Advert: This game was gifted by Incredible Dream Studios. All views are our own. 

The weather has certainly taken a turn with some not-so-gentle rain in Wales this week. But I’m cozying up with a cup of tea and one of my go-to solo games.

👥 1 player (but you can play co-operatively with others)
⌛ 15 minutes
🧠 8 years+

Gameplay overview:

Playing A Gentle Rain is simple:

1. draw a lake tile
2. play it on the lake
3. place a blossom, if you can. 

Along the edge of each tile is half a lily, which can be one of 8 colours. The tile must be placed so that at least one edge matches against another tile, completing the blossom. When you match up a square of four tiles together, a circle appears between them where you can place a blossom token matching the colour of a nearby lily of your choice. If you don’t have a matching blossom token to place, nothing happens.

The game ends once you’ve either managed to place all the blossom tokens (there’s one token in each of the 8 colours), or you place the last tile. If at any point you can’t place a tile, it gets discarded from play and you draw again. 

According to the rules there’s no winning or losing, and scoring is optional. You get 1 point for each blossom token placed in the lake, plus 1 point for each tile left in the stack (if any). 

You can also play A Gentle Rain with others co-operatively by taking turns to draw and place the tiles.

What’s the difference between A Gentle Rain: Bloom Edition and the standard edition?

There are some changes to the components between the newer Bloom Edition (the one I have) and the original, the biggest being the blossom tokens. In the standard edition, these are wooden circular tokens with flat lilies on top that match the lily designs on the tiles (I believe they’re screen printed). Whereas bloom edition has more vibrant 3D plastic lilies, which don’t look exactly like the lilies on the tiles.

The other main change is the box the game comes in. The standard edition is a smaller, boxier box, which looks more travel friendly. The bloom box is larger with a window showing off the blossom tokens, which gives it more shelf presence (I assume this choice was partly because Bloom Edition was designed for retail shelves, i.e. Target).

Both versions have their appeal, so which one you go for really depends on personal choice. If you want to see a more detailed comparison (with photos), I recommend checking our Gaming Bits review on BGG.

Our thoughts

A Gentle Rain is a quaint tile placement game with lovely nature artwork that’s easy to pause and appreciate. It’s an easy choice to grab and play when you want something low intensity that only takes 15 minutes – although it’s also so addictive it’s all too easy to keep playing multiple games back to back. I’ve particularly enjoyed taking it to the coffee shop to enjoy with a latte while the toddler naps. It also works well as a very laid back co-op experience while catching-up with family and friends because it doesn’t require much concentration of focus.

A Gentle Rain promotes itself as a relaxing, zen-like experience, and many people agree, but after my many playthroughs I don’t feel that way. Firstly, because it’s still quite puzzly to work through. And many times you’ll draw a tile that is almost exactly what you need, but 2 of the colours are flipped the wrong way – which is not a relaxing discovery! I also personally want to place all the blossoms before the game ends so it can feel a little disappointing if I don’t think it’s going to happen. It is simple, it is easy to play anywhere, and when playing I have found I’m focusing on the game and not thinking about other things as much. So I guess I would say I find it more meditative or ‘mindful’ than relaxing, and that experience can vary depending on individual personalities and preferences. But I’m confident that most people will enjoy A Gentle Rain regardless of whether they find it relaxing or not. I will also say I do find it more relaxing  playing A Gentle Rain with others, because I  feel more comfortable having something else ‘to do’ with my hands and brain when socialising (I’m an anxious socialising bean, so gaming helps with that generally!).

Oh, and I know the rules say there’s no winning or losing, and you don’t have to keep score, but I find it hard to believe that most people won’t be trying to place all the blossom tokens or beat their highest score. If you are one of these chill people who plays A Gentle Rain without tracking scores/blossoms, let me know!

If I wasn’t given the bloom edition of A Gentle Rain, I think I would have bought the standard version because of its portable box (and that it’s less plastic). But I am still more than happy to own the Bloom version – I do love the satisfying way the 3D tokens slot into the lake and add more depth to the table presence. I just need to get a travel bag to make it more portable (any recommendations are welcome!).

What we like:

• Simple and easygoing tile layer with a nice amount of puzzliness to it. There is some luck in the draw, but every placement (and choice of bloom) matters.

• Attractive art design capturing the nature theme – cute otters!

• Easy to play whenever, wherever – but you’ll always want to play more than one game!

• The bloom edition has 3D lilies that slot satisfyingly into the gaps. But being picky I would prefer them to be more naturally coloured (the blooms are very bright!).

• It works well as a low effort option that you can play with others by taking turns to draw and place tiles – perfect while catching up over coffee/drinks.

Considerations:

• How ‘relaxing’ you find it will be down to personality, and you might not find it as ‘zen’ an experience as it suggests (like when you can’t place a tile, or if you can’t place all the blooms). BUT it’s still enjoyable even if you don’t feel ‘relaxed’.

• The Bloom Edition box looks like it’s been designed for a shop shelf, not a gamer’s convenience (it’s not travel-friendly, and not really Kallax friendly).

Final verdict:

Beautiful in both aesthetic and simplicity – it’s easy to see why A Gentle Rain is so popular and I’ve enjoyed playing it again and again.

Beautiful in both aesthetic and simplicity – it’s easy to see why A Gentle Rain is so popular and I’ve enjoyed playing it again and again. I technically I don’t find it “relaxing” (but I can compromise on ‘mindful’!); it depends on the person and I think it’s a fab little game regardless. 

Even if you aren’t normally a solo player, I strongly recommend giving A Gentle Rain a try and I think it’s a great addition to anyone’s gaming collection.