Project Rabbit Extraction System Explained - Death Penalties & Dungeon Types

Project Rabbit’s extraction system differs significantly from typical extraction games like Escape from Tarkov. Rather than PvPvE battle royale gameplay, the extraction mechanics provide a session-based framework around Soulslike combat. According to NovaFlare CEO Hwang Seok-yoon, the game is “80-90% Soulslike with about 10% extraction elements added,” where extraction describes the play structure of entering dungeons, farming, completing quests, and extracting rather than competitive looting.

The extraction terminology has created some confusion, with many players assuming Project Rabbit would be a high-stakes competitive game where other players constantly threaten your progress. NovaFlare clarified that extraction refers specifically to the session-based gameplay loop, not a PvPvE focus.

How Extraction Sessions Work

Project Rabbit uses a session-based structure where you enter dungeons as distinct instances rather than exploring a persistent open world. Each session follows a clear sequence:

1. Enter a dungeon instance
2. Fight enemies and bosses
3. Farm resources and complete objectives
4. Extract to save your progress

This structure supports the game’s planned live-service operation model, with NovaFlare intending to add new bosses and content every two to three months. The session format allows for this consistent content rotation better than traditional single-player Soulslike expansions that release every six months to over a year.

The extraction mechanic adds tension to your runs by requiring you to successfully exit before your progress counts. However, the developers designed the system to “minimize the burden of death as much as possible for the player,” creating a middle ground between hardcore extraction games and traditional Soulslikes.

Death Penalties and Dungeon Risk Levels

Project Rabbit differentiates itself from typical extraction games through its flexible approach to death penalties. Rather than always losing your items when you die, the game varies consequences based on which type of dungeon you enter.

Standard Dungeons: Most dungeons in Project Rabbit do not cause item loss on death. You can attempt difficult encounters and learn boss patterns without risking your equipped gear or collected resources. These dungeons form the core progression path and let you experience the Soulslike combat without extraction game stress.

High-Risk Extraction Dungeons: Optional high-risk dungeons implement full item loss on death, similar to traditional extraction games. These dungeons offer better rewards to compensate for the increased risk. Players can choose whether to engage with this high-stakes content based on their comfort level and risk tolerance.

NovaFlare designed this system so “players can choose based on their preferences,” allowing both cautious and aggressive playstyles. If you want guaranteed progression, you can stick to standard dungeons. If you want maximum rewards and accept the risk, extraction dungeons provide that option.

The dual-dungeon system addresses a common concern about combining Soulslike and extraction genres. Both genres are “based on repetitive challenges and death,” which could create excessive frustration if every death meant losing everything in an already-difficult game. By making item loss optional rather than mandatory, Project Rabbit lets players control their experience.

Cooperative Play and Player Interaction

Unlike many extraction games focused on betrayal and competition, Project Rabbit is “built from the ground up for cooperative play.” The game features unique “Duo-Skills” that require coordination between partners and a strategic revival system to help teams survive difficult encounters.

While other players can invade your sessions to fight or cooperate, this is a secondary feature rather than the core focus. NovaFlare emphasized that extraction dungeons represent “more of a high-risk, high-return form of content” rather than the main gameplay loop. The social elements exist but don’t define the experience the way they do in PvPvE-focused extraction games.

The cooperative emphasis extends to the boss design. Multi-phased bosses “test your pattern recognition and reflexes” while being “designed to punish greed and reward synchronized team play.” You’ll face encounters across five biomes, each with its own legendary guardian, that challenge your ability to work together under pressure.

What Makes This Different from Traditional Extraction Games

The confusion around Project Rabbit’s extraction label stems from how the term is typically used in gaming. Most extraction games like Escape from Tarkov or Hunt: Showdown center on:

• PvPvE competition where other players are constant threats
• High stakes where you always risk losing gear
• Limited cooperative trust because allies can betray you
• Focus on survival and escape over combat depth

Project Rabbit takes the session structure and extraction endpoint while removing most of the competitive survival elements. You get:

• Primarily cooperative Soulslike combat
• Optional risk through dungeon selection
• Deep action combat with parrying, dodging, and stamina management
• Multi-layered skill trees and weapon mastery systems
• Boss-focused challenges rather than extraction race dynamics

The developers chose “extraction” as “the most intuitive term to describe” the session-based structure of entering, farming, and extracting. However, they acknowledged this created a “misunderstanding that it is a PvPvE-focused competitive game.”

Character Customization and Progression

Project Rabbit lets you freely customize your character’s gender and appearance rather than playing as a fixed protagonist. The story positions you as “a third party following in [Alice’s] footsteps” investigating why Wonderland has changed, with original Alice in Wonderland characters appearing reimagined in the game’s Eastern-Western fusion aesthetic.

Your progression happens through “a multi-layered skill tree and weapon mastery system” that lets you specialize in different combat styles. Whether you prefer “heavy-hitting Eastern polearms or swift, magical-infused blades,” the progression system makes your choices feel “impactful and unique.”

This depth works alongside the extraction structure by giving you meaningful ways to improve your character between dungeon runs. You’re not just grinding for gear drops but also developing your combat abilities through documented skill and weapon progression paths.

Live Service and Content Updates

NovaFlare plans to operate Project Rabbit as a live service game with frequent content updates. Unlike single-player package games where “DLC or expansions take anywhere from six months to over a year,” Project Rabbit aims for new content every two to three months.

The session-based structure makes this update cadence practical. Rather than needing to integrate new content into a massive interconnected world, NovaFlare can add new dungeon sessions, bosses, and challenges as self-contained experiences that slot into the existing framework.

The game is currently 30-40% complete, with NovaFlare targeting an Early Access release by the end of 2027. The full release is planned for “5-6 months after the Early Access launch,” with the final timeline depending on player feedback and improvement scale.

Setting and World Design

Project Rabbit reimagines Alice in Wonderland as “an East-meets-West dark fantasy” enriched by a Webtoon intellectual property. The visual design blends Western fantasy elements with Eastern aesthetics, creating locations like “desolate Eastern shrines (Daeungjeon) to corrupted gothic fortresses.”

Original characters appear with unique interpretations. The boss shown in the trailer, which many assumed was “a Joseon-era warrior or general,” is actually “an homage to the Mad Hatter—specifically, the character is set as the Mad Hatter’s son” named Karun, referred to as the “Mad Eater” rather than Mad Hatter.

The narrative involves “uncovering the secrets of why Wonderland has changed and where Alice has gone” through environmental storytelling and NPC encounters as you work to “stabilize the leaking energies of the world.”

FAQ

Do you lose items when you die in Project Rabbit?

It depends on the dungeon type. Most dungeons don’t cause item loss on death, but optional high-risk extraction dungeons make you lose everything. You choose which type to enter based on your risk tolerance.

Is Project Rabbit a battle royale game?

No. While it uses extraction mechanics, Project Rabbit is primarily a cooperative Soulslike. The extraction terminology refers to the session structure of entering, farming, and extracting rather than competitive PvPvE gameplay.

Can you play Project Rabbit solo?

The game is “built from the ground up for cooperative play” with Duo-Skills and revival systems designed for partners. While other players can invade to fight or cooperate, the references don’t confirm whether pure solo play is supported.

When does Project Rabbit release?

NovaFlare is targeting an Early Access release by the end of 2027, with full release planned 5-6 months after Early Access begins. The timeline depends on development progress and Early Access feedback.

What platforms will Project Rabbit support?

The game is confirmed for PC. Console platform support has not been announced in the available sources.