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Game Info
Year
2024
Collection
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Description
The Last of Us: Escape the Dark is a new board game of atmospheric adventure set in the world of the critically acclaimed Naughty Dog franchise.
Powered by the latest evolution of the Escape the Dark system, The Last of Us: Escape the Dark offers solo and co-op multiplayer modes, allowing up to 5 players to experience this iconic setting in a brand-new way.
Playing as a group of survivors, you will weave your own unique story of survival and companionship as you explore an open-world map. Beginning your journey in a forsaken quarantine zone, your goal is to travel to the reputed safe haven of Jackson while keeping everyone in the group alive.
Carefully plot your route through the troubled landscape, resolving immersive Chapter Cards at each location to gain vital information, weapons, and equipment. Survival will depend on making difficult choices and tactical use of item cards and custom character dice to overcome a variety of threats including Hunters, FEDRA agents, and the dreaded Infected.
Endure and survive!
—description from the publisher
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All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 5
This page: 5
Sentiment:
pos 2 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–5 of 5
Video hAXu36I06Ec
JestaThaRogue Review at 7:03 sentiment: negative
video_pk 121315 · mention_pk 348169
Click to watch at 7:03 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- Captures the atmosphere and characters of the source material.
- Great art.
- Exciting for fans of the world.
- Intense difficulty.
Cons
- Hard without being fun.
- Tension doesn't feel earned.
- Punishing for progressing.
- Exhausting rather than challenging.
- Wouldn't be considered if not a fan of the source material.
Thematic elements
- Co-op survival game where survivors try to escape a dangerous world.
- Post-apocalyptic world overrun by the infected
- Story cards
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — A co-op survival game for up to five players.
- Dice combat — Combat uses custom dice tied to each survivor's stats.
- Modular Board — Moving between locations, exploring chapter cards.
- Resource Management — Managing resources.
- Stealth — Pre-combat phase where you can try and listen or sneak before the fighting starts to gain an advantage.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- And you can stay nice and safely in the justtheroad bunker by hitting subscribe for more board game videos like this one.
- It's genuinely a good game. Like I said, the puzzle is good and I enjoy it, but it is multiplayer solitaire.
- General Orders: Sengoku Jidai is not a bad game at all, and if it was the only combat game for two out there, it might have a case. But, it isn't, and that's the whole point of Shelf Again.
- The problem is the rules are a little bit more fiddly than they need to be.
- It's hard without being fun. The tension doesn't feel earned.
- It captures Dead by Daylight better than I expected a board game to
- It's a good game, it's just not one I play enough for it to be worth keeping.
- So there you go, six games played and six games removed from the shelves. I have 75 games in the collection, I've confronted 15, so that's exactly 20%.
References (from this video)
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Video ZiBFuxePBwQ
Board Games UnLocked Review at 0:16 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 112776 · mention_pk 324440
Click to watch at 0:16 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Amazing and good art.
- Good component quality.
- Simple and effective crafting system.
- Thematic callbacks to the video game.
- Solo play is viable and quick.
- The theme pushes enjoyment for fans.
Cons
- Gameplay is described as 'fine' and 'whatever'.
- Repetitive locations and combat.
- Narrative feels pasted on.
- Threat mechanic can lead to stagnant progression.
- Dice rolling can feel unengaging.
- High MSRP for the gameplay provided.
- Visuals are diminished in the retail version without minis.
Thematic elements
- Post-apocalyptic survival horror based on the video game series.
- Choose your own adventure style with location-based card draws.
Comparison games
- The Last of Us (video game)
- Escape the Dark Sector
- Escape the Dark Castle
- Dark Tower
- Zombie Side
- Slay of the Spire
- Bloodborne: The Board Game
- Folklore
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Drafting — Players draw cards at different locations which present events or combat encounters.
- crafting — A simple crafting system that allows players to create items.
- Dice Rolling — Players roll dice and match symbols to resolve actions or combat.
- Set Collection — Collecting specific symbols or dice results to mitigate damage or achieve objectives.
- threat management — A mechanic where players must remove threats to progress, but these threats can reappear.
- Unique character abilities — Each character has a unique layout or special ability that influences gameplay.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a million%, I think, geared towards Last of Us super fans.
- I pretty much felt so nothing during this that I don't see why you would ever want to replay it.
- Just the gameplay. I didn't feel The Last of Us at all.
- This feels like it's like a $50 game, but they're like, 'Well, it's The Last of Us, so got to jack up that price.'
- It's not a brain burning game whatsoever, and you don't need to go into it expecting that.
- The game is lost in translation with all this.
- I think Sean would do it better justice than than this.
- This is as average as as they come.
- I think a seven for like a fan base kind of score is respectable.
References (from this video)
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Video xs-u0fhCuXE
Watch It Played News at 3:49 sentiment: positive
video_pk 89188 · mention_pk 286868
Click to watch at 3:49 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Captures the atmosphere of the video game series.
- Cooperative gameplay with a challenging survival goal.
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Survival and reaching a safe haven
- Post-zombie apocalyptic world
Comparison games
- The Last of Us (video game series)
- Escape the Dark Castle
- Escape the Dark Sector
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- cooperative play — One to five player game with a shared goal.
- Escape the Dark system — Powered by the Escape the Dark system.
- Resource Management — Exploration for resources and equipment is important for survival.
- Survival — Players must reach a safe haven before being overrun by infected.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I mean seriously hello
- look I like crime as much as the next guy and contrary to popular belief crime does pay and it makes you look cool
- The design and development of Star Wars shatterpoint miniatures game is really our love letter to the excitement and energy of being a kid on Saturday mornings
- which is why I'm bad at this game of area control tile placement negotiation and of course a bit of dice rolling
- I'm sure to be checking it out
- I am well and truly intrigued
- I've always wanted to jump into this system it looks fun I've Heard lots of good things about its mind melty nature so maybe this is my chance
- this is your chance to meet the other sponsor that helped make this episode possible Wayland games
- I love this type of thing it makes me smile
- I bet it's lovely
- I want to thumb through a scurvy rule book as soon as I get a chance
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 11dRj4HMAfI
JestaThaRogue Rules Teach at 0:11 sentiment: positive
video_pk 86695 · mention_pk 329359
Click to watch at 0:11 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Thoroughly explained setup and gameplay flow with step-by-step instructions
- Solid cooperative mechanics enabling multiple survivors to coordinate actions
- Rich theme with strong narrative potential through chapter cards
- Flexible for solo and multiplayer play
Cons
- Complex rule set with many moving parts can be daunting for new players
- Initial setup is lengthy and requires careful organization of many decks
- Balance between solo and group play can require adjustments or clarifications in house rules
Thematic elements
- Survival and cooperation amid darkness and threat; exploration, scavenging, and imminent danger
- A post-apocalyptic world where survivors navigate quarantined zones while seeking safety in Jackson.
- Chapter-card driven cooperative narrative with a player-run group advancing through zones and encounters
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Boss encounters and endgame conditions — Boss tokens drawn and deployed at specific locations; defeating the boss or reaching Jackson ends the game with victory; failure can occur by death, time, or boss overwhelming threats.
- Camp and Explore actions — During the action phase, Survivors can take a camp action to gain a benefit or an explore action which may trigger combat and chapter card effects.
- Combat via chapter dice and conditions — Combat uses a row of chapter dice drawn from the enemy stats; matches, symbols and icons determine hits, damage, and special effects; includes optional listen/sneak rounds.
- Combat: Damage Based — Weapons have durability and ammo; wounds reduce health, damage reduces durability, and reloads can restore ammo under specific conditions.
- Combat: Dice — Combat uses a row of chapter dice drawn from the enemy stats; matches, symbols and icons determine hits, damage, and special effects; includes optional listen/sneak rounds.
- Damage, durability, and ammo management — Weapons have durability and ammo; wounds reduce health, damage reduces durability, and reloads can restore ammo under specific conditions.
- Deck-based exploration and setup — Multiple decks (QZ, Camp, Stashed Items, Boss tokens, Chapter cards) are shuffled and placed to establish the board state and ongoing threats.
- Survivor management and inventory slots — Each player controls a Survivor with dedicated inventory slots, including separate slots for melee/range weapons, ammo, and item cards; space management is essential.
- Threat tokens and calendar progression — Threat tokens populate locations with escalating danger along the calendar; days advance, increasing threat or triggering special events.
- Turn structure (Travel and Action phases) — Days progress through Travel and Action phases; on future days travel is optional, while the first day has no travel phase.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is a game for one to five players
- cooperatively exploring the world
- defeat a boss and win the game
- if a Survivor dies or you run out of time you all lose
- Remember to like share and subscribe and hit the notification Bell
- I've been Rob AKA just of the Rogue
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video L4AEqcPegs0
Meet Me At The Table Playthrough at 0:04 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 85303 · mention_pk 281025
Click to watch at 0:04 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Light but really enjoyable system
- Black and white art theme is enjoyable
- Mechanics have evolved
- Choices on locations
- Combat is more interesting
- Quick setup (5 minutes)
- Great for playing with kids
- Crafted items are new
- Durability on melee weapons is new
- Choices on how to approach situations (Fireflies vs. Fedra guard)
- Gaining intel can avoid bad events
- Item stacking is efficient
- Crafting is cool
- Quick travel between locations
- Good use of threat levels to increase difficulty
- Critical success (crit) on dice is fun
- Character boards are fleshed out
- Crit side of the die is fun
Cons
- Less variety than Escape the Dark Sector
- Combat feels clunky with sneak and listen mechanics
- Missing bosses and chapter cards compared to expansions of other games
- Seen multiple chapter cards multiple times after only three plays
- Only seven chapter cards per location
Thematic elements
- zombies all around, trying to escape
Comparison games
- Escape the Dark Sector
- Castle
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- boss fight — It's going to be the infected swarm. You must defeat all three waves, one at a time.
- Calendar/Rounds — This is going to track the rounds and every time we hit an exclamation point, there's an outbreak and more threat markers are placed on the board. If ever we get to the 17th round, we straight lose the game.
- Camp Actions — If you camp, you can use the camp effect in the suburbs, which for us is the junkyard anytime before or after your daily action. You can do these preparation actions. You can use an item, trade an item, you can reload, or you can craft.
- Character flaws and upgrades — Each survivor has a character flaw. For Joel, that's disillusioned. He has to complete these three items in this specific order. Once he does, he can gain a special ability for the rest of the game. Ellie has a flaw called lonely.
- Combat — Combat has become even slightly more interesting. We have to set up our dice pool. We have chapter dice equal to the threat of this location. We have dice equal to the amount of people doing the challenge. We have dice with multiple symbols that are harder to get rid of. We can do a listen round and a sneak round before combat. In combat, individuals can choose melee and shoot at the same time. We can do a reload action, but someone else has to do an attack action. Withdrawing and bypassing are new.
- crafting — Also, we can craft certain items together to make unique items.
- Dice rolling (Might, Cunning, Wisdom) — Each survivor has their own die. This tells you how good they are at the three different test types: might, cunning, and wisdom.
- exploration — Exploring is just like the escape the dark sector. You're going to reveal the chapter card, resolve it. A lot of times going into combat or having some sort of non-combat experience.
- Health tracking — We have health of 14. That's what we start at. If anyone ever goes to zero, you lose the game.
- Item crafting — There's a crafting menu here. So, if we wanted to make a health kit, we'd have to have alcohol and rag, a Molotov cocktail, alcohol and rag, nail bomb.
- Item stacking — We can stack like kind of items together. So if I had three bottles or three bricks, I could put them all together in one slot.
- Location choice — We now have some choices on which locations we want to move to.
- Melee weapon durability — For melee weapons, something that's new, we have durability. Every time we use this, we discard our durability token. And then if we've discarded all of these cubes, we then actually discard the melee weapon itself.
- Outbreaks — Every time we hit an exclamation point, there's an outbreak and more threat markers are placed on the board.
- Preparation actions — Anytime before or after your daily action, you can do these preparation actions. You can use an item, trade an item, you can reload, or you can craft.
- Searching — When you search, you can take any two bonus actions or lose a day and add a boss token to take four actions. Our actions are gain intel, raid a stash, draw blind, or scavenge.
- Threat tokens/Zombies — These are essentially blocking our path. In order to continue moving, we need to clear out a minimum to here. We start with three zombies or threat tokens at both the downtown and the suburbs, two at the sewers, and one at the lakeside and the university.
- Travel — We now technically could travel to the sewers. We have an opening.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- This is the newest version of these games and you can see with the mechanics what they've evolved.
- This game takes literally 5 minutes to set up, which is one of the things I love about it.
- I do enjoy the story in this one, but I've got to say Escape the Dark Sector to me is pretty much better in almost every respect.
- The combat I think is better with Escape the Dark Sector with the flanking idea.
- The sneak and listen kind of work, but they feel a little clunky.
- The crit side of the die. that's fun where it's an automatic succeed. I think that's cool. You always have that chance.
References (from this video)
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Showing 1–5 of 5