Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is the second game in the Professor Layton series. It was developed by Level-5 and released for the Nintendo DS in September of 2009. In it players control Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke as they try to uncover the mystery behind the murder of Layton's friend, which is linked to some mysterious artifact known as the Elysian Box. Layton and Luke board a train to an unknown destination, encountering more mysteries and plenty of strange new characters on the way.

As the game progresses Layton and Luke are tasked with solving puzzles, most of which are given to them by the other characters found in the game. These puzzles come in many different styles and cover a huge range of topics. Some are clever logic problems, others involve finding clues from images on the screen, and others are based on math problems. There are over 150 different puzzles in the game, though only intrepid players will discover them all.

Diabolical Box's biggest strength is definitely in problem solving. While the game has players walking around the game's environment, collecting clues and progressing the game's story, this is punctuated regularly by puzzle-solving. Players are constantly given new things to consider and challenges to overcome, and players never know what type of puzzle will be next.

Classroom Facts

Diabolical Box includes plenty of classroom facts, though they may not be particularly apparent. While many puzzles do not touch on classroom facts, many others depend on them entirely. Puzzles involve basic common sense, but more explicitly many involve math, geometry and spatial reasoning. One puzzle asks players to determine the angle between two certain points on a cube, while another has players rearranging digits to make an equation ring true. These puzzles and more are scattered frequently throughout the game.

Creativity & Imagination

By the Player:

Players do not have too much freedom in Diabolical Box. The game progresses linearly, with the player having to speak with specific characters and complete specific puzzles to continue. Within specific puzzles, too, players have one specific solution that they must find.

There are a handful of other puzzles that stretch out over the game. One of these minigames has players trying to get an overweight hamster to lose some weight. This involves using toys received from different characters and arranging them in a pattern that will force the hamster to walk as many steps as possible. Players also collect camera parts, and if they manage to assemble the camera they gain the ability to take pictures of certain areas to unlock additional puzzles. These kinds of sidequests are optional goals, and allow players that enjoy the game to discover even more content.

By the Developer:

Diabolical Box is fairly structurally similar to the previous game in the Professor Layton series, but it includes an all-new storyline and over 150 brand new puzzles. While many puzzles echo those in the previous game, every one of them is new.
The Layton series is itself pretty unique, offering dozens of puzzles and brain-teasers wrapped in charming detective stories. While a new episode may be similar to other games in the series, it is still unique among games as a whole.
The game's plot is also a little more rhythmic than the last's, with Layton traveling along the tracks of the Molentary Express, meeting new characters and hitting a couple different villages. The game's voice-acting and cutscenes are top-notch, and the story is entertaining enough to compel players to continue.

Business Skills

Business skills may come into play in any given puzzle, but they are also present in the overarching story in the form of hint coins. Each puzzle has up to three hints attached to it, and each hint costs players one hint coin. These coins are found by searching various areas of the game, and are available only in limited numbers, encouraging players to hold off using them as long as possible.

People Skills

Diabolical Box is not a multiplayer game, and though players interact with many different characters they never have any control over the game's progression.

Problem Solving

Problem solving is the name of the game, here, and it varies hugely from puzzle to puzzle. One puzzle might have players solving a math problem, while the very next may be a lengthy paragraph in which players need to figure out just what is wrong. It’s impossible to describe the range of puzzles in a couple paragraphs, but it’s safe to say that even over all 150+ puzzles players are tackling something fresh each and every time, even those times that a puzzle is a more complicated iteration of a previous one.

Besides puzzles, players are also tasked with solving the various mysteries that Layton and Luke encounter. This involves walking around the environment, talking to people and collecting clues. This is compelling in its own way, and the game’s eccentric characters and charming locations help keep players engrossed in their crime-solving pursuits.

Simulation

Diabolical Box is not a simulation game.

Popularity

Diabolical Box has been received well almost universally, with most reviewers calling the game an improvement over the already impressive previous installment. Both the new puzzles and storyline received praise.

Extra Credit

Diabolical Box does involve a murder, but the player’s characters never commit acts of violence of any kind.

If players have access to a wireless internet connection, they can play a new puzzle every week after the game’s release.

Controls & Options

Diabolical Box doesn’t include any significant options.

Tips

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box received an E10+ from the ESRB with descriptors for Alcohol Reference and Mild Violence.