Steam Top-Down Extraction Shooter Project SUNDIAL Opens Playtest Sign-Ups

Ever wondered what a top-down extraction shooter would feel like? Ice Quake Studios just pulled back the curtain on Project S.U.N.D.I.A.L., and honestly, it sounds like a tense little nightmare in the best way.

The indie team has officially unveiled the game and opened Playtest recruitment. You can head to its Steam store page right now to apply for a shot at testing it early. No release date yet, but wishlisting is already live if you'd rather wait and see.

So what is it? Project S.U.N.D.I.A.L. is a 2D top-down PvPvE extraction shooter. The setup: Europe has been left in ruins by mutated creatures, and you play as a hunter from Unit 13, venturing into dangerous quarantine zones to hunt for loot. Simple enough, right? Not even close.

The zones are crawling with mutated wildlife, ruthless scavengers, and monsters known only as "Hollow." Every encounter forces a split-second call: stay hidden and slip past, or open fire and risk everything. And then there are other players. You might run into them mid-raid, and the choice is yours — trust them and team up, or stab them in the back and take their stuff. Your call.

Raid events keep things unpredictable too. A mysterious distress signal, a downed drone, or a scavenger ambush can all pop up mid-match, and each one is a chance at rare items. But high reward means high risk — run into a boss-tier enemy and your odds of walking away drop fast.

If you've played Escape from Tarkov or S.T.A.L.K.E.R., you'll recognize the DNA here. The game borrows their harsh survival and death penalties: die in a raid and you lose everything you brought in and everything you looted. Body-part damage adds another layer — take a hit to the leg and you'll move slower, catch one to the head and your vision goes blurry. On top of that, you're juggling radiation, poison, hunger, bleeding, and extreme hot and cold environments.

Gun customization is in too, with swappable stocks, scopes, and other attachments. Armor shows up visually on your character, which means you can eyeball an enemy's firepower and gear before deciding whether to engage. That's a nice touch for a genre where information is everything.

There's no release date yet, so for now your options are wishlist it or cross your fingers for a Playtest invite. Will you be signing up to brave the quarantine zone?