The Sealed Ampoule
- March 3, 2021
- CAVYHOUSE
Get on Steam"The Sealed Ampoule" is a turn-based roguelike RPG with crafting elements. Traverse through randomly generated dungeons, battle monsters, and collect resources to upgrade your equipment and skills. Your goal is to unseal the ultimate ampoule, but watch out for permadeath and challenging bosses. Each playthrough offers a new experience with procedural generation and various character builds to try.
Reviews
- The game features an evolving gameplay experience, where mechanics shift from managing resources to upgrading the dungeon itself, providing a sense of progression.
- The unique art style and music create a charming atmosphere, making it a relaxing and enjoyable experience for players.
- It offers a light challenge with addictive gameplay, allowing players to retain their levels upon death, which alleviates the grind and encourages exploration.
- The gameplay can feel extremely repetitive, with limited mechanics and a lack of complexity, leading to a dull experience over time.
- The user interface and sound design are criticized for being intrusive and annoying, detracting from the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The final boss presents a significant roadblock that requires excessive grinding, which can be frustrating for players looking for a smoother progression.
- gameplay13 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this dungeon crawler is characterized by its evolutionary mechanics that evolve over time, offering a mix of fast-paced action and strategic elements. While some players appreciate the simple yet engaging mechanics and the unique dungeon leveling system, others criticize the repetitive nature and lack of complexity, leading to a grind that may not appeal to everyone. Overall, it presents a blend of relaxing gameplay with roguelite elements, making it suitable for those who enjoy casual dungeon exploration.
“What is most interesting about this dungeon explorer is how there is a huge evolutionary ebb and flow in how its simple mechanics are applied over the course of the game.”
“An exceptional dungeon crawler; fast-paced, simple but still requiring strategy, the gameplay evolves multiple times over the course of the game.”
“If you're up to some relaxed grinding, 'The Sealed Ampoule' is right up your alley: the simple (yet not completely trivial) well-balanced mechanics and the feeling of constant progression make this a great game.”
“Really dull gameplay.”
“I find the gameplay lacking in complexity and the game design and sound design annoys me.”
“The gameplay itself is insanely repetitive, as you just have a basic attack and only very few special moves that you eventually just spam forever.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 45 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are described as unique and experimental, with a distinct aesthetic that some players find appealing, while others criticize it for being clunky and inconsistent. Many reviewers note a disparity between the promotional artwork and the in-game visuals, with some areas appearing poorly rendered. Overall, the game's unusual art style contributes to its charm, but it may not resonate with everyone.
“But there's something about listening to weird music, looking at weird visuals, and getting tugged along through a little mystery.”
“Like the other cavyhouse games, this is a very aesthetic, weird and experimental game.”
“The graphical style is unique, the music/sfx non-obtrusive, and the story is light but the mystery is interesting enough to make me want to learn more.”
“I initially played 30 minutes, thought 'huh, this game is... unique', I didn't quite like the art style and it felt kinda clunky.”
“There are places where the graphics look like they're missing and the shadows are terrible in the room menu.”
“What really bugs me about the graphics is in some places, and on the store page, there's some artwork that's quite good but you get in the game and most of it looks terrible.”
- story7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The story is characterized by a simple yet engaging mystery that unfolds through short events encountered every ten to fifteen floors, with charming characters that enhance the experience. While the gameplay can feel repetitive due to the vast number of floors, the unique graphics and music, along with the intriguing narrative, keep players invested in uncovering more about the story and its characters. Overall, the combination of a light narrative and captivating elements makes for a satisfying storytelling experience.
“The characters are charming, and while the story is simple, it's nice to solve a mystery.”
“The sameness of the dungeon is, however, punctuated by special floors that have some sort of event, letting you in on a bit more of the story and introducing the characters that live there.”
“The graphical style is unique, the music and sound effects are non-obtrusive, and the story is light, but the mystery is interesting enough to make me want to learn more.”
“Sometimes you use a skill, sometimes you consume an item, and every ten or fifteen previously uncharted floors, you run into a short story event.”
“It is super repetitive, but as with Forget Me Not: My Organic Garden, also by Cavy House, it is the price you pay to unlock the story.”
“The sameness of the dungeon is, however, punctuated by special floors that have some sort of event, letting you in on a bit more of the story, and introducing the characters that live there.”
- grinding7 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a mixed experience with grinding in the game; while some players find it tedious and a significant barrier to progress, particularly at the final boss, others appreciate the balanced mechanics that make grinding feel rewarding and contribute to a sense of progression. Overall, the game is characterized as a typical rogue-lite dungeon crawler that necessitates grinding, but with unique elements that can enhance the experience for those who enjoy it.
“I did not make it all the way through, as the final boss is a huge roadblock that can only be overcome by grinding the same floors over and over for an additional 10 hours - kind of a stupid move.”
“When you get through the annoying higher floors to the final boss, you are then faced with the aforementioned roadblock; he deals a ton of damage and has so much health that he is impossible to kill without grinding for hours on end.”
“Sadly, the gameplay is just not interesting enough to facilitate that grinding.”
- music3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as unique and non-obtrusive, complementing the quirky visuals and engaging mystery. Players appreciate the cute style and find the soundtrack enhances the overall experience, making it enjoyable and immersive.
“But there's something about listening to weird music, looking at weird visuals, and getting tugged along through a little mystery.”
“I like it; the style is cute and I enjoy the music.”
“The graphical style is unique, the music and sound effects are non-obtrusive, and the story is light, but the mystery is interesting enough to make me want to learn more.”
