“Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra” is a standalone game in the Azul series, designed by Michael Kiesling and released after the original “Azul.” This game continues the aesthetic of the original, tasking players with creating beautiful stained glass windows. Set in Portugal, players select glass pane tiles from factory displays and place them onto their player board to craft their windows.
Unlike the original Azul, “Stained Glass of Sintra” has a unique mechanic where players have a glazier that moves along their board to dictate where they can place tiles. Each round, players can only place tiles in the window pane spaces to the right of their glazier, unless they choose to move the glazier back to the leftmost space, which comes at a cost. The game also introduces new scoring dynamics, including the ability to score points from both horizontal and vertical alignments of tiles, and varying player boards that can be flipped during the game for a different strategic experience.
The aim is to carefully choose tiles that fit the pattern and color requirements of their window, while also considering the movement of their glazier. After several rounds, the player with the most points from complete window patterns, sets of colored tiles, and other bonuses wins the game. “Azul: Stained Glass of Sintra” is celebrated for its strategic depth and beautiful components, offering a fresh twist on the tile-placement genre that appeals to both fans of the original Azul and new players alike.
