the connective growing strategy i mentioned above, despite what hate drafting might be happening.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Totally fair points and to an extent I agree with you, but after about 50 plays of Azul and playing at each player count quite a bit, even with the scoring optimization you mentioned, the game has still never felt solved for me. Between the end-game bonuses and hate drafting, I've found there are still plenty of tough decisions to be made every time I play. Sintra has tough decisions too, and I didn't mean to say it would be solved, but I could already see myself enjoying it less after each play as I got better at the game, which didn't happen to me with either of the other 3 Azul games. - Carlo

@barbaramazzocca4605 Год назад

I have a friend who has never played anything other than dominoes. 🤣 I taught her Azul first and she caught on fairly well. A few weeks later, I taught her Summer Pavilion. She absolutely couldn't wrap her head around those rules. Like you, I thought it would be easier to teach and understand. I think the fact that Azul has a place holder for each tile and a specific place it goes, was easier. I love both Azul and Summer Pavilion equally. I'm asking for Queen's Garden for Xmas! Haven't played Sintra, because it doesn't have the same visual appeal to me.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Yeah, the original is probably the most intuitive, even if the scoring can be just a BIT confusing for people in their first game.

@suzanne202 Год назад

Barbara, I LOVE Queens Garden! I hope you get it for Xmas. It's a brain burner though, for sure!

@Reikyt Год назад

Great video, guys. A brilliant and comprehensive look at all four. I own and love the first Azul, and have played Queen’s Garden once but wasn’t so keen. I feel as though the first Azul was almost lightning in a bottle and they’re trying to recapture that with somewhat similar abstract games but nothing can match the surprise joy of the original. I’d like the try the others but cannot see any topping the original for me. I’m sure there will be a fifth and it’ll be interesting to see what it is when it is announced.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Yeah I do think it's impressive that, in my opinion, none of the versions are bad and each has made a case for its own existence. None of them feel like a "cash-in" to me.

@Reikyt Год назад

@@AllYouCanBoard I completely agree. They’re all well made games and there’s certainly enough difference for everyone to have there own favourite. It’s definitely the first for me. It had no hype or expectations whilst I’m always going to be comparing the others up against it. I do wonder how I would fee if I had played one of the others first or they’d come out in a different order.

@brainb8 Год назад

This was a great breakdown, thank you. I only have the original Azul, and while my group enjoys playing it, it doesn’t hit the table all that often. So for me, I don’t think I need to explore the others. The biggest surprise from your break down was that you typically do not play the advanced side of the base game. I’m wondering if my group should play the starting side of the board again, because we moved away from it after a couple plays, and never returned to that side. I’ll suggest it next time it comes up.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Could be that us not using the back side of the original Azul boards is an oversight on our part, now I feel like I should go back and try it again. - Carlo

@gmont66g Год назад

@brainb8 your group is DEFINITELY missing out. Both Cintra and Summer Pavillion are fascinating and complex games. SP in particular is a favorite that we keep going back to, and it always blows our minds in terms of which strategy the winner used, it's never the same. We just got Queens Garden, and it blew me away. Once again they come up with a VERY compelling and extremely hard game to master.

@snowchamp Год назад

My rank goes Original, Queens, Summer, Stained. Rationale being I love OG for the simplicity, then prefer the most complex over the least amongst the 3 newer versions. Aka, I generally like complex games with deeper strategy yet go for simplicity at times.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Solid order!

@itsGabrielaCristina Год назад

I have only tried the original, but nothing has compelled me to get the other ones. Azul scratches this very specific itch so I don’t need more of them 😂🤷🏻‍♀️

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

The original is so good!

@jacobmartin9021 Год назад

I'm a huge euro head so QG is peak for me. Looking to get the mini expansion as well for even more tank time. Also I think the SP expansion addresses your complaint about the middle star being a viable strategy as doing out the math you're right that it can only score high enough to win if your opponents fumble in the base game.

@DumahAtreides Год назад

I played Queen's the first time last weekend. Our thoughts were similar to Carlo. Queen's wasn't bad but it was a ton of learning to provide the same sort of placement puzzle as Calico or Cascadia - two games that are completely accessible to family who like less complex games. I'd rather keep in my collection those games that are more versatile. We sold Sintra after one play and only gotten to play Summer Pavillion once at a con. I'd consider buying Summer Pavillion, but so far original Azul is my favorite. I'd suggest giving the Crystal Mosiac boards a shot as my favorite if I'm playing with people who know the game. The new Chocolatier game does have another new variation that might be good - some special action based on the factory tiles.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Thanks, Shawn! Didn't realize there were any substantial changes in the Chocolatier version. And I've heard good things about Crystal Mosaic, maybe we'll check it out. - Carlo

@LoftOfTheUniverse 11 месяцев назад

Summer pavilion looks the best. The original looks kinda odd with the color choices on the tiles

@ianwilz1979 5 месяцев назад

Original Azul is still my favorite. I've played at 2 (my wife and I), 3 (taught to my parents), and 4 (with students in my board game club at school I run). I haven't played Sintra or Summer Pavilion for awhile now so it's hard to rank them overall. We just learned Queen's Garden. I do enjoy all of them, but I feel like they get too complex for what I want from Azul most times. My wife doesn't want it to be too complex. Do you think we will see Azul Legacy? I would play a RnW/Dice version simply because it sounds like it could be played solo. A agree that I don't want any more complexity to it.

@AllYouCanBoard 15 дней назад

Hmmm, we'll see about Azul Legacy. If it happens, hopefully it turns out better than the Sagrada Legacy game (Artisans) which I've been hearing mostly negative things about. And yeah, even after some time from filming this video, we both still like the original Azul best. It really does hold up. - Carlo

@ianwilz1979 15 дней назад

@@AllYouCanBoard I e heard several good things about it. I guess it all depends on who plays.

@refreshdaemon Год назад

I've only played original Azul and Summer Pavilion, but I thought they were both fun in their own way. Original Azul gets the most play around me mostly because it's the simplest to teach. As for the next evolution of Azul--legacy sounds interesting. I also wonder if there's some way to bind the different existing games together into a campaign like how the West Kingdom games can be played in a campaign with Tomesaga, or if you can fuse the games together, similar to how the Century games can be put together to play a hybrid game. But I think the biggest likelihood, if we see any future Azuls (not counting the board expansions), is just another standard box, although I think having four of them is already pushing the limits of how much a person might want to invest into the title. I mean, I imagine that most people would just want to have original Azul and maybe get one of the other three for variation, who would be buying a fifth title?

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Yeah I think a 5th title at this point needs to do something really unique or novel to justify it existing. I'm certain it will happen, I just don't know what form it will take.

@barbaramazzocca4605 Год назад

Me! I love all the Azul games. I absolutely would buy another!

@MadSlantedPowers 10 месяцев назад

I didn’t like Sintra as much as the first. I would sometimes forget to flip a completed panel over, so it loses some points for fiddliness from me. I did come to like it a bit better the last couple times I played it. I haven’t played any of them as much as the original. I’ve played Calico and enjoyed it, but it was frustrating trying to fill things out. For some reason, Queen’s Garden didn’t other me as much in that regard. Been a while since played Summer Pavilion. Recently got the chocolate version, and liked the variant. That helped make it my girlfriend’s favorite (that plus realizing she could choose to not place a tile).

@natrc4593 Год назад

A great comparison! I recently got OG Azul and really enjoy it and was wondering whether it was worth having another Azul in my collection. After watching this video I'm leaning towards Summer Pavilion 😋

@donnab6391 Год назад

I have both original and Summer Pavilion. I like Summer Pavilion a lot! Was never interested in Stained Glass of Sintra. Seemed way too fiddly. Queen's Garden seems heavier, too much to consider for placement so I'm not interested in that one either. If Summer Pavilion looks interesting to you, I suspect you might like it.

@natrc4593 Год назад

@@donnab6391 thank you! So you think they're different enough to warrant having both of them?

@donnab6391 Год назад

@@natrc4593 Yes, definitely, Nat.

@Cameronwatt Год назад

@@natrc4593 I sold og azul after buying summer pav, and I'll probably be selling summer pav now I have queens garden. I'm not shy about culling games though. I can see why having them all would make people happy though.

@natrc4593 Год назад

Thank you both for your feedback :)

@sadekhanna Год назад

The Chocolate Edition will include a new variant, but probably not so relevant that it would change anyone's mind about it. In Summer Pavilion you need the middle star for the "all 1-4" bonus points.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

Good to know about the chocolate edition, and thanks for the reminder about the middle star! You're totally right, and I think we both forgot while filming (probably because Summer Pavilion is the Azul that we've played the least so far).

@DinoGramatikov Год назад

Happy you guys finally found time for this. For the record: QG: 10 OG: 9.5 SP: 9 Sintra: 8.5 I have to say in singing its praises I have evaluated QG on its own and not as a game expecting to give me the Azul vibe. For that OG is still the perfect candidate. QG is a great design in and of itself - the drafting reminiscent of the other Azuls is just there as a convenience. It completely replaces SP, and Sintra is just.. gone with the wind.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

We tend to agree quite a bit when it comes to games, so just for the heck of it I'll give my (approximate) ratings: OG: 9 SP: 8 or 8.5 (need more plays to decide) QG: 7 Sintra: 6.5 Sintra and QG both fall into the "I'll never request to play but wouldn't make a fuss if others wanted to play" range, whereas the other 2 games I would probably request after not having played for a while. I always appreciate your thoughts, Dino, thanks! - Carlo

@brucebush5744 Год назад

From best to worse I’d go SP, Azul, Sintra, Queens. Queens Garden upped the complexity too much for me without enough reward - but that extra complexity will be great for some people. I’m not convinced that there’ll be more in the series, there’s the danger of diminishing returns setting in. Enjoyed listening to your thoughts and discussion.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

I love how everyone seems to have different thoughts and ranks on the Azul games. It speaks to just how good they all are that there's such a variety in opinions.

@draheim90 Год назад

I actually have the same ranking as both of you…as I haven’t tried Summer Pavilion so for me it’s Azul > Queen’s Garden > Sintra. I owned the first two but culled QG as for me it was a 2p only game that I’d probably never choose to play over another 60 min+ mid-weight game or shorter 2p game. Base Azul is good but I don’t know if I’ll ever play the others again, unless someone is really excited to do so.

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

That's a fair assessment on QG and your thoughts seem to align with Carlo there.

@igorcarvalho8298 Год назад

I've played: Original...... +200 Sintra..........+150 Quens garden...+70 The Azul serie gets better each new game, but Queen's Garden is really The Azul game for gamers

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

It's going to be hard to pass the original for me, but Queen's Garden is a great implementation of the Azul formula, in my opinion! - Dylann

@LuxisAlukard Год назад

Here my prediction for 5th or maybe 6th Azul game - it's going to be 3D! =)

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

WhooooOoOoOoOoOoa

@Andalosity Год назад

Kind of an unrelated question, but I see sleeping gods up there. If we like above and below decently enough, will we LOVE sleeping gods? I mean, he's iterated a bunch since then yeah?

@AllYouCanBoard Год назад

I haven't played Above and Below yet! But Sleeping Gods is an absolute joy.

@georgei8360 Год назад

Sleeping Gods is a cooperative experince with different game mechanics than Above and Below. The narrative in SG is a lot more immersive into the exploration, being an open world of possibilities. I played Above and Below like 5 times and enjoyed it, but not enough to keep it in my collection as I have games with more solid mechanics to play. Sleeping Gods is a campaign type of game where you should dedicate yourself to it, with many hours of playtime on the table. Is it worth it? I don't know?! It depends if you like exploring an open world full of encounters and challenges, keeping your crew in good shape and reading stories. The battles with various encounters are fun, as the game mechanism that I liked the most. I had a nice experince with the game after one campaign and I'm keeping it in my collection for more as it is quite replayable. I would say around 10 campaigns.

@BoardAllTheTime Год назад

OG Azul is still my favourite of the group. I didn't like Sintra at all - it took everything that Azul did and just made it more complex to make it more gamery. I felt like it wasn't interesting at all. Summer Pavilion I ended up pretty solidly disliking - it's terrible with 3 (whoever is locked into that 3rd slot is just playing Kingmaker basically) and it's awful with four (if you're stuck being 3rd or 4th you might as well not be playing). I haven't tried Queen's Garden (yet) because I find my enjoyment of the series declines as it goes but I absolutely still love the original.

@jonathanleach383 Год назад

where would you rank azul master chocolatier?

@veerchasm1 9 месяцев назад

Travel Azul mini is the best!

@AllYouCanBoard 9 месяцев назад

Fair enough, we only considered the main versions, but a more portable version of Azul would be great to have. - Carlo

@emanuelmesquita3584 11 месяцев назад

Viva os Tugas!

@GlennDeBlock Год назад

1. Summer Pavillion 2. Queen's Garden 3. Sintra 4. Azul (too simple)

@gmont66g Год назад

Hi all, after reading a couple of comments saying after the 1st Azul you didn't feel the need to buy the others, let me tell ya. You are MISSING OUT big time. The other 3 games (Sintra, Summer Pavillion and Queens Garden) are even more interesting and complex then Azul, and almost impossible to master, because there's no definite strategy to win. In fact, after we bought the last 3, we don't play the original anymore, we always compare and decide for Summer Pavillion and now, Queens Garden. I always play with a group of 4, so I can't say anything about the games when you play with 2 players. A couple of things about Azul games: - this is a game for serious players, I don't think you can play casually just for fun; you really need to pay attention to what's happening. - you can only have a max of 4 players; in my case there's typically 6+ players available so we gravitate towards more simple and casual games for the whole family, like Kwirkle, or Tripoley

@gmont66g Год назад

Oh another thing. SP, QG, and Sintra are games where you don't know who's winning until the VERY end, when you apply the bonuses. This may be a turn off for certain players.

@MisterAbysmul Год назад

Summer Pavilion

@shockwavemasta Год назад

Azulllllll

@jrobinson5053 Год назад

Own and only played the original. Not really interested in the rest. I don’t care about winning games when people are playing on separate boards, or playing their own separate puzzle. I love abstract strategy games though, but I don’t know why this is considered one because most abstract strategy games are two players playing against each other on the same board with a strong game objective, rather than separate boards and a point based objective.