5. FTL: Faster Than Light
FTL: Faster Than Light is among the first Kickstarter funded games to be released. You play the omnipotent Captain of a federation spaceship, placing the crew where they need to be, whether that be the Medi-Bay to heal, the engine room to increase dodge chance, or to the generator room to repair the shields. The premise is simply out run the pursuing rebels to escape with a stolen data packet. The further you progress the more difficult and dangerous the encounters become. What takes the game from being good to being great is that, with different ships to be unlocked and a randomised encounter system, it is never the same game twice. For me though, its the permadeath that makes this game unmissable, other games featuring permadeath generally give you the option to fight or flee but in FTL your flee option isn't immediately available. If you stumble across a battle you aren't prepared for then you need to survive long enough before you can escape. The graphics are very basic but what Subset Games have created is tense and genuinely addictive - it doesn't need shiny graphics to sell.