Plan B, the team behind popular tile-drafting game Azul, has revealed that the game will be getting a brand new version to be released later this year. The new game, titled Azul: Queen's Garden, promises to be the biggest and best version of Azul yet, with more dynamic player boards than the original version, as well as the same high-quality components that you've come to expect from the company.
Azul: Queen's Garden - A Historical Basis
The original game in the series, simply title Azul, was about laying tiles for the king of Portugal, Manuel I, in the Palace of Evora. Subsequent expansions and sequels have added to both the gameplay and lore, with the addition of stained glass and a summer pavilion added into the mix. Azul: Queen's Garden takes you back to the employ of King Manuel I once again, this time to construct the best possible garden you can for Queen Maria of Aragon.
Not many details were revealed about the game, besides the title and box art, but Plan B has promised that the game is going to have a lot more going on than previous entries in the series. On their official Facebook page, Plan B said that Queen's Garden "is the biggest entry in the family with more quality components, bigger and more dynamic player boards, and new hexagonal shape tiles". But it looks like we'll have to wait for release before we know exactly what the new gameplay actually entails, and whether it keeps the same spirit as Azul.
Not Long To Wait
Luckily, if you're itching to get your hands on a new form of Azul then you won't have long to wait. One of the world's biggest tabletop industry trade shows, Spiel 2021, is just around the corner and according to Plan B themselves, that is exactly when Queen's Garden will be dropping. That puts the release date as between the 14th and the 18th of October. So just around a month to wait before you're once again laying tiles with the best of them. If it's anything like previous entries in the series, this will be one of the most beautiful board games it is possible to play, but only time will tell. At least we have plenty of other games to keep us entertained in the meantime.
