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Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

(2009, Video Games - Puzzle, Rated E10+, Play it on: Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 10; suggested age 12.
  • Is it any good?

    5.0
  • Common Sense says

    Compelling mystery full of devilishly fun logic puzzles.

In this game kids can:   become a hero, solve puzzles, strategize, use logic to win

Why We Rated This on for Ages 12 and Up

The good stuff

  • Ease of play:

    The game is easy to play by using the stylus. Solving the puzzles can be challenging, but the game has an excellent hint system where you can get up  to 3 hints per puzzle.
  • Educational value:

    With over 150 logic puzzles, this is a game full of intellectual puzzles. Both kids and adults can learn a lot about logic by attempting to solve these puzzles; and if they are too difficult, the game does an excellent job of slowly revealing hints to teach you how to approach the puzzle. After solving the puzzle, the game shows you the correct answer and explains the solution process.
  • Messages:

    This game has positive messages about the importance of using your mind to solve puzzles and mysteries found in life.
  • Role models:

    While a few characters are sneaky and dishonest, the main characters are kind, helpful, and intellectually curious.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    There is one sword fight but no one is hurt.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    In one scene a character makes a derogatory comment about the large size of a woman, saying that her dress "is big enough to be a bedspread."
  • Consumerism:

    Not an issue.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    A few references to wine, such as commenting that the wine on the table "costs and arm and a leg."
 

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box was written by Jinny Gudmundsen

Parents need to know that this challenging puzzle adventure is a great way to combine education with gaming. The over 150 logic puzzles are incorporated into an interesting mystery. While some of the puzzles must be solved to move the story along, others can be skipped and/or tackled later. All of the puzzles have three very helpful hints, so few seem impossible to solve. There is discussion of death and one fight in which no one is injured. Given the complexity of some of the puzzles, we have set the age appropriateness of this game at age 12 and up. Additional puzzles can be downloaded by using the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection.

Families Can Talk About

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  • Families can talk about whether more games ought to combine education with gaming. Can you think of other educational games that are equally as fun?
  • How important were the characters to your enjoyment of this game? How about the dialogue and the scenery? The music? What components are necessary to make a game great?
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More on Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

What’s the Story?

PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE DIABOLICAL BOX is a sequel to last year's award-winning Professor Layton and the Curious Village, but you need not have played the first one to enjoy this mystery adventure. Played on the Nintendo DS, players encounter over 150 logic puzzles and brain teasers while solving the mystery of the Elysian Box, an old artifact that is rumored to kill anyone who opens it. You join Professor Layton, a British chap who is an expert at solving puzzles and mysteries, and his young apprentice Luke, just as the Professor receives a disturbing note from his old friend and mentor, Dr. Andrew Schrader which mentions finding the mysterious Elysian Box. Rushing to Dr. Schrader's side, Professor Layton finds him lying lifeless on the floor. The Elysian Box is missing, and the only clue is a train ticket for the super posh Molentary Express. By traveling on the Molentary Express to a variety of locations, including a quaint farming town and a phantom town that is not on any map, you are able to help Professor Layton solve the mystery of the Elysian Box as well as 9 other minor mysteries. At each location, there are people to talk with, puzzles to solve, and objects to find. Close

Is It Any Good?

What makes this puzzle game so much fun is that most of the puzzles fit nicely into the story. For example, when the train needs to switch tracks inside a tunnel, you must solve a puzzle about moving two trains between switching areas while keeping the cars in order. Other puzzles are presented by quirky characters; and, if you don't solve their puzzle, they won't tell you what they know. But not all puzzles are tied to moving the story forward; some you can skip with no consequence, and visit them later.

Another reason this game is so good is because it is structured to help you succeed. At each location, you can hunt for hint coins by simply tapping on objects in a scene. With these coins, you can purchase up to three hints for every puzzle. The game reminds you where you are in the story and provides you with a journal to consult, which is helpful since this is a complicated story. Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is a visually exciting game, with wonderful hand-drawn watercolor scenes. Plus the dialogue is witty and some of it is even spoken aloud. All in all, this is a superb game for kids ages 12 and up and all adults who love logic puzzles.

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Publisher’s Details

Released on 8/24/2009, price $29.99, online enabled
ESRB rating: E10+ (for Alcohol Reference, Mild Violence)

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in California
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Good role models
    • Easy to play

    Hard puzzles build brains!

    Education: Solving some of these puzzles require math, logic, or just an odd mind. I have all three. Easy to Play: By only using the stylus, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box makes playing devilishly simple. Just tap, tap, and tap. Role Models: Layton constantly reminds his young protoge to "be a gentleman." or " A gentlemen always is polite in the presence of a lady" Layton also whole-heartedly protects all the children that are in sight, even against a presumed vampire. Suggestive Material: In town, there is a Cabaret. You never can go inside, but a lady with a fur boa around her neck. She seems almost provocative, but does nothing to suggest mature material, just tells Layton that " nothing relaxes like a night at the theater"

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 5.0

    Whoops!

    Whoops I forgot to rate it

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 0.0

    BEST GAME EVER

    I thought this game was simply enchanting!!! I finished it just today. It was hard, but I got through it! The one thing I am upset about is that the girl, Flora, is totally helpless! She feels faint from exitment every 3 seconds! But the new game in japan, professor layton and the spector's flute, has a girl that does some serious stunts. Sweet!

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    Lives in Virginia
    I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • Easy to play

    super interesting

    the puzzles are super hard but loads of fun! i finished it in a day!! i dont think anyone younger than 10 should play it, just because it might be too complicated and end up being as waste of money.

  5. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Good role models

    thanks

    its the best parental control ever

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