Azul: Summer Pavilion (2019)

“Immediately after the first play of Summer Pavilion, everyone at the table looked at each other and said, “This is a bit of a thinkier puzzle to solve”. It definitely is that and Summer Pavilion plays out as a wonderful puzzle to solve through the entirety of the game.”

The reviewer highly praises Azul Summer Pavilion, declaring it their favorite entry in the Azul series due to its engaging gameplay and evolution of the core mechanics.

The reviewer highly praises Azul: Summer Pavilion, calling it their current favorite in the Azul series for striking a sweet spot with more depth than the original while being less punishing and cutthroat.

The reviewer highly praises "Azul: Summer Pavilion" for its increased depth of choice and tactical drafting, particularly due to the wild card system, considering it the most complex but also the most expansive game in the Azul series. Despite acknowledging the more intricate scoring and potential unfriendliness to new players, the reviewer ultimately awards it a "gold medal" for its engaging gameplay.

Tom Vasel and Zee Garcia found Azul: Summer Pavilion to be an excellent evolution of the series, praising its enhanced long-term strategic thinking, the engaging wild tile mechanic, and improved production quality, despite a minor issue with the scoring tokens.

“I absolutely think you should play Summer Pavilion. If you like Azul but are feeling a little bored by it, Summer Pavilion injects some energy into the game.”

While primarily reviewing the mini versions, the reviewer praised Azul: Summer Pavilion for its beautiful production, engaging gameplay, and strategic depth, noting that its unique changes kept it a valued part of their game collection.

The reviewer highly recommends "Azul: Summer Pavilion," stating it is everything they wanted the original "Azul" to be and more, offering improved scoring versatility, greater player agency, and a less punishing experience by allowing players to bank tiles.

“Despite that issue though, I really enjoy playing this, and all my friends who are Azul fans like it a lot too. It’s a great evolution of the series and if you are a fan of Azul 1 you will almost certainly love this one!”

“A new challenger approaches, though, in the guise of Azul: Summer Pavilion. Wheels is here in this Dicebreaker double-biller to not only review it.”

The reviewer found Azul: Summer Pavilion to be a highly engaging and slightly more complex evolution of the original Azul, praising its enhanced tactile experience and the addition of clever mechanics that maintain the game's smooth flow. They highlight its potential to be the definitive 'Azul' experience for many players.

“I do genuinely think there is space in the collection for Azul and Azul Summer Pavilion, if you asked me to pick one after 7 vs 100+ plays, the newness and want to play more Azul Summer Pavilion I’d say Azul Summer Pavilion.”