Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box
Cracking the Box More puzzling fun
by Brian Murdoch
T
he Professor Layton series of games has built up quite a name for itself. These are the games that is almost a must-have for every DS owner. Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box is the second in the series and the sequel to Professor Layton and the Curious Village. This title comes with a new and refreshing story, as well as completely new and different puzzles. None of the puzzles are the same from the previous version; there might be the similar types of puzzle but each puzzle is unique. This gets you thinking about the brilliant mind that Professor Akira Tago has. He is the puzzle master behind both Professor Layton’s games. This game has got a split personality, though, and calls itself different names… depending which side of the Atlantic Ocean you’re on. It’s called Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box in the US and Professor Layton and Pandora’s Box in the UK. Players of the first title will know all about Professor Layton and may not even bother reading this review. They should just go out and buy the second if they enjoyed the original. Right, now that they are out the way, let’s explain
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what Professor Layton is all about. He is a top-hatted gentleman with excellent manners, accompanied by a young boy named Luke. They have just come back from uncovering the secret of the curious village, to find a letter from, and subsequent death of, an old friend and mentor, Doctor Andrew Scrader. All Professor Layton is left with is a letter from the Doctor and a ticket left at the scene of the crime. The pair continue to puzzle their way through the story and solve the murder mystery. The game contains around 150 puzzles that are enveloped in a good story. Not that any of the puzzles are directly related to the story, but they are incorporated well. Another point of view is that Professor Layton is looking for the puzzle in everything. The player assumes the roles of Professor Layton and Luke as they explore, uncovering more and more puzzles that need to be solved to obtain clues to solve the bigger mystery. Using only the stylus, you can move around and solve the puzzles at your leisure. The puzzles earn the player a certain amount of picarats; these are a small indication of how difficult the puzzles
gamecca review • issue 15 • September 2010