Azul is almost certainly my favorite abstract game. It is an easy favorite among almost every type of gamer. Those who are more conflict averse, who prefer a more relaxed game, will love building their own tiles, going for their own combos and have a good time. However, players who enjoy a more cut-throat competitive scene will find solace in the deep strategy in both planning your own combos and blocking your opponents.

In my experience, Azul tends to have very tight games regardless of which strategy you use. While there is a score tracker above each player mat available for everybody to see, the end of game bonuses often make up a significant portion of the final tally, which can make the game even more exciting.

This game plays best at 2 players, as it allows for more strategic planning, rather than accounting for all of the possible options of 4 players boards and tile selection options specific to each one. For this reason, if you are looking for that cut-throat competitive game, you are better off sticking to just 2 players.

Overall, Azul is a must have. It is a great gateway game, a great strategy game, a magnificent game to relax and unwind and just enjoy the beauty of the artwork. There’s no going wrong here.

Make the right selection and pick up Azul as the next tile for your board-game wall.

You may also like, Santorini, Hive, any of the expansions to Azul

Information for this review is based on my plays with 2, 3, and 4 players.