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.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Xbox
Reviews
- The game features an interesting evolution of mechanics, providing fun decisions and a sense of progression as players delve deeper into the dungeon.
- The unique graphical style and relaxing gameplay make it a charming experience, with a light challenge that is easy to pick up and play.
- Players appreciate the ability to retain their level and progress even after dying, which alleviates the grind and enhances the overall enjoyment of the game.
- The gameplay is criticized for being extremely repetitive, with a lack of complexity and variety in combat and level design.
- Many players find the sound design and UI to be grating, with issues such as unresponsive controls and a cluttered interface that detracts from the experience.
- The final boss is seen as a significant roadblock, requiring excessive grinding that can lead to frustration and diminish the enjoyment of the game.
- gameplay26 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this dungeon crawler is characterized by its simple mechanics that evolve throughout the game, offering a mix of fast-paced action and strategic elements. While some players appreciate the relaxing and addictive nature of the gameplay, others criticize it for being repetitive and lacking complexity, particularly due to limited attack options. Overall, it appeals to those who enjoy casual grinding and roguelite elements, but may not satisfy players seeking deeper gameplay experiences.
“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.”
“There is also a neat mechanic that lets you use materials to level up the dungeon itself, with the goal of turning each floor into a farm, allowing you to harvest the materials while skipping those floors completely.”
“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.”
- graphics22 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 14 % 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 noted that the in-game visuals often do not match the quality of the promotional artwork, leading to disappointment. Despite these mixed feelings, the overall artistic style contributes to the game's quirky charm and engaging atmosphere.
“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.”
“The story, the unique graphics, the characters you meet—everything is just hitting the right marks.”
“I didn't quite like the art style and it felt kind of 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 that 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.”
- story14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The story is simple yet engaging, revolving around a mystery that unfolds through short events encountered every ten to fifteen floors, which helps to break the repetitive dungeon exploration. Characters are charming, and while the narrative may not be deep, the unique graphics and lighthearted tone contribute to an enjoyable experience that keeps players invested in uncovering more. Overall, the combination of story elements and character interactions effectively enhances the gameplay.
“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/sfx non-obtrusive, and the story is light, but the mystery is interesting enough to make me want to learn more.”
“The story 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.”
“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.”
- grinding14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a significant reliance on grinding, particularly at the final boss stage, where players may need to invest an additional 10 hours to progress, which some find frustrating. While the game offers a typical rogue-lite experience with evolving mechanics that can make grinding feel rewarding, others feel the gameplay lacks enough engagement to justify the extensive grinding required. Overall, the grinding aspect is a mixed bag, appealing to those who enjoy it but potentially alienating for players seeking a more streamlined experience.
“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.”
- music6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music in the game is described as quirky and fitting, complementing the unique graphical style and enhancing the overall experience without being intrusive. Players appreciate how the soundtrack contributes to the game's lighthearted yet intriguing atmosphere, making the journey through its mystery enjoyable.
“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 like 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.”
