With Incredible Dreams Studio’s release of A Gentle Rain: The Bloom Edition, some of us at Meeple Mountain decided to combine our thoughts to let you know why this is a game we love.
K. David Ladage
This was a game I discovered via Meeple Mountain. Tom Franklin’s excellent review of A Gentle Rain pulled me in and asked me to sit down and relax. I purchased it and showed it to my wife. We both had a wonderful time! I think we played three or four games that first evening. Now, if she has a stressful day at work, she might ask that we pull it out and have a go at collecting colorful flowers on calm waters. The game can be tough—but although you may be not finding the tiles you need, the reaction this game generates is one of laughter. It is the perfect stress reliever.
Kevin Brantley
I had been following the hype around A Gentle Rain before the Target edition even existed. It was highly sought after due to its simple, cozy mechanics. Back then, it was difficult to get ahold of because it had only a small print run. I was ecstatic to find the Bloom Edition, and it has since become my go-to “wind-down” puzzle with my wife. We often play on the ottoman while watching TV. I think of the game more as an activity, akin to a cooperative Sudoku puzzle.
Once, during a Super Bowl party, my friend’s eight-year-old daughter wasn’t having a good time. He asked if I had any games she could play, and A Gentle Rain was the perfect solution—she quietly played it for the rest of the evening.
To say it can be easily enjoyed by anyone would be a vast understatement. It’s not about winning, but about enjoying the puzzle along the way.
Tom Franklin
As my friend and colleague K. David Ladage referenced above, in my review of A Gentle Rain for Meeple Mountain, I was quite taken with the game from my first play.
To quote myself from that review:
“a Gentle Rain is a relaxing game to play, but it’s also quite the challenge. In the week after receiving my review copy in the mail, I played it over 20 times. The puzzle-y aspects of the game drew me in, balancing with the calm act of laying the tiles.”
When the new edition arrived in the mail, my wife, intrigued by the 3D flowers, asked about it—the first time I can ever remember her asking about a review copy that came in the mail. I explained the rules and the goal. To my continued surprise, she asked if we could play.
We won that first game on our very last tile, which prompted her to want to play again. Since then, she’s played far more solo games of A Gentle Rain than we’ve played together. She described the game as just enough of a challenge to require your attention, but not so much that she stressed about the outcome. It’s an enjoyable way of calming her mind, which is a great thing for a game to be able to do.
We hope we’ve convinced you to give A Gentle Rain a look. It’s an engaging puzzle that manages to be challenging while still being able to quiet the mind. It’s small box size makes it a natural for taking on vacation or when visiting family and friends. Playing solo is just as fun as playing with someone else, either young or old.
We love A Gentle Rain. We think you might, too.
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