Good evening. Welcome to For What it’s Worth. Tonight we have tale of a box. On the outside, it seems rather harmless, even beautiful. Sporting gold, jewels, rubies and sapphires. Many would seek to gain wealth and power. However, a terrible secret is said to dwell within its confines would bring misery to many who held it in their possession. But perhaps their is more to this box than there is said to be?
For What it’s Worth Presents: Professor Layton & the Diabolical Box.
Story: The Professor receives a letter from his mentor, Dr. Schrader who claims to have in his possession a mysterious artifact known as the Elysian Box. The box is rumored to have the power to kill anyone who dares to open it. Upon learning about his teacher’s predicament, Layton and his apprentice Luke decide to pay him a visit. Unfortunately, upon their arrival they discover that Schrader has appeared to have died after opening the Elysian Box but the box itself is missing. After finding a train ticket that could lead them to the box’s current location, the duo decide to ride the rails in search of the box in order to find the cause of Schrader’s death. Can the Professor discover the truth behind the Elysian Box? Can he defeat the shadowy figure that looms over it?
The story is has the same charm as Curious Village and even tugs at the heartstrings every once and while. I admit that I got choked up a bit near the end. I would also say that it is a solid mystery that the whole family can enjoy. Although bits may be a tad scary for littler kids but it isn’t anything too scary and it’s all in good fun and even has a nice little life lesson at the end.
I would say that the story has the charm of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli, with the heart of Disney’s Pixar.
(As good as this trailer is, I find the Japanese one to be a bit more epic. Although it does have a few spoliers.)
Graphics & Design: I love the art design in the Professor Layton series. It has the character designs of European animated films like The Triplets of Belleville. Although the characters could also be compared to those of early anime titles like Osamu Tezuka’s Astro Boy. I would definitely say that the backdrops definitely have the same sense of wonder and imagination shown in Miyazaki films like Castle in the Sky or Spirited Away. Whether your wandering around the streets of London or looking for clues in the bright, yet dreary town of Folsense, the beautiful art style really allows you to soak up the atmosphere of Layton’s world. Which is good because just like the last game, each location is a still image. But considering that we get more (and longer) cutscenes than the last time around, we still get a variety of great visuals.
(Perhaps my favorite character (Inspector Chelmey) inspecting the crime scene)
The animation is fantastic and again I must say that this style is incredible to look at. I mean the animation is so clear and fluent that it is probably the best looking game on the DS or perhaps any other handheld. One last thing I would like to mention is that the developers have decided to fix a problem from the last installment, with the decision to animate the character models during the in game dialogue scenes. Well sort of. Level-5 is still using still images of each character during these scenes but this time around; the stills have been given an upgrade. Characters can now fluently change their facial expressions and can move their upper body, rather than just being limited to lip movement and having to stand still. Although they are still standing in one place. It is great to see that they are making the characters livelier. It would be interesting to see some more movement but perhaps this is part of the game’s charm. Just like the Ace Attorney series.
Sound: Again, just like Curious Village, the music is a wonderful selection of violin and accordion heavy European folk music. I would say that the soundtrack of Curious Village is slightly better but Diabolical Box definitely does have more variety in terms of content. Unlike Curious Village, Diabolical Box provides tracks that actually have a little of bit despair and darkness to them which are actually quite beautiful and of course there are also a good amount of tracks that have the same light-hearted feel as Curious Village. I must say the game’s composer, Tomohito Nishiura really deserves a lot of credit. The man is a genius.
The voice acting in Diabolical Box is just as solid as the first outing. However, Level-5 allowed the voice actors to shine more this time around with more cutscenes and allowing them to perform some of the in game dialogue. But sadly the audio bits of the in game dialogue scenes are limited to key speeches, which is a shame because the actors do a terrific job.
Gameplay: Diabolical Box is a point and click style adventure in the same right of its predecessor. No button mashing here. Everything is done with the touch screen, whether it is solving puzzles, searching for clues and hint coins by clicking around objects in the background or chatting with other characters to gather information and taking on new puzzles to earn their trust. The puzzles offered in the game are a wide variety of brainteasers including word problems, Tetris like sliding puzzles, mazes, picture puzzles, games of Chinese Checkers and Chess, just to name a few. If you are having trouble with a particular puzzle you can always skip over it and return to it later or you can use hints coins that are found throughout the game to unlock one of three hints that will make things easier. But be careful. Hint coins come in limited supply so use them wisely. You can also use the new Memo feature, which allows you to draw on the touch screen, which can be good for math and maze related puzzles. Picorats also make their return from the first game. Picorats act as the game’s currency, which is used to unlock bonus content. You earn Picorats by solving each puzzle. The harder the puzzle, the more Picorats it is worth. However, if you enter an incorrect answer the number of Picorats you stand to gain decreases.
The puzzles are fun, offer a good bit of challenge and unlike Curious Village, more of the puzzles are actually related to the story or are at least based on dilemmas faced by the various characters you talk to during the game.
There are also three mini-games that are worth mentioning. The first one being the Hamster mini-game, which has you whipping an obese hamster back into shape by creating an obstacle course for him to exercise in using toys given to you after solving certain puzzles. It is a good bit of fun and a delightful change from the usual gameplay. Besides, it’s cute watching the little guy run around.
The second mini-game is the Tea Set. At about the mid-way point, Layton will be given a tea set, which you will have to use in order to make special teas for people in exchange for information. To make the teas, you will need to add 3 ingredients together (sometimes two or more helpings of one ingredient) in order to mix the blend in which each person wants to quench their thirst. The results can either lead to the creation of a new and delicious blend or it can lead to a hideous brew, unfit for human consumption. It’s an interesting little brainteaser that differs from the usual puzzles. Just remember to listen carefully to what each person is looking for in terms of taste and mix your ingredients accordingly. Like the Hamster game, you will require to solve certain puzzles to collect all of the different ingredients.
The final game comes later on in the story. The Camera game will first have you fixing a broken camera using pieces given to you after solving certain puzzles, which is actually a lot tougher than it sounds. After putting the camera together, you will have nine photograph puzzles, which you will have to find three differences between the picture and the current state of the location shown in the image. Kind of like those “Spot the difference” exercises in those Highlights for Children magazines I used to read at the doctors office.
Extra Features: Just like in the previous game, there is a good selection of bonus content that can be unlocked after collecting enough Picorats. Such as voice over samples, an art gallery, character profiles, the game’s soundtrack and of course, there is also a gallery featuring each cutscene. You can also visit the puzzle index to re-solve all completed puzzles, play through Layton’s Challenges (unlockable puzzles which happen to be the hardest in the game) and download even more puzzles via DS Wi-Fi. And of course, the Hidden Door makes its return as well, which features hidden treats for Diabolical Box, as well as Curious Village and even the next game in series, Unwound Future.
Replay Value: Well, Diabolical Box provides a good 15-18 hours worth of gameplay but if you plan on replaying the game, you should make sure that you have forgotten the answers to each of the puzzles. But personally I see the replay value in the Layton series comes from enjoying the bonus content and trying to solve the bonus/downloadable puzzles. These can add a few extra hours to the gameplay. Even if you wouldn’t want to play the game a second time, there is still enough content here to justify your purchase.
Over All Value: Retail price- $30 (Used)
What it’s Worth- $40
What more can I say? The story is wonderfully crafted. The music is beautifully composed and the puzzles are enjoyable and offer up a good challenge for your mental muscle. If you have a DS and love puzzles this is a must buy!
Until next time: Happy Haunting!
Next on the docket: Brutal Legend!
