Roguelike dungeon exploration games are almost always a great time. The ever changing layouts, never quite knowing what to expect when you reach the next floor. Oh, how I love chasing that thrill! The Sealed Ampoule bills itself as a “dungeon agriculturalization roguelike,” and it was impossible to say no to figuring out what that meant. As you may have guessed, The Sealed Ampoule is, at its core, about farming.
Irene purchased a deeply discounted, previously owned dungeon with plans to harvest the resources then use her alchemical skills to create salable items. She is a bit suspicious about it though; there are some shady inhabitants hanging around and someone forgot to clear out all the monsters. With a little elbow grease and a bit of spelunking, it is possible for Irene to turn this dungeon into the ingredient generating machine she needs.
Everything in The Sealed Ampoule eats up Irene’s resource inventory. Step one is to collect as many items as you can from the dungeon. Ingredients spawn on each level, and reinvesting those items into leveling up the farm boosts production. Irene can carry every ingredient you harvest so shove everything into her pockets. Even if you die, a percentage of what she’s grabbed will make it back to her room. Standard roguelike behavior right here, which is very much appreciated.
Once you’ve maxed out the Farm and Magic levels for each floor, the Caretaker informs Irene that she can Agriculturalize those levels. Doing so turns the floors into safe spaces to pass through. Under the Caretaker’s thumb, these floors will pump out much larger harvest yields and corral enemies to gather their drops. Like shearing wool from a lamb. Except from elements and creepy lumps of meat. Near the stairs on these levels you may also find some magic circles and consumables for your health and mana. Irene also uses resources to learn new skills, so it feels I am always running low on one ingredient or another. If I’m lucky, a quick trip down to those floors will stock me up on the basics.
Agriculturalizing consecutive levels means that they merge into one single level. This drastically bumps up your farming efforts while eliminating the need to travel through each and every floor. You’ll need to find the special flasks strewn about the dungeon in order turn floors into straight up farms. I’m always so excited when I’ve reached a new depth and spot one Why? Because I know that soon enough I’ll be able to merge the entire dungeon into mega farm!
Ultimately, you want to invest in expanding Irene’s dungeon farm if you hope to uncover The Sealed Ampoule‘s mystery. Each new alchemical ingredient and tool aids Irene in her quest to turn this sketchy dungeon into a never-ending farm to power her dream shop. The fact that it makes the game much more enjoyable is another good reason, too. Only a masochist would try to play through the entire game without utilizing this key gameplay mechanic.
