How long does a game of Azure take?

A typical game of Azure takes approximately 60 minutes.

What are the best video reviews of Azure?

MindForge has curated 15 video reviews of Azure from top board game content creators.

Azure - Board Game

Video _l8Hd-fZiWY TheGameBoyGeek - Hi Quality Hi Energy Board Game Reviews Top List at 15:17 sentiment: other

video_pk 104873 · mention_pk 302662

Click to watch at 15:17 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Amazing

Pros

Pure abstract game
Plays quickly (15-20 minutes)
Satisfying engine building with cost reduction
Minorities for mountain creatures grant special abilities or points
Base game is amazing
Mini expansion is included with the base game
Separate expansion is also awesome

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Abstract
Mountains

Comparison games

Splendor
Mandala

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

abstract — A pure abstract game.
Area Majority — Players try to have majorities for mountain creatures to gain abilities or points.
Card Drafting — Players play cards to pay costs and place stones.
Engine Building — Placing stones provides discounts in rows and columns, building an engine.
Tile Placement — Players place stones on a board.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is going to be a top 10 games at Gen Con. This means I have played all of these.
Container is an economic game which is mostly a closed economic game where you are creating goods from a factory that other people will buy.
It's a mediumweight euro. It's crunchy.
This is a pure abstract game, two-player that takes like 15 or 20 minutes.
Do not run. Do not run.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 3WZ_NmZvXmc Chairman of the Board Review at 0:16 sentiment: positive

video_pk 95169 · mention_pk 261295

Click to watch at 0:16 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Best 2026 release played so far
Fantastic two-player game designers
Distinct feel compared to other designs
Enjoyable spinning plates of getting points or cards
More layers to the game that unravel with play
Good back and forth, snatching benefits
Remarkably smooth and easy to play
Feels like a comprehensive game for its short playtime
Depth of gameplay is worth the extra workload of tracking advantages
Iconography and artwork are spot-on, clear, and vibrant
Fantastic, vivid, luscious animal card artwork
Nice package, a game that will be played for years
High fun factor
Good amounts of pressure and tenseness
Stealing things back and forth without feeling too catty or aggressive
Love the forward momentum
Love the game of attrition where running out of cards eliminates you
Ticks all the boxes for a two-player game
Top tier game
Best two-player game played this year
Quality of design

Cons

Sometimes have to constantly reassess the board because of the multiple advantages/gods going on simultaneously
Need to be quite alert to who has majorities

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Mandala
Patterns
Seven Wonders Jewel

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

area majority / influence — Placing tokens on a grid reduces the cost of other spots in the same row or column. Dominating rows/columns related to mountains grants bonuses or points.
Card Play — Players play cards of matching colors to place tokens on boards.
grid placement — Tokens are placed onto a grid composed of four separate boards that form a larger grid.
Hand Management — Players need to manage their hand of cards to ensure a steady flow of actions and to refill their hand when necessary.
Race for Points — The primary objective is to be the first to reach a certain score threshold (e.g., 25 or 30 points).
Set Collection — Implicitly, collecting cards of specific colors is key to placing tokens.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

This is a twoplayer only 20inut game by two designers who have done a great job of making two-player games.
As I mentioned, um, Gilbert and Benjamin have quite a high place in my personal two-player board game designer rankings because they've previously designed Mandala as well as Patterns, which is another kind of Mandala adjacent game that I think are two of the best two-player games of all times, of all time.
It's remarkably smooth and easy to play. It feels like you're playing quite a comprehensive game for, you know, such a short time frame.
Now, my only small nitpick with the game is that sometimes you do have to constantly kind of reassess the board because there are again those four gods going on at the same time.
But that extra load, that extra workload is worth it based on the depth of the game play in my opinion.
Iconography and the artwork in this game is is spoton. Nice and clear and vibrant. The card artwork is fantastic. These really vivid, luscious animals.
So, yeah, really enjoying this one. You know, high fun factor. um a good amounts of um kind of pressure and tenseness. Um some good back and forth, stealing things back and forth from each other, but without feeling too catty or too aggressive.
I love the forward momentum of this game as things get cheaper and cheaper and that grid fills up.
I also love that that kind of game of attrition with this where if you run out of cards, you will not be able to play anymore and you'll be eliminated from the game.
This one for me is a top tier one.
And as I said, I'm pretty sure the best two player certainly the best two-player game I've played this year and um also I think probably the best 2026 release that I've played so far this year and no doubt it's going to end up in the say the top five of the year for me, maybe even in the top three. It is that quality of a design.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video noWw2AIj9O0 Watch It Played Discussion at 16:25 sentiment: positive

video_pk 83945 · mention_pk 212572

Click to watch at 16:25 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

two-player satisfying experience
great components and minis
dragon powers and pathing feel thematic

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

costly actions and discounts — costs are high but discounts exist for other stones on the path.
dragons with powers — dragons provide abilities; players manage resources to trigger powers.
grid-based placement — placing stones to run paths along a grid to gain rewards.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

What drew me to Legions is more Abyss.
Abyss is a fantastic game.
Gloom Haven second edition, which is a revised and elevated version of the award-winning core game Gloom Haven.
I like Aquatica.
I have a huge heart for this game. I love Rivals for Katan.
The Druids of Adora is a brand new Stefenfeld game that is just seems to have gone wildly unnoticed.
I'm super excited about the druids of Adora.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video noWw2AIj9O0 Watch It Played Discussion at 16:25 sentiment: positive

video_pk 83945 · mention_pk 336062

Click to watch at 16:25 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

two-player satisfying experience
great components and minis
dragon powers and pathing feel thematic

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

costly actions and discounts — costs are high but discounts exist for other stones on the path.
dragons with powers — dragons provide abilities; players manage resources to trigger powers.
grid-based placement — placing stones to run paths along a grid to gain rewards.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

What drew me to Legions is more Abyss.
Abyss is a fantastic game.
Gloom Haven second edition, which is a revised and elevated version of the award-winning core game Gloom Haven.
I like Aquatica.
I have a huge heart for this game. I love Rivals for Katan.
The Druids of Adora is a brand new Stefenfeld game that is just seems to have gone wildly unnoticed.
I'm super excited about the druids of Adora.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video K-QAYOqYAso The Cardboard Herald Discussion at 0:04 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81681 · mention_pk 203964

Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

great game
resin upgrades look cool
expansion content and upgraded content fit in the original box
box has plenty of room and protects components

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Azure along with My Little which are both great games.
look awesome
these resin beasts that look so cool
Not exactly a highly technical demo, but a functional one nonetheless.
How to get all of Azure including the expansion content and upgraded content with some protection and organization into one box.
I hope you do it yourself
craft time videos on the channel because we do crafty stuff in this home either way and we might as well show you how to do it, too.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video XNVoZ_rSo6Q The Dice Tower Analysis at 1:03 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 81280 · mention_pk 200934

Click to watch at 1:03 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Integrates smoothly (Mike)
Adds possibilities and other paths to chase (Mike)
Provides an alternate win condition and extra way to draw cards (Mike)
Adds extra cards without much rule overhead (Mike)
Offers an alternate game mode that elevates the base game (Mike)
Resin miniatures are awesome (Mike)
Small, elegant touch with upgraded miniatures (Mike)

Cons

Tray with lid doesn't fit in the box straight across (Chris)
Chris Yee will not choose to play with it, feels it distracts from the core game
Chris Yee feels it's not more of what he already liked, but a distraction
Upgraded miniatures are unnecessary (Mike)

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Seven Wonders Duel
The Lord of the Rings Duel
Splendor Duel

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

alternate win condition — Getting the yellow dragon all the way to your side is an alternate win condition for the game in the Cosmos expansion.
Area Control — Controlling spaces on the board grants boons. There's a tug-of-war element with a dragon track.
Card Drafting — Players play out cards, paying costs, and checking for control. Cards are used to pay for spaces.
Set Collection — The core game involves gaining points by collecting sets of tiles (implied by the description of 'clever things that I've learned I can do in Azul').
tug-of-war — A new track with a yellow dragon introduces a tug-of-war mechanic where players move the dragon towards their side for points or an alternate win condition.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I will not choose to play with it.
this expansion distracts me from what I like about Azul.
It is the type of expansion I want because it's like having an alternate game mode.
So, it's one of those things that kind of elevates the game because I now have two fun ways to play it.
The resin miniatures They're awesome. They're awesome.
To me Azul is a very pure abstract game experience and I guess I just became enamored with that experience
This is going to This is going to really make you have to delve deeper into your brain to be able to kind of deal with the different things that are going to happen.
It introduces are just delightful and potentially devastating, which is great.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video XNVoZ_rSo6Q The Dice Tower Analysis at 1:03 sentiment: mixed

video_pk 81280 · mention_pk 333708

Click to watch at 1:03 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

mixed

Pros

Integrates smoothly (Mike)
Adds possibilities and other paths to chase (Mike)
Provides an alternate win condition and extra way to draw cards (Mike)
Adds extra cards without much rule overhead (Mike)
Offers an alternate game mode that elevates the base game (Mike)
Resin miniatures are awesome (Mike)
Small, elegant touch with upgraded miniatures (Mike)

Cons

Tray with lid doesn't fit in the box straight across (Chris)
Chris Yee will not choose to play with it, feels it distracts from the core game
Chris Yee feels it's not more of what he already liked, but a distraction
Upgraded miniatures are unnecessary (Mike)

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Seven Wonders Duel
The Lord of the Rings Duel
Splendor Duel

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

alternate win condition — Getting the yellow dragon all the way to your side is an alternate win condition for the game in the Cosmos expansion.
Area Control — Controlling spaces on the board grants boons. There's a tug-of-war element with a dragon track.
Card Drafting — Players play out cards, paying costs, and checking for control. Cards are used to pay for spaces.
Set Collection — The core game involves gaining points by collecting sets of tiles (implied by the description of 'clever things that I've learned I can do in Azul').
tug-of-war — A new track with a yellow dragon introduces a tug-of-war mechanic where players move the dragon towards their side for points or an alternate win condition.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I will not choose to play with it.
this expansion distracts me from what I like about Azul.
It is the type of expansion I want because it's like having an alternate game mode.
So, it's one of those things that kind of elevates the game because I now have two fun ways to play it.
The resin miniatures They're awesome. They're awesome.
To me Azul is a very pure abstract game experience and I guess I just became enamored with that experience
This is going to This is going to really make you have to delve deeper into your brain to be able to kind of deal with the different things that are going to happen.
It introduces are just delightful and potentially devastating, which is great.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Yxe8dldbbtA The Dice Tower Review at 3:49 sentiment: positive

video_pk 81246 · mention_pk 200687

Click to watch at 3:49 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

adds a little bit more variability
some bigger boards to kind of play with
a little more space to play with
really glad that it's there and it improves my experience

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

Azure

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Tug of War — adds this kind of seven wonders dual tugof-war type track to Azure

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I feel like that was the case here. Uh it just kind of distracted I felt from what I like in the core experience of Azure.
But man, I wish a few tweaks uh could be made to it to make it a truly excellent, excellent game.
It it just doesn't feel like any other uh cooperative game that I can think of and I love the theme and the look of it.
This is one where I really feel like it gives me more of what I already like about Moour.
There just something about it that missed the mark for me. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it was okay.
The pirates has almost nothing to do with the theme at all, but a fun little game.
It's a nice looking game from Panosaurus. It just at the end it just felt it felt fine.
but the the game itself is a really nice game.
It's like an adult version of the Haba game Monza.
Beautiful cards, but not a great game.
Really enjoyed this one.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Yxe8dldbbtA The Dice Tower Review at 7:24 sentiment: negative

video_pk 81246 · mention_pk 200693

Click to watch at 7:24 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

negative

Pros

liked the base game

Cons

expansion fundamentally changes the way the game feels, which is not good
distracted from the core experience
not the way the reviewer wants to play the game

Thematic elements

none

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I feel like that was the case here. Uh it just kind of distracted I felt from what I like in the core experience of Azure.
But man, I wish a few tweaks uh could be made to it to make it a truly excellent, excellent game.
It it just doesn't feel like any other uh cooperative game that I can think of and I love the theme and the look of it.
This is one where I really feel like it gives me more of what I already like about Moour.
There just something about it that missed the mark for me. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it was okay.
The pirates has almost nothing to do with the theme at all, but a fun little game.
It's a nice looking game from Panosaurus. It just at the end it just felt it felt fine.
but the the game itself is a really nice game.
It's like an adult version of the Haba game Monza.
Beautiful cards, but not a great game.
Really enjoyed this one.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video Yxe8dldbbtA The Dice Tower Review at 7:24 sentiment: negative

video_pk 81246 · mention_pk 309706

Click to watch at 7:24 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

negative

Pros

liked the base game

Cons

expansion fundamentally changes the way the game feels, which is not good
distracted from the core experience
not the way the reviewer wants to play the game

Thematic elements

none

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Mechanics unknown.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I feel like that was the case here. Uh it just kind of distracted I felt from what I like in the core experience of Azure.
But man, I wish a few tweaks uh could be made to it to make it a truly excellent, excellent game.
It it just doesn't feel like any other uh cooperative game that I can think of and I love the theme and the look of it.
This is one where I really feel like it gives me more of what I already like about Moour.
There just something about it that missed the mark for me. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it was okay.
The pirates has almost nothing to do with the theme at all, but a fun little game.
It's a nice looking game from Panosaurus. It just at the end it just felt it felt fine.
but the the game itself is a really nice game.
It's like an adult version of the Haba game Monza.
Beautiful cards, but not a great game.
Really enjoyed this one.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 1B8ZAFMK45Y The Dice Tower Top List at 19:43 sentiment: other

video_pk 80057 · mention_pk 194264

Click to watch at 19:43 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Incredible

Pros

Interactions of simple rules are brilliant
Incredible amount of gameplay
Replayable with flippable/rotatable boards

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Play — Players pay three cards of a certain color to place a stone.
Discount — Every stone a player has creates a discount in that row and column.
Race — A race to 25 points.
Resource Management — Players pay to place stones using cards.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I think it's truly astonishingly great.
The rules get out of the way. You're immediately in your opponent's head.
Brilliant, truly amazing.
This is the most streamlined version of it where I feel like they they really smoothened out some of the weirder edges.
Brilliant, absolutely amazing.
Brilliant, interesting tactical, you know, not combat but like area majority type decisions.
oh my gosh, this game is incredible.
It is so simple structurally but it does have a lot of powers.
It's just incredible how much gameplay you get out of this.
This is like a more approachable version of Agricola.
It's actually my preferred game in that whole series of It's one of my favorite Uwe Rosenberg games, actually.
This is I think Knetia's best two-player two-player game.
And yeah, this is one of my favorite two-player games of all time, if not my absolute favorite.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video 1B8ZAFMK45Y The Dice Tower Top List at 19:43 sentiment: other

video_pk 80057 · mention_pk 337530

Click to watch at 19:43 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

Incredible

Pros

Interactions of simple rules are brilliant
Incredible amount of gameplay
Replayable with flippable/rotatable boards

Cons

none

Thematic elements

Comparison games

none

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Card Play — Players pay three cards of a certain color to place a stone.
Discount — Every stone a player has creates a discount in that row and column.
Race — A race to 25 points.
Resource Management — Players pay to place stones using cards.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I think it's truly astonishingly great.
The rules get out of the way. You're immediately in your opponent's head.
Brilliant, truly amazing.
This is the most streamlined version of it where I feel like they they really smoothened out some of the weirder edges.
Brilliant, absolutely amazing.
Brilliant, interesting tactical, you know, not combat but like area majority type decisions.
oh my gosh, this game is incredible.
It is so simple structurally but it does have a lot of powers.
It's just incredible how much gameplay you get out of this.
This is like a more approachable version of Agricola.
It's actually my preferred game in that whole series of It's one of my favorite Uwe Rosenberg games, actually.
This is I think Knetia's best two-player two-player game.
And yeah, this is one of my favorite two-player games of all time, if not my absolute favorite.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video A1lUBJRu7zY Review at 0:13 sentiment: positive

video_pk 65797 · mention_pk 159593

Click to watch at 0:13 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Beautiful art and production
Nice feeling stones (heavy, smooth)
Engine building aspect feels different and abstract
Placing stones to gain cards and points
Forces thinking ahead (1-2 turns)
Fighting over the four mountains is engaging
Randomized setup offers high replayability
Tense race to 25 points
Advanced variant adds depth
Expansion adds more depth and bigger boards
Fantastic game as it is

Cons

Can forget to check for beast control
Black beast (turtle) is easy to forget
Icons on mountains could be improved
Beasts sometimes hinder view of icons
Terminology (boons, bonds) makes rules seem more complicated than they are
Terminology tried to get cute with the abstract theme

Thematic elements

Controlling beasts to help you win the game.

Comparison games

Mandala
Mech versus Minions
Acquire
Splendor
Katan
Seven Wonders Duel

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Control — Placing stones on mountains to gain discounts and potentially control areas to secure beasts.
Card Drafting — Players acquire cards which are then used to pay for actions.
Resource Management — Managing hand of cards to pay costs for actions.
Set Collection — Players collect beasts by achieving certain conditions, such as getting two serpents first.
Tile Placement — Placing stones on a board with randomized tiles.
variable setup — The randomized tiles and double-sided boards create different setups for each game.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I would be absolutely shocked if this isn't in my top five two-player games of the year at the end of the year.
It is that good. And for all these reasons, I'm keeping in my gaming library. Love this game. Azure.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video hWIFp7RGbSA The Dice Tower Review at 0:09 sentiment: positive

video_pk 62598 · mention_pk 155310

Click to watch at 0:09 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

Excellent production quality of components
Tight, elegant rule set
Deep, strategic engine in a compact two-player abstract
Dynamic interaction via the beasts and discounts
Modular stone powers add replayability

Cons

Iconography and terminology can be confusing at times
Rule reference card could be clearer for boons and discounts
Endgame victory condition may feel abrupt to some

Thematic elements

Array
Abstract
Expository/Review

Comparison games

Splendor
Mandala
Mura

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

Area Control — Beasts grant points or bonuses and can be contested; control of a beast requires having more stones in its row/column.
Beast control / area influence — Beasts grant points or bonuses and can be contested; control of a beast requires having more stones in its row/column.
Card-based cost payment — Players pay the cost of a space with colored cards from their hand to gain the space's boon.
Discount engine — Stones discount placement costs in their row and column, creating a programmable engine.
Endgame victory condition — The first player to reach 25 points wins immediately.
Engine Building: Efficiency — Stones discount placement costs in their row and column, creating a programmable engine.
Gifted stones (module) — A modular expansion adds one-time powers to gifted stones for added depth.
Multi-Use Cards — Players pay the cost of a space with colored cards from their hand to gain the space's boon.
Tile Placement — Players place stones on a modular board made of four tiles that rotate or flip, claiming spaces for boons.

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

I think this game is phenomenal.
I'm at an 8.5.
Still, eight out of 10.
I give this one a nine out of 10.

References (from this video)

No references stored for this video.

Video zldwtvtG2z8 Board Game Animal Review at 3:00 sentiment: positive

video_pk 40439 · mention_pk 151373

Click to watch at 3:00 · YouTube ↗

Overall sentiment (raw)

positive

Pros

beautiful regal visuals and theming
remarkable replayability and nuance
smooth flow and elegant cascading decisions
exceptional artwork collaboration

Cons

none

Thematic elements

beast alliances grant powers; path to wisdom
abstract strategy with four auspicious beasts
abstract with historic flavor

Comparison games

Iliad
Aiker
Mora

Mechanics (from transcript analysis)

beast_bonds_and_favors — stones' positions discount costs and grant the favor of beasts affecting scoring in zones
board_variability_and_modules — four double-sided boards with modules yield a vast number of layouts (24,000+)
card_management — manage your cards to optimize placement and scoring opportunities
Modular Board — four double-sided boards with modules yield a vast number of layouts (24,000+)
scoring_path_and_wisdom — progress toward the end of a wisdom path to win; placement drives future swings
Tile Placement — place stones to gain cards and victory points; costs reduced by bonds from adjacent stones
tile_stone_placement — place stones to gain cards and victory points; costs reduced by bonds from adjacent stones

Video topics + discussion points

No key topics recorded for this video.

Quotes (from this video)

Imagine you love massive area control games in the ilk of Blood Rage or Ank, but in one perfectly tuned for two players compact package with the most aura-filled art you could ask for.
In Motora, you're exploring the mythology of ancient Ireland.
The flow of this game is super smooth as you place a stone by satisfying the cost of the space, gather the benefits from the space, and gaining the favor of the auspicious beasts.
Azure is a standout abstract strategy game that looks regal and classy.
Perhaps foolishly at this point, I continue to be startled by Bitewing's ability to bring games to the hobby. Gazebo, Iliad, etc., and now with Azure that feel like classic oldworld masterpieces that have been long hidden and resurrected now.

References (from this video)

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Azure

Week In Review - May 11, 2026

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Azure

Week In Review - May 11, 2026

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