The Last of Us: Escape the Dark, a Cooperative Game Set in Naughty Dog's Universe
The Last of Us: Escape the Dark is a cooperative, narrative board game published by Themeborne in partnership with Naughty Dog. Players take on a group of survivors (Joel, Ellie, Tommy, Tess, Bill, and Marlene) trying to reach the refuge of Jackson across an infected open world. The game uses the Chapter card and custom dice system of the Escape the Dark series, enhanced with pre-combat stealth phases and a crafting system for building and upgrading equipment.
Setup and Gameplay
Each player picks a survivor, their board, and matching die. The group draws Chapter cards for the locations to explore (Quarantine Zone, Suburbs, Downtown, Sewers, University) and decides each turn whether to explore further for resources or move on. Combat is resolved by rolling dice, and gathered resources let players craft or upgrade equipment between chapters.
Win Conditions and End of Game
The game ends when the group reaches the final Jackson card: crossing it with enough health and resources triggers the victory epilogue. If all survivors run out of health before reaching it, the game ends in a collective defeat with its own epilogue.