Sunrider Stuffs Visual Novel, Robots, And RPG Into One Game

While not exactly the fastest funded project on Kickstarter ever, Sunrider does have an impressive claim to fame of having been funded within three days, partly due to the modest funding goal of just $3000 and generally low tiers for a Kickstarter indie game.

It’s from developer Love in Space, whose main man Sam Yang does have the chops for this genre, having previously published—entirely free—the visual novel game Homeward. (WARNING: Link is NSFW)

In his latest venture, he’s looking to self-publish his next indie visual novel game Sunrider, which combines visual novel, a turn-based RPG, gigantic mecha robots, an all-female crew except for you, and, most definitely, a plot. Maybe even two plots. Now, before I go on, here’s something extremely cool to take note of. When Sunrider eventually gets released, it will be released for free. Just like Homeward before it.

If you do punt some money their way, though, you are helping them to reach stretch goals such as battle voices and an obligatory Beach episode. You wouldn’t want to have them fall short of making a Beach Episode, would you? I mean… it has to be done! Also, their food and other living expenses. That too.

The plot, what we’ve got so far, has humanity having already spread through the stars and happily exterminated subjugating all other life in the galaxy. Now, having turned guns on everything else, humanity will of course eventually do the right thing and point the gun right back at itself. PACT, a revolutionary front, has toppled the New Empire and is spreading throughout the galaxy. As Captain Kayto Shields off the why-are-there-only-woman-on-my-starship Sunrider, you’re thrust into action to stop them when they invade your neutral world of Cera. So it’s off across the galaxy to try to forge alliances and build up a mecha squadron full of babes like Asaga Oakrun, an ace pilot and self-declared Hero of Justice.

The turn-based tactics game comes into play when you engage in battle with foes such as PACT and other ne’er-do-wells. It’s laid out on a pretty simple to understand board with your mechs and the Sunrider represented while you pew-pew away at foes.

If you’re still feeling iffy on this, the developers are pretty upfront. Here, they say, try our demo for free! If you do cough up, not only are you getting a copy of the game but also various items including tiers for posters and even a dakimakura bolster cover.

Sunrider is on Kickstarter here, and as of press has eight days to go until its crowdfunding campaign comes to an end.