I’ll be honest, when I used to visit my local Waterstones, it was only ever to check out the Jellycat collection rather than to tick off something on my ever-growing TBR… Now when I go in, the latest board games are at the top of my list.
Waterstones have grown their reputation as an excellent bookshop, and a booming name in the board game arena. Zatu Games and our Distribution division haven’t let this go unnoticed, and our most recent partnership – stocking the Waterstones shelves with our own games – has proved more successful than we could have expected.
As proof, A Gentle Rain: Bloom Edition has been announced as Waterstones Game of The Month from 9am on 12th September! Perfect for the start of a cooler, rainier Autumn, this game is a beautifully meditative experience, with a huge emphasis on mindfulness and relaxation. Trust me, I’m a huge fan of the relationship-ending-card-throwing-terror that Monopoly brings around, but A Gentle Rain is the perfect re-set after a long day.
The Bloom Edition also comes with added features: tactile components, including velvet-touch tiles and 3D flower tokens for a premium experience – so you not only get to relax, but you get to do it in style.
“But how do I play the game?!?!” I hear you ask – don’t worry, I’ve got you!
The game itself is incredibly simple to learn: each player is allocated a stack of tiles, playing until the stack runs out. Each turn, a player takes the top tile and plays it, ensuring it connects one flower to the matching flower half on another tile. All adjacent edges have to match! If you make a square of four tiles such that there’s an empty circle in the centre, then you can place a token. If you don’t have any remaining tokens that match, then you don’t get to place any! Tough.
And that’s A Gentle Rain – super simple, super relaxing, a super must-have.
Now, how do you get your hands on it? Well, this edition is exclusive to Waterstones in the UK, so grab it while you can! It will be available nationwide in store and online, so you don’t even need to venture out into the cold to secure your copy.
It’s a 1 player + game, meaning it’s solo and cooperative friendly (aka if you’re in a ‘I can’t be bothered to talk to anyone but still want to play a game’ mood, this one has you covered without needing to play against an AI system).
We’re thrilled to see A Gentle Rain: Bloom Edition on the shelves of a much-loved store, and it’s safe to say you’ll see many more Distribution titles following suit. Keep your eyes on Zatu – we’ve got lots more to come!
