Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box

The Good
I have to admit: at first I was pissed off. In contrast to the predecessor, it is not possible to change the language and I had to play the game in German. I can't stand this! Thankfully the localization is well made and I never had problems with puzzles because of bad translation.

In comparison to the predecessor, I felt the puzzle quality was improved. In the Curious Village you could encounter very hard puzzles almost right off the bat; in the Diabolical Box there is a well-made progression of difficulty (although the overall difficulty is easier). I also encountered less almost identical puzzles, but this may be because I did not solve all 150 available puzzles. Many puzzles have a clever twist, but never feel unfair towards the player.

The game also progresses differently than its predecessor: instead of a single village, you visit various locations in order. I felt this works well because the change of scenery keeps the game fresh and interesting. The downside is the possibility to miss hint coins permanently, but I never came close to running out.

The Bad
In games like this, you don't need an elaborate plot because it just needs to serve as a framing device to lead from puzzle to puzzle. The Diabolical Box does a splendid job during the beginning stages: the story is there, it is cute and not in the way. However, it breaks down towards the end when the developers try to engage the player emotionally. Unfortunately the resolution makes no sense, the dialogue becomes annoying, the attempt at drama is pathetic and the puzzles play almost no role anymore.

Of course the big puzzle variety means you will encounter puzzle types you don't enjoy. For example, I loathe sliding puzzles. Honestly, I recommend to cheat and look up the solution online before spending your time with puzzles you don't enjoy. In the Curious Village I played mostly fair, but my enjoyment of the successor was much improved with the described policy. I also did not like the mini games, but they are completely optional.

The Bottom Line
In the end, your enjoyment of this game stands and falls with your stand towards traditional puzzles. Do you expect an engaging story or great game mechanics? This is not a game for you. But if you'd like a collection of mostly clever puzzles with some video game fluff, I can't recommend it enough.