The Last of Us board game on the way from Escape the Dark Castle creators

Another board game adaptation of hit video game The Last of Us is on the way, this time from the creators of Escape the Dark Castle.

The Last of Us: Escape the Dark comes from Themeborne, the UK studio behind the Escape the Dark series.

The series, which so far includes the fantasy-themed Escape the Dark Castle and sci-fi Escape the Dark Sector, is a set of co-op board games that see players attempting to make it through a run of chapter cards representing various traps and combat encounters - typically with punishing outcomes.

The games lean heavily on a tense atmosphere and retro visuals - including black-and-white artwork recalling classic Fighting Fantasy and Choose Your Own Adventure books - alongside simple dice-driven gameplay.

Players choose characters with unique stats, and use dice rolls based on a set of traits to determine their success levels when faced with fights and other challenges. At the bottom of the deck is a boss card, which must be defeated for complete victory. Each playthrough can feature a different set of chapter cards, adding variety to the encounters seen.

No further details were given on how The Last of Us: Escape the Dark will adapt developer Naughty Dog’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic video games and their story following Joel and Ellie as they encounter infected humans and deadly groups of human survivors during their travels across the ruins of North America.

However, a first image of the board game shows a board with a series of connected tiles for locations such as swers, downtown and suburbs; character cards for Joel and Ellie; dice; item cards; and decks of cards for both crafted items and upgraded weapons - indicating that the crafting mechanic central to the video games will be brought to the tabletop. The art style is in keeping with Escape the Dark's signature monochromatic aesthetic.

“With Themeborne’s penchant for bold art and approachable game design going into the development of The Last of Us: Escape the Dark, we can’t wait to see how they realize the world of The Last of Us in a brand-new way,” Naughty Dog said in its announcement of the board game.

The Last of Us: Escape the Dark is the second official The Last of Us announced to be in the works, following Zombicide studio CMON’s reveal of a Last of Us board game in late 2020. That project has remained quiet since, with full details and a release date still yet to be announced.

You can expect to find out more about The Last of Us: Escape the Dark much sooner, with the upcoming board game set to hit Kickstarter on November 8th. A collector's edition will be offered during the crowdfunding campaign. A full release date and price for the game were not confirmed.