Approaching Infinity is a turn-based space RPG in the spirit of the sci-fi classics, with endless progression and exploration. Navigate this broken galaxy and fight tactical battles, or try to live peacefully with the aliens... Hunt powerful artifacts. Mine or trade for materials. Level up forever!
All Reviews:
Very Positive (333) - 94% of the 333 user reviews for this game are positive.
Release Date:
Aug 5, 2020
Developer:
Publisher:

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Early Access Game

Get instant access and start playing; get involved with this game as it develops.

Note: This Early Access game is not complete and may or may not change further. If you are not excited to play this game in its current state, then you should wait to see if the game progresses further in development. Learn more

What the developers have to say:

Why Early Access?

“Approaching Infinity is already a complete game, but I'm not done making it better. And you, the Steam Community, are helping with your feedback and ideas!”

Approximately how long will this game be in Early Access?

“2025”

How is the full version planned to differ from the Early Access version?

“Approaching Infinity is already a fully playable, winnable, lose-able traditional rogue-like game set in space. And now in 2024, MOST of my plans have been accomplished.

Deeper interactions. More quests. More stories. More enemies. Puzzles. More. More more. More more more: MORE. (And much of this has been accomplished already during early access.)

But the real motivation to be in early access is all the interactions, quality-of-life improvements, and totally new ideas that the community is suggesting.”

What is the current state of the Early Access version?

Playable and addictive! Everything works. Countless new features have been added in the last 4+ years, and bigger changes are yet to come! Many players have *hundreds* of hours in the game.”

Will the game be priced differently during and after Early Access?

“Yes. Early Access pricing is lower, while full release will be higher. But nowhere near its all-time high :p”

How are you planning on involving the Community in your development process?

“In the past I worked with a highly involved community, and together we implemented a LOT of new features; Now I'm doing it again!

Approaching Infinity uses the written words, visual art, and level designs of hundreds of people. I want the Steam community to contribute planet names, poetry, short references, abstract art, and shipwreck levels that will be curated and added into the game.”
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Buy IBOLOGY Bundle BUNDLE (?)

Includes 4 items: Approaching Infinity, Approaching Infinity: Interface Expansion, Curse Of Yendor, XenoBloom

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Reviews

“Trek those stars in the utterly delightful Approaching Infinity”
Rock Paper Shotgun

“The Hitchhikers Guide to Rogue-Likes... I really like the baseline of features and the game’s style and humor.”
BlindiRL

“Approaching Infinity is one of the most ambitious and challenging space-based indie games of recent years.”
Turn Based Lovers

About This Game

Embark on the limitless cosmic adventure that is "Approaching Infinity," a procedurally generated space exploration roguelike with a nostalgic feel and modern sensibilities.

Think turn-based Star Control 2, Star Trek the roguelike, or Ultima IV in space.

Upgrade your ship, outfit your officers, and navigate through a vibrant galaxy filled with alien factions, mysterious artifacts, and tactical turn-based battles. Every playthrough is a unique story waiting to be written. Join the adventure and shape the universe!

Is up to you!

You start with a quest to "find out what happened to the human colony", but it's optional. You can fight or make peace, mine asteroids, buy and sell commodities, survey planets, extort freighters, smuggle illegal goods, engage in diplomacy, collect powerful artifacts, choose a side in the galactic conflict, craft, become famous (or infamous), harvest rare plants, grok creatures, destroy the universe, become a god, salvage shipwrecks, avenge humanity...

12 major factions have full quest lines you can immerse yourself in: learn their history, secure their future... or work against them!

Or don't.

It's a galactic sandbox where you can dedicate yourself to a specific role or mission, or just drift from place to place, doing odd jobs and selling your excess loot.

Follow the stories (quest lines) of 12 major alien races, 8 of which lead to unique victories. There are 2 more ways to win that you can discover on your travels. Or you can ignore those goals and explore forever, leveling up your crew and gear to god-like proportions 

Victory is not assured in this dangerous broken galaxy. Death could be waiting just beyond that nebula, within that forest, or around the next bend in that underground tunnel. It is most assuredly waiting for you in shipwrecks and star temples.

But if you crave exploration and role play more than hard-core challenge, then fear not! Simply select "adventure mode" and death will be no more than an inconvenience on your journey through the stars.

As both a developer and a player, I've always loved procedural generation's ability to supply fresh, unpredictable challenges. Approaching Infinity leverages proc-gen extensively to ensure that every sector, planet, cave, item, and encounter can surprise you. Explorers rejoice!

Approaching Infinity walks a line between deeply-simulated vs. streamlined systems.

For example, fire is fairly "simulated": You can burn trees with your flamethrower, and the fires will spread. It catches faster on planets with high oxygen content, and goes out immediately with high CO2, or vacuum. And if you're on fire, stepping on water will put it out, although we don't track the temperature and wetness of every tile...

But when it comes to time and distance, these concepts are mostly abstract, streamlined and "game-ified": a sector of space, with all its stars and planets, is displayed on the same size map as one interior deck of a shipwreck, or the explorable planetary landing zone around your shuttle. And the time it takes to move in any of these places is "one turn".

No drunk cats here.

But you can shoot a hole in the wall of a pressurized shipwreck and everything (including you) will move in the direction of the escaping air.

The dividing line is "fun": ignore reality where simulation would be tedious, but embrace it when it can be used creatively.

Approaching Infinity is my life's work, and it was conceived, prototyped, and kickstarted in 2013. It was published by Shrapnel games in 2015. I finally got the rights back to it in 2020 and brought it to Steam Early Access, where I've been improving it ever since. This passion project is the perfect expression of my eternal love of science fiction and strategic RPGs. I plan to finish the game in 2025, but I don't know if I'll ever stop adding content...

System Requirements

    Minimum:
    • OS *: Windows 7
    • Processor: 1Ghz
    • Memory: 512 MB RAM
    • Storage: 250 MB available space
* Starting January 1st, 2024, the Steam Client will only support Windows 10 and later versions.

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