Review #734: Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

 Which goes to show you that you just shouldn't open any box you find.

 This is gonna be short and sweet, because there really isn't much to say about Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box, yet another collection of puzzles and riddles tied together by a murder-mystery plot, although with a higher budget.

 The plot this time around concerns a mysterious box that kills anyone that opens it, so Layton and his protegee Luke end up boarding the Molentary Express in order to find out more about it. Part of the game takes place inside the train, but it'll make two stops in towns you can visit. There are definitely more places to explore, more characters to meet and more puzzles to solve. It's not just quantity, the sprites look much better this time around, although the puzzle/riddle illustrations are as rustic as they were before. On another note, while I liked the fact that a good chunk of the game took place inside the train, the narrative didn't feel very strong this time around, and by the end of the game a few characters don't even get proper resolutions.

 There are a few more side activities as well: Gathering pieces in order to fix a camera, which then unlocks a 'find the differences' set of mini games, as well has planning exercise routines for a fat hamster and, finally, brewing different blends of tea. As for the puzzles, I feel like it has a few lame puzzles here and then, but the difficulty curve felt much smoother.

 Well, Layton's sequel isn't a huge step forward, but it also didn't break anything, so it's about what you'd expect from a sequel to a puzzle/riddle collection game. While the narrative something to be desired, it has a few fun moments and ideas here and there.
 7.0 out of 10