Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box [video game]

My first Professor Layton game was Unwound Future, so I am backtracking with Diabolical Box. Not that it makes much difference as all the Prof Layton games can be played on their own and out of order. I enjoyed this game even more than Unwound Future. I found the puzzles to be more entertaining and I liked the puzzle progressions with the peg games and chess games. The characters were more distinct and finely drawn, making for memorable characters such as Sammy Thunder, Babette, and Anton. I'm however still searching for a reason for the Flora character, and found it disturbing that the gentleman that Professor Layton claims to be did not rush back to Dropstone to rescue her when she was kidnapped, but rather left her locked up in a barn for the duration of the adventure. Doesn't send the best message to our female gamers. I liked the extras, the tea game, the camera, and the hamster game, although I found the hamster game too easy. But once complete he sniffed out hint coins for me, so completing the hamster game early was tactically advantageous. I'm still working through all the bonus material but fully intend to buy the remaining Professor Layton games once I've completed this one. An enjoyable and challenging game, well worth the price.

As you might already be able to tell, I love this game. The animation style is great, something you don't find anywhere else. The music is terrific and also one-of-a-kind as far as I know. But of course the most important part is the puzzles. Professor Layton is a puzzle game and the overall quality of the game rests almost completely on the quality of the puzzles, which is terrific. As a caveat, I would caution younger players that if they have little interest in puzzles, this is not the game for you. The puzzles range from easy to wildly difficult, but some time and ESPECIALLY thinking outside the box will allow success. Most puzzles hinge on the ability of the player to think outside the box. On the other hand, if you aren't afraid of a little thinking, this game is charming and terrific, benefiting from the great backbone of puzzles, as well as the entertaining storyline and terrific graphics and music. If you like puzzles, this is the game for you.

By now, the first installment of Professor Layton is well-known to DS owners as perhaps the best non-action game ever made for the platform. This second installment may be even better. The concept is exactly the same: you travel with Professor Layton throughout an interesting narrative, solving brain-teaser puzzles along the way. You are given some latitude, but ultimately you must solve the majority of the puzzles to "win" the game and solve the mystery. This game, despite having the same type of puzzles as the first one, is still different and fresh. The main story is different and interesting. What's better about this game is there is more actual animated sequences in the game, which adds to its cinematic quality. What's not quite as good is some of the puzzles seem a bit forced -like the authors had to really wrack their brains to come up with new ones. Overall a wonderful experience - my 9 year old daughter and I solved this game together. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much her puzzle-solving skills had progressed after the first game. She could solve a large percentage of the puzzles. This may be the only DS game you don't mind letting your kid play for hours!

There is a certain charm to this game and the puzzles are pretty good. The problem is the incredibly long, slow cut scenes of animation in between every puzzle. I have played alot of games in my life and I have no problem with a little bit slower paced, sweet game, but this one drove me NUTS. I played through the first 20% of the puzzles and then I just couldn't take it anymore. I like animation and I like puzzle games, but don't switch back and forth between them for a whole game. In short: WAY LESS animation and story, WAY MORE puzzles and the ability to get into puzzle solving mode and stay there for a while. This game has no "flow state". It's a shame, clearly there is talent at work here and a real sensitivity to tone that is nice to see...but the final product doesn't hold up as a game.

I have eagerly anticipated the release of this sequel since playing the Curious Village, this game does not disappoint. This is number 2 in a series of games to be released in the US, with The Last Time Travel (already released in japan) and The Specter's Flute with a released date to be determined. The main story revolves around Professor Layton and his charming (and yes, sometimes annoying) apprentice Luke. They are traveling to meet Layton's mentor, who has sent them a letter about a mysterious box. Layton and Luke rush to the mentor's home to find him deceased under mysterious circumstances. From there the pair travel to discover the secrets of the "diabolical box" This is a wonderful puzzle game you can pick up for just a few minutes or play for hours. The cartoonish cut scenes are really a cut above and the story is fresh and exciting. Don't forget the bonus material available through wifi as in the Curious Village.

Todo bien

Nachdem ich bereits ein Spiel der Serie hatte und es wirklich kurzweilig fand, suchte ich nach weiteren Prof. Laytons... und wurde fündig. An diesem Angebot gefiel mir der Preis kombiniert mit der Tatsache, dass es ein UK Import sein soll - ich dachte, das sei sprachlich für mich ideal. Als die Lieferung kam wurde ich stutzig: Das Handbuch zum Spiel ist in zwei mir vollkommen unbekannten Sprachen, nur kein Englisch... Das hat mich schon gewundert... Allerdings läuft das Spiel wunderbar und es ist auch Englisch - also genau was ich wollte! Wer aber Wert auf ein lesbares Handbuch legt, der ist hier falsch. Mir war das aber egal, deswegen trotzdem 5 Sterne.

Great game.

I've just lost a weekend to this game, finally completed in 12 hours 10 mins and very proud of myself! The format is identical to 'PL and the Curious Village', so if you like that, you'll like this. Over 130 different puzzles; it might be my imagination by they seemed to be slightly easier than on the CV game, (or maybe I just knew what to expect), the back story is more interesting and more difficult to second-guess (I'm sure I wasn't the only one to work out waaaaay in advance that the people in CV were robots!) although there are some holes in the story that weren't properly filled, but that's just me nit-picking. The mini games are also good fun, brewing the perfect tea and getting the tubby hamster into shape have kept me quiet for several hours! This game does very much what it says on the box, you'll either love it or loath it, but if you're into logic puzzles then this is worth every penny; the narrative style makes it much more interesting than just a game with a plain series of puzzles and it really does hold the attention. Plus you get to see Layton engaged in a sword duel while trying to keep hold of his hat - worth the money for that alone!

Fast delivery,also the item was clean and presentable 10/10.