Ad Nauseam is all about figuring out how far you’d be willing to go to get what you want or protect what you love. Being set within a world in the midst of a disaster, the game promotes sacrifice and will take on a relatively melancholic tone, exploring themes like loss and inevitability. While on the surface Ad Nauseam may appear to have fantastical and light-hearted themes, it will delve into heavier topics. The loss of memory, for example, is an important themes that will unavoidably be present in the game. In addition to this, taking place during a time loop allows for the game to be a little more brutal than usual, allowing characters to potentially take greater risks and make greater sacrifices, in the hope that all will be mended and forgiven by the reversal of time.

This is one of the main themes of Ad Nauseam, pervading every aspect of it, from the world to the magic system. There is nothing that comes without a cost and this is made especially evident in the Sanctuary. From the smallest of enhancements to the grandest of creations, your character will inevitably have to sacrifice something. Players get to explore their characters' values and what is it that they hold dear. This may take quite a practical form, as characters will see their own possessions, abilities, and ideals being weighed against each other in the usage of magic. Players are also encouraged to explore just how far their characters are willing to go to achieve their goals and dreams - is there anything they would not give up in pursuit of their objective?

With the game taking place in a time loop, players will be faced with repeated failures to reach their objective time and time again. Even if they do succeed, their progress will be erased the very next day. There are many ways to experience doom this way, and it will be up to the players whether they try and tackle this inevitability head on or find a way to live with it.

As players meet with the same NPCs and visit the same locations, they will naturally come to better understand how the Sanctuary works, how people react, and what happens when. This is valuable and unique knowledge: a chance to see various outcomes without suffering any of the consequences. With this knowledge you will get the opportunity to have an even greater effect in the next iteration. Whilst some parts of this game will embody inevitability, other parts will give you the potential to push the Sanctuary to its limits and see the “what if”.

The Sanctuary is a mysterious place: its origin is largely unknown, the time loop has just appeared out of nowhere, and many residents are hiding secrets. Players are therefore encouraged to spend much of their time interrogating NPCs and developing various theories to explain this world they find themselves in.