Board game designed by Love Letter's Seiji Kanai

Sword Art Online may be about players trapped in a video game, but its latest game incarnation takes a step back to a more accessible format: the board game. Sword of Fellows puts players in the roles of Kirito and Asuna as they level up in the MMORPG Sword Art Online with the ultimate goal of escaping the game. Players progress through different scenarios and defeat enemies through dice rolls. The key to victory, however, is putting their unique skills to good use cooperatively.

The game will include six character cards, ten scenario cards, eight item cards, and a support card; the exact game mechanics, however, have not been published yet. Gameplay takes about 30 minutes and is recommended for ages 10 and up. Up to four people can play. The game will be published by Kadokawa and released on June 29 for 3,000 yen (about $26.50).

Sword Art Online Board Game: Sword of Fellows is designed by Seiji Kanai, an independent tabletop game designer famous for Love Letter and R-Rivals. Board games in general have been experiencing a resurgence in popularity due to their accessibility, familiarity and subtle strategy, although they remain a niche pastime in Japan. If anything, Sword Art Online is moving in a more technologically advanced direction, as befits the plot of the new film, which imagines an augmented reality MMORPG called Ordinal Scale.

Sword Art Online the Movie: Ordinal Scale opened in Japan on Saturday.

Sources: Sword Art Online Board Game: Sword of Fellows official website and Animate Times