What's in your box? (Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS))

Member Name: lolly23

Product:	Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS)
Date:	10/11/09 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great game, amazing storyline, 150 puzzles!

Disadvantages: Puzzles are a lot easier, can finish the story before you have finished all puzzles/mysteries.

I loved Professor Layton and the Curious Village so had to buy 'Diabolical box'. I have to say that I think that this game is better than the first.

For a start, the game is longer. I was a little annoyed at how short 'Curious Village' was so was pleased to find that this game is longer - and with more of those all important puzzles!

The storyline is also a lot stronger and you get video clips throughout, rather than the odd one here and there and a big one at the end.

This game also has a memo function on the puzzles so you can jot down your calculations or trace out the shapes. This is a nice touch, although there was nothing really wrong with the other game's technique of just drawing on the page.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box follows Professor Layton and his trusty sidekick Luke as they try to solve the mystery of the Elysian Box - a box that is said to kill anyone who dares open it.

After Layton's good friend Dr. Schrader mysteriously dies while in the box's presence, Layton decides that he must solve this mystery and find out whether a box can really be capable of murder!

You follow Professor Layton on his journey and speak to many people, you find puzzles in the most unlikely of places and along the way you uncover even more mysteries for you to solve throughout the game.

There are 150 puzzles in total.
When you find one you get a paragraph of writing which outlines the puzzle, then you have to circle the answer, draw it, or write it in.
You get games like 'find the odd one out' (although a lot harder than the kids versions!), riddles, logic puzzles and mazes, plus questions that really make you think.

Some are harder than others and you can always leave it and go back later if you get stuck. Here is an example of one of the more time consuming ones:

'You have a prinstine white flag that you want to colour in three sections as shown below. You have three paints.

No two adjacent sections of the flag can be the same colour, each section can only be one colour, and you can't change the number or size of these sections.

If you aren't allowed to mix paint, how many distinct flag designs are possible?'

You then have a picture of a flag split into three sections.

If the puzzles are too difficult you can buy up to 3 clues with hint coins, which you can find throughout the game by clicking on things such as barrels and street lights.

I actually think that the puzzles are easier in this game than they were in 'Curious Village'. Yes, there are some near on impossible ones, but a lot of them are pretty lame in comparison to 'Curious Village'.

The only other problem I have with this game is that you can finish the story before you've finished everything. You can go back to finish things afterwards, but it doesn't really seem as fun when you already know the ending!

All in all, a very fun and engaging game. Probably more for adults than children, although older children will probably get on well with it.

A five star game, let down by it's ability to finish the game before you solve all of the mysteries and puzzles.

Summary: A good game, possibly slightly better than it's predecessor.