The five best-looking PC Kickstarter games that you aren’t sick to death of hearing about yet

Strike Suit Zero

Platforms: Windows (currently) · DRM: Unannounced · Kickstarter Project Link

Can’t get enough space combat games? How about one where your spaceships turns into a giant robot? That’s what Strike Suit Zero is offering, and although they’ve already reached their funding goal there’s still nine days to get in on the ground floor. Love your mecha? Check this out: Junji Okubo (of Steel Battalion, Infinite Space and Appleseed fame) is handling the strike suit design, while Paul Ruskay of Homeworld fame is doing the score. The game promises ship-to-ship combat in the best traditions of 90’s space combat games, with the ability to take on enormous capital ships and rip them apart piece by piece. Love it.

Maia

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux · DRM: No · Kickstarter Project Link

Best described as a futuristic god-sim, Maia is a “colony management simulator where you must keep your colonists safe, fed and happy”. As the planet of Maia is only “mostly” harmless, you’ll need to excavate your underground colony, build rooms, mine minerals, research upgrades and much more.

Maia is currently in early alpha, and is expected to ship in Summer of 2013. If you back the game, you’ll receive access to the first playable alpha release in January.

Sir, You Are Being Hunted

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux · DRM: No · Kickstarter Project Link

“Tweedpunk robo-horror” is how Sir, You Are Being Hunted describes itself, and the premise isn’t far off the mark. Hunted across a dystopian, procedurally generated countryside by an army of relentless aristocratic robots, your only hope is to stay hidden, stay out of sight, and scavenge enough stuff not only to survive but to assemble the machine that will transport you home. It’s got a Thief-style visibility meter as well as “a unique foliage stealth system”, abandoned buildings, maps to piece together and fires to cook rabbits on.

All while avoiding death at the hands of the robotic British aristocracy, naturally. Check out some delicious alpha gameplay footage to get a better idea of exactly why this sounds radical.

Distance

Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux · DRM: No · Kickstarter Project Link

We’ve written about Distance before, but with only nine days to go and the project only at the halfway mark, it looks sadly like the Kickstarter will be unsuccessful. Still, there’s every reason to hope it can be turned around, and frankly why wouldn’t you: with only a three-person indie team behind it, this high-speed, futuristic arcade racer is looking especially amazing. Drive upside down, on walls and even fly around as you fight to survive to the end of the course. Plus, of course, multiplayer with your friends.

Check it out in action with this alpha gameplay trailer, or hit up our file library to download the original Nitronic Rush game from which Distance was born.

Sui Generis

Platforms: Windows · DRM: No · Kickstarter Project Link

Billed as an open-world RPG that’s more about exploring the world and piecing together clues than slaughtering hordes of monsters, Sui Generis is in a much more earlier state than the above games and, from the screenshots (and the pre-alpha gameplay), you might be forgiven for thinking it looks a little generic (if you’ll pardon the pun). Still, with descriptions like “no levels, only a natural progression system” and “combat occasions that are few, but meaningful”, Sui Generis sounds like it could be anything but generic. One to watch, I think. (Thanks to David for sending this our way!)

No doubt some of you will have heard of some of these already, but are there any we missed? And what are your thoughts on their chances of success? Let us know what you think in the comments below.