Professor Layton returns in a sequel worthy of a gentleman.
+ larger and even more varied collection of brainteasers than its predecessor's
+ another mind-blowing mystery to unravel in the game's brilliant story
+ marvelous visual presentation, including more gorgeous FMV cutscenes
+ a much improved soundtrack
+ plenty of bonus content and extra puzzles to keep you busy even after completing the story
Cons:
- not a huge step forward over the Curious Village in terms of improvements
- even though more plentiful, hint coins can still occasionally be wasted on invaluable hints
- the dreaded slider puzzles have returned
A perplexing mystery story, clever logic puzzles, and stunning visuals all came together to make Professor Layton and the Curious Village an amazing and unique game for the Nintendo DS. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box reunites the studious Professor Hershel Layton and his eager assistant Luke for another adventure chock full of befuddlement. Charming, addictive, challenging, and always entertaining, this sequel is simply more of the same, which is a great thing for the most part. All of the small tweaks, expansions, and a much improved audio make the Diabolical Box a cleaner package than its predecessor, but there's no new addition that truly broadens the inventiveness of the series. Luckily, this riddle of a game is just as enjoyable to engross yourself in as before, so you shouldn't have a problem with the familiar territory.
The Diabolical Box's engaging tale includes more unexpected twists and turns throughout and plays out in a way slightly similar to that of the Curious Village, balancing between charm and mystery. Professor Layton receives a message from his old teacher Dr. Schrader that he has finally got his hands on a peculiar artifact known as the Elysian Box, which has an infamous reputation for killing anyone who opens it. Layton and Luke immediately set out for Dr. Schrader's home only to find their worst fears realized. With Dr. Schrader's body sprawled on the floor and the Elysian Box no where to be found, the two begin their adventure with the only lead to the cause of the accident, a train ticket with no destination for the illustrious Molentary Express, and board the train in hopes of solving the mystery and obtaining the Elysian Box. As the journey goes on, multiple mysteries that all tie in with each other arise and are eventually unraveled with mind-boggling conclusions that make playing through the game very worthwhile. Accompanied with charming dialogue, a slew of curious characters, and some impeccable gentlemanly manners, the Diabolical Box's story is greatly satisfying and entertaining.
Walking and exploring different areas works the same as before, with simple controls exclusively utilizing the touch screen, but this time, however, multiple environments are visited with varying and appropriate atmospheres. Whether it's in the elegant interior of the Molentary Express or the towns of its stops, you'll still be searching for hidden puzzles or hint coins in niches as you continue the investigation. Over the course of the journey, you'll come across a large number of bizarre folk, who'll usually be happy to give you a useful item or piece of information if you do the gentlemanly favor of solving a riddle of theirs.
The myriad of these challenging puzzles you must crack vary so greatly in both type and objective that it'd be extremely difficult to list all of what you'll face throughout the game. Without a doubt, however, they'll test your gray matter to the limit. You may circle a specific object according to the clues of a riddle, draw paths, make calculations for ages or areas of figures (which has been made easier by the new feature to take notes on the screen), work out sequences, and use process of elimination. You'll be using all of these methods to see which in a group is fibbing, fix faulty machines, split money between people evenly, and even stack pancakes or skate across frozen lakes! Unfortunately, you'll shake your fist at the horrid slider puzzles that'll occasionally stand in your way from continuing the story, which involve tedious trial-and-error rather than critical thinking. Again, the brainteasers gradually increase in difficultly as you progress through the game, so you'll be happy to know there are more hint coins available in the environments this time. However, you're still only permitted 3 hints per puzzle, and not all of them are as useful as they could be. You'll experience the wonderful familiar feeling of victory after completing each brainteaser, which once again makes them the most compelling and entertaining portion of the game.
When you're not engaged in puzzle-solving or searching for clues throughout the environments, you can take part in a few unique and interesting minigames, which are only optional distractions. You can repair a destroyed camera, organize an exercise program for a hamster in serious need of weight-loss, and experiment with different ingredients to brew different teas and serve them to troubled residents. The Diabolical Box offers plenty of content outside the approximately 15 hour adventure. The total plethora of puzzles does not need to be completed to finish the story, but the puzzle enthusiasts who do manage to solve all of them can unlock even more puzzles and content, which many will want to do seeing as you can easily get hooked into hours of puzzle-solving at a time.
Even though the Diabolical Box's presentation is very similar to the Curious Village's in style, it considerably tops its predecessor's in a few ways. For one thing, the soundtrack is much more pleasant this time, delivering less of the detestable accordion themes and more violin and piano sounds. The music still suffers from a bit of monotony, but it's much less inclined to induce headaches than before. The Diabolical Box is another graphical showcase for the Nintendo DS, with its detailed and varied landscapes and creative character designs. The absolutely stunning FMV cutscenes make a more prevalent return along with some very good voice work.
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box has just what you would expect from a Professor Layton sequel: varied and clever puzzles, an amusing and thoughtful story, a splendid presentation, and of course, some fine gentlemanly courtesies. With all that in mind, you should easily find it to be a high quality title. Even though you won't come across many gameplay surprises, the formula is excellent enough to sustain the series' fans. Newcomers may want to purchase the Curious Village first, but this isn't entirely essential, as no prior information is needed for the story. This excellent entry to the Professor Layton series should be added to the collection of any who'd like to exercise their logical thinking skills with both brain-scratching puzzles and a riveting mystery tale.
Score: 8.7/10