Approaching Infinity began as a traditional roguelike inspired by Star Trek and Borderlands 2. It evolved into a sprawling space adventure with infinite procedural progression. Explore, battle, quest, trade, craft, die, repeat... Or turn off perma-death and level up forever!
Players can explore sectors of space, landing on planets and delving into their surface areas and underground cave systems. This exploration phase intertwines with a space combat loop, where players engage in tactical, turn-based battles with enemy ships. Additionally, players can buy and sell commodities at space stations, managing resources to upgrade their ship and crew.
The game randomly generates sectors, planets, cave systems, items, and encounters, ensuring each playthrough offers unique experiences. This procedural nature keeps the gameplay fresh, as players must approach each new challenge with different strategies.
Players can customize their ship's loadout with various weapons, engines, shields, and other systems. Crew members, each with specialized abilities and skill trees, can equip unique gear. This customization allows players to tailor their playstyle, whether focusing on combat, exploration, diplomacy, or a combination.
Combat requires careful management of the ship's systems and crew abilities to overcome alien threats, both in space and on planetary surfaces. The turn-based nature encourages thoughtful decision-making and planning.
While the game features perma-death, players can enable a mode that allows them to carry progress across multiple runs. This persistent system allows gradual accumulation of resources, unlocking new ships and crew abilities over time.
The game's procedurally generated world and factions create the potential for unique storylines to unfold. Players can choose to align themselves with specific groups, engage in diplomatic negotiations, or work against certain factions, leading to memorable tales of space exploration and adventure.