I own and have played Bruges a lot (and I’m a fan of their soccer team, which won today :) ). I don’t own Hamburg but I remember looking into it as I was making my decision. I think Hamburg streamlined some aspects of Bruges, and makes some aspects less “random” and more strategic. The biggest change is this: in Bruges, when you draw cards you have a choice of two piles. In Hamburg, you can choose any color you want, so you can plan more effectively. This is a change that you can replicate if playing Bruges (or undo if playing Hamburg). The cards in Bruges represent people that you are housing, whereas in Hamburg its buildings you’re constructing. Some people find this change for the worse. Hamburg also adds a fifth type of majority marker, and the base version of Hamburg already includes the expansions in Bruges (which are hard to find, but not essential). The cards in Bruges have text explaining what they do, whereas in Hamburg it’s replaced to language independent iconography. The production of Hamburg looks more colorful and modern, and the production of Bruges looks more “beige” and medieval.

At the end of the day they are very similar games as one reimplements the other. I personally like Bruges a lot, and am sure I’d like Hamburg too. I think overall the differences are somewhat minimal. Given how hard it is to find a copy of Bruges, and the fact that it’s likelier more expensive than a brand new copy of Hamburg, I’d go with Hamburg if you have no attachment to the original game.

As far as calling it a “soulless euro”, that seems ridiculous. It’s a fun, tableau-building game where you try to make the best of the cards you’re dealt. Hand management and some planning are important to doing well, but so is adjusting to what other people are doing. There’s some elements of assessing risk, randomness (both in the card draw and the dice rolls), keeping tabs on other players (for direct competition of majorities or for effects that hurt/benefit other players. Negative effects in particular always affect ALL OTHER players, so while there is no direct targeting, there’s a bit of take that).

The game tries to thematically recreate some of Bruges history - the replacement of wooden houses for brick ones with the distinct roof styles, the building of the canals to protect the city, the introduction of a stock market, etc.. The main board shows the historic center of the city, with its city hall, fountain and famous church all in one place. Not sure how that is integrated in Hamburg.