Professor Layton & the Diabolical Box is the second game in the Professor Layton series, created by Japanese video game developer Level-5. Released primarily for the Nintendo DS platform, the game is a point-and-click puzzle adventure following the titular Professor Hershel Layton and his apprentice Luke as they attempt to solve the murder of Layton’s mentor, Dr Andrew Schrader.
Schrader had researched and discovered the mysterious Elysian Box (known colloquially as ‘Pandora’s Box’), but had been murdered in his apartment, with the box stolen. Professor Layton and Luke’s story leads them to the town of Folsense, where the box’s legend is much more significant than they had originally imagined.
Consisting of a variety of mini-game style logic puzzles, the second Professor Layton game combines some of the series’ best brain teasers with a fantastically suspenseful and beautifully-written story. The artwork throughout the game is of a similar quality, and it has the feel of a satisfying and classic gaming experience.
Despite being over a decade-and-a-half old, this game holds up incredibly well. As well as being a much-appreciated opportunity to revisit the Nintendo DS, one of the best gaming consoles that exist, the game is still as entertaining now as it was a decade ago. The puzzles in the game are testing regardless of age or even whether you have played this game before, with a wide variety of minigames to keep you entertained. And with such a gripping storyline underpinning it all, this game is one that still punches well above its weight.
This game is a special one for me, as it’s one of the first games that I played on my Nintendo DS as a child, and crucially, one of the very first I managed to complete. Coming out in the U.K. when I was just six years old, the sense of satisfaction that I got from completing this game, and such an entertaining and challenging one at that is a memory I still vividly have and has become one of the very few games I have revisited to play through on many occasions over the years. It is, in my opinion, one of the best DS games that I have ever played and hold such an important place in my childhood…
…which is why we absolutely should not be considering a sequel.
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box has a number of sequels already, all following a similar point-and-click puzzle adventure format, yet none of them are as good as the second incarnation. In more recent years, the developers have embraced new art styles and storylines, which simply cannot compete with the classic style that has become synonymous with the series. The Professor Layton series has so many high-quality games within it already, that leaving the franchise alone is the best that Level-5 can do (as much as another game would be exciting, and I would definitely play it, the series is perfect as it is!).
The childhood game that stole my heart, and partly to blame for my surname, Professor Layton & the Diabolical Box still stands as one of the most underrated games in one of the most underrated series that the gaming world has seen. Combining mind-bending puzzles with a fantastic storyline and striking art style, the series’ second edition is an unmissable game that I urge each and every person to treat themselves to in the new year.
Professor Layton & the Diabolical Box was released in 2007 in Japan, & 2009 in the U.K.
