A Gentle Rain Review
Advert: this game was gifted by Incredible Dreams Studio Inc, this has not affected our opinion.
If ever you needed proof that the artist formerly known as Prince was not a board gamer, it is evident in the fact that the purportedly rib-removed singer chose to sing about Purple Rain instead of the solo board game A Gentle Rain. I had never stopped to actually ponder what purple rain was or referred to until this moment in my life. Prince’s meaning was apocalyptic. Apparently, it is also slang for a bored, restless feeling, but you wouldn’t feel that if you were playing a board game! Unless that is, it wasn’t a very good one… so you better read on and find out more about the solo game, A Gentle Rain!
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Setup
Not many setups of board game involve you being instructed to get into some comfy clothes and play some soft music. Nor do they suggest making yourself a cup of tea or hot cocoa. I can also confidently say I have never had breathing instructions to undertake before playing a board game before, but that is all part of the setup of A Gentle Rain.
Once you’ve got comfortable all that is left is to shuffle all the tiles and place the flower markers nearby. The latter bit is easy in comparison to trying to get into a zen-like zone!
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Gameplay
In this solo game, you will be drawing a tile and placing it in front of you. On each edge of a tile is half a flowerhead and any tile you draw must connect to a matching half. If there are more than one adjacent tiles, all flowerheads would have to match. At any point, if you cannot place a tile, you have to discard it.
The idea is to get a square of tiles so the cut-outs on the corners of the tiles form a complete circle. At that point a flower blooms. You select a disc of one of the flowers around the circle and place it in the gap.
Once all flowerheads are placed or all tiles have been used you calculate your score. This is the number of unplayed tiles in the drawstack, plus the number of blossoms you have used. If the endgame is triggered by running out of tiles, your score is how many blooms you have managed to place.
You can play with more players and work cooperatively taking it turns to place a tile and this works quite nicely too.
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What it’s like
A Gentle Rain is intended to be a relaxing game, to wash away the world around you for ten to fifteen minutes. I’ve played it most while eating breakfast to stop me wolfing down my food in a rush to get out of the door. It is perfect for those situations. Equally, I have played this game two player a couple of times and it still offers a lovely experience, chatting through the different options in a causal manner.
The chilled gameplay can be frustrating and this is not an easy puzzle to solve. I certainly can’t see me getting the perfect score of 21 ever! I don’t really mind, as the points total isn’t as important as the experience.
While there is some luck involved with the drawing of the tiles. This solo game is not devoid of decisions. Players will need to consider the possible options for future placement and also make educated guesses as to which flower token to place.
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Table Presence
From such a small box sprawls a nice looking game. The darker palette fits with the theme. I particularly like the way the backs of the tiles have spot UV ripples to emulate drips of gentle rain falling on them. A bit of me wishes there was a bit more to the tiles and perhaps the UV detailing continuing on the fronts of the tiles too.
The new version launched in America, which I believe is a Target exclusive, has plastic bloom tokens. I was drawn towards these at first, but actually the wooden tokens feel natural and therefore fit with the theme better for me. I’m not sure we need more plastic in the world either. The screen-printing on the wooden tokens is a bit muted, it goes with the rest of the palette, but I think it could’ve zinged a little bit more overall without becoming distracting.
I really like discovering the little details on the tiles, seeing ducks, a terrapin, koi and dragonflies is lovely.
The rulebook is very good, of course there isn’t too much about this puzzly game. The box is the perfect size for the contents, which I applaud.
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What the kids thought
Max (9): It’s a really fun solo game. The art is nice too. It’s a great puzzle and I’ve played it lots because it is so fun!
Final thoughts on A Gentle Rain
Max is my solo gamer son as he will happily sit down and play a game on his own. He enjoys trying to beat his own score, or just generally working out a puzzle on his own. So, I am delighted to hear that he likes Gentle Rain so much.
I’m less of a solo gamer, but when I do decide to get something off the shelf it needs to be quick and entertaining. A Gentle Rain has got me solo gaming more! It’s the perfect accompaniment to a more relaxed breakfast time. I have also enjoyed playing this at two player. It really is a delightful little solo game!
Key Facts
Number of players: 1 (or more)
Board Game Review Recommended Age: 8+
Publisher’s Recommended Age: 8+
Playing Time: 12 minutes
Setting Up and Take Down Time: 1 minute
Designers: Kevin Wilson
Publisher: Incredible Dreams Studio Inc
RRP: £21.99
Summary
If you like a quick puzzle and a solo game, or think you’d like to try one, A Gentle Rain is a lovely chilled option.
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Artwork and Components
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Complexity
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Instructions
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Interaction
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Value for Money
Overall
Pros
- Chilled experience
- Solo game that can be played by two
- Perfect breakfast accompaniment
- Tough puzzle to try and solve
Cons
- Price perception of the small box
- Some luck
- Tile and tokens could be improved
Need more games?
If you already own A Gentle Rain and enjoy it, or are looking for other inspiration, you might also like these similar games:
- Sprawlopolis
- Feed Me!
- Dog Crimes
- Railroad Ink
Buy A Gentle Rain
If you want to buy A Gentle Rain after reading our review click on one of our affiliate links below (note there has been no affiliate links until this point)
Reviewer’s Note
For clarity: we don’t get paid for our reviews. However, we were kindly gifted this game by Incredible Dreams Studio Inc. We have tried not to let this affect our review in any way.
We may however earn a tincy wincy commission if you buy a game having clicked one of our affiliate links like the one above… this hopefully gives us a bit of pocket money towards hosting costs and new games to review!
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