Square Enix has officially announced Ascend the Shinra Tower: Final Fantasy VII Board Game, a new tabletop game based on the iconic RPG. The game is set to launch in January 2027 and is being co-developed with board game publisher Arclight. Pre-orders are already live on the Square Enix Store.

The game takes place inside Shinra Tower and players take on a cooperative role to help Cloud Strife climb to the eighth floor of the tower, where a final confrontation with Sephiroth awaits.

The game uses a balance-based system as its core mechanic. Players stack “Floor Tiles” on top of “Wall Tiles” that come in different heights, physically building the tower as the game progresses. The taller the tower gets, the more unstable it becomes, so players will need to communicate and coordinate carefully to keep it from toppling over.

Along the way, Cloud will run into enemies while climbing the tower. Players can call on support from allies to handle these threats, all while keeping the structure from falling apart.

The board game features newly created artwork that was overseen by Tetsuya Nomura, who served as the original character designer and story concept creator of Final Fantasy VII. Characters like Tifa Lockhart and Aerith Gainsborough are included in the game as wooden pieces, designed with a storybook-inspired look made specifically for this release.