Themeborne has now taken to Kickstarter with their project to fund The Last Of Us: Escape The Dark. Based on the acclaimed video game series, Escape The Dark plunges you into a post-apocalyptic world where you'll be trying to survive together against deadly Clickers and desperate/misguided human survivors.

The Last Of Us: Escape The Dark Kickstarter // Themeborne

The Last Of Us: Escape The Dark uses a lot of the mechanics familiar to those who have played previous Escape The Dark... games from their catalogue. There is still a focus on a cooperative adventure through Chapter Cards where you face down threats with the use of your character's dice and the equipment that you have managed to scavenge along the way.

What's In The Box // The Last Of Us: Escape The Dark

There are some twists in the mechanics though this time around. Instead of moving through a single deck of cards in the middle of the table, players will be exploring a game board that charts their route from the quarantine zone through to the settlement of Jackson. Along the way, you'll encounter Chapter Cards that will offer up difficult choices for you to consider.

Joel Character Miniature // The Last Of Us: Escape The Dark

Do you sneak past the checkpoint or do you risk getting into a firefight? Do you take a different and more dangerous route that sends you down into the sewers where you might end up clashing with Clickers?

Let's Play: Escape The Dark Sector

Much like with the previous games in the series, you'll have to make all of these decisions as a team. If one of you fails then you all lose the game so you'll want to plan and try and work out the best way to approach every situation. The game isn't often looking after your best interests though!

Ellie Character Miniature // The Last Of Us: Escape The Dark

It feels like Escape The Dark was a perfect match for the deadly encounters and hard choices of The Last Of Us. The stylistic black and white artwork of Themeborne's team works so well with the themes and aesthetic of the video game and now it's here, this feels like it was a bit of a no-brainer when it comes to bringing to life The Last Of Us on the tabletop.

Clicker Miniatures // The Last Of Us: Escape The Dark

I like that the core of that Escape The Dark gameplay is still present in the game. It's simple and easy to understand and the complexity then lies in the decision you make and how far you push your luck. You'll note that I've been showing off some miniatures here. They are available in the expanded Collector's Edition version which also comes with a bunch of additional quality-of-life elements including storage options for use during gameplay and dual-layered cardboard components.

Bonus Add-Ons

You can also snag some Add-Ons to make things feel even more luxurious on the tabletop. I do like the look of that playmat in particular.

Add-Ons // The Last Of Us: Escape The Dark

The Escape The Dark series has had great success as a game that introduces non-tabletop gamers to the hobby with its quick and easy-to-learn mechanics. Twin that with a property like The Last Of Us and I think you've got a sure-fire winner. Mechanically, it all seems like an exciting upgrade to the previous games in the series and I think it could be great fun to dive in and give this a shot.

Are you going to be snapping up The Last Of Us: Escape The Dark?