A Gentle Rain, Arkham Horror co-designer's short, 15-minute board game, returns with a remastered edition
Bloomin’ heck, those flowers are pretty.
A new, remastered edition of zen board game A Gentle Rain will launch later this summer, revamping the lakeside theme and giving players who missed the original release another chance to find what might be their favourite companion to a cup of coffee or work break.
Publisher Incredible Dream recently announced that it will reprint a remastered version of A Gentle Rain, which was initially published by Mondo Games, beginning June 4th. Most of the components have been upgraded in some fashion, including high-quality wooden lily tokens and jigsaw-esque tiles with a velvet paper finish that are both soft and durable. Its general aquatic vibes will also enjoy an overhaul, showing off elements of American lakes such as reeds, fronds and fish swimming amongst the lily pads.
Players will be able to find the tiny box in most hobby shops and board game stores, but US retail chain Target will shelf a special ‘Bloom Edition’ that upgrades the components even further. The publisher swaps the wooden tokens for three-dimensional lotus flowers in eight different colours, and the whole board game will be stored in a taller box with a display window. The Bloom version will be available in all Target locations and their online storefront.
A Gentle Rain was created by designer Kevin Wilson in 2013 as a Christmas gift for his friends. A far cry from his previous work co-creating Arkham Horror and Cosmic Encounter, the contemplative puzzler that could easily satisfy either a single player or a small group blossomed into a popular addition to desks, backpacks and kitchen tables.
“I wanted to make a game that could be played solo or with a group of friends, and I wanted it to be a zen, calming experience to alleviate the stress of the holiday season,” Kevin Wilson said in a press release. “At the time, I was dealing off-and-on with anxiety attacks by doing jigsaw puzzles to distract my brain, so I tapped into that emotional experience and found to my surprise that my friends were still playing the game even years later. I’m pleased to see it coming back into print!”
A Gentle Rain’s rules have been translated into multiple languages, and it will launch at a reduced MSRP of $19.99 in the US. Playable in just 15-minute sessions, Wilson’s unintentional sleeper hit asks players to place lake tiles so that the waters encourage each of the eight lilies to bloom. Dead simple, stress-free and featuring gorgeous art by W. Kozyra, this title is a great - if odd - addition to the publisher behind the more high fantasy adventure Kinfire series.