Professor Layton and Pandora's Box

DS version logo

Studio

Level-5

Publisher

Nintendo

Erstveröffent-
lichung

Nintendo DS November 29, 2007 August 24, 2009 September 25, 2009 iOS, Android December 5, 2018 , June 20, 2019

platform

Nintendo DS , iOS , Android

genre

Puzzle game, adventure

Game mode

1 module , download

Professor Layton and the Pandora's Box ( Japanese レイトン教授と悪魔の箱 , Reiton-kyōju to Akuma no Hako ) is a puzzle game for the Nintendo DS released in November 2007 in Japan and in September 2009 in Europe. It is the second part of the Professor Layton series . In Japan, the game was released for mobile devices in HD at the end of 2018, and in Germany in June 2019.

The Pandora Box is the first in the series to receive full voice synchronization for each supported language for its release in the European market. In the German version, the eponymous Professor Hershel Layton is set to music by the voice actor Mario Hassert . His apprentice Luke Triton, in turn, got his vote from Sophia Langert.

The game was followed in 2008 by Professor Layton and the Lost Future .

action

In the second adventure, Professor Layton received a letter from his colleague and mentor, Dr. Andrew Schrader, in which he describes the dangers of a box that kills anyone who opens it. He asks Professor Layton to look for the mysterious item in case something should happen to him.

Professor Layton and Luke immediately go to see Dr. To visit Schrader. However, when they enter the apartment, they find Dr. Schrader lying dead on the ground. Layton decides to solve his mentor's death. There is a first trace in the apartment: a ticket for the luxurious Molentary Express.

And so our friends embark on a journey into the unknown, where Professor Layton and his assistant Luke have to solve tons of riddles to discover the truth about the death of Dr. Find out Schraders and the mysterious Pandora Box.

First they question the passengers and staff of the train until they find out that Flora Reinhold , who is known from the previous game Professor Layton and the mysterious village, has snuck on board. This is followed by the first stop in the small village of Dropstone , which is celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of its founding, which apparently took place under rather mysterious circumstances. In addition, Luke and the professor are confronted with the rumor that the Molentary Express sometimes stops in a "phantom city" that is not shown on any map. Katia, daughter of the most respected man in the village, Sir Anderson, gets on the train here without his knowledge.

After driving on, the heroes gain access to the “luxury car”, contrary to the conductors express prohibition - with consequences. This is decoupled from the rest of the train in a dark tunnel and changes the route. He drives to the phantom city of Folsense . Furthermore, Inspector Chelmey, who informed about the death of Dr. Schraders investigates, reaches town, and Beluga, founder of the Molentary Express, begins his turn to look for the box.

After a while in town, Inspector Chelmey believes he has found the culprit. He suspects the conductor and nephew Belugas, Sammy Thunder. However, the professor can relieve this and instead transfers Flora. She is, however, in reality the disguised archenemy Don Paolo, who had swapped places with the real Flora at Dropstone. However, it also turns out that while he stole the box, Dr. But Schrader did not murder. The box is supposed to lead the owner to the fortune of the aristocratic heart family. Beluga wanted her because he is the duke's son. Since he had turned his back on the city fifty years ago, the residents are now against it. When Luke and Layton finally open the box, it's empty.

After a few more investigations, Luke and the professor believe that the only way to get ahead is to visit the lock of hearts. However, the whole city is afraid of a vampire living there. There they meet Anthony, the older son of the deceased duke, who strangely still looks exactly like in a photo fifty years ago. After receiving her in a friendly manner, he reveals himself to be a supposed vampire who ties her up. But you can break free. However, Professor Layton does not want to flee without the murder of Dr. Having cleared up Schrader. Eventually he meets Katia and the truth emerges.

The Duke of Folsense was obsessed with mining precious metals. Therefore, he cared neither for the well-being of his city, nor his sons, which led to Beluga, the younger of the two sons, leaving the city. The older son Anthony stayed. One day a mysterious plague broke out. More and more residents left Folsense and founded Dropstone. Finally, Anthony's fiancée Sophia left, whereupon the latter remained very bitter. In the more than fifty years that Anthony was alone, he had always waited for an answer from Sophia, having found out that she was now living in Dropstone. He didn't know that she had already answered, he just hadn't got hold of that answer. Anthony had always believed that Sophia had betrayed him and left him because of another man. Katia gives him to understand, however, that it was never like that and that Sophia had only ever spoken of Anthony and that she, too, had asked to look for her grandfather. He purposely posed as a vampire to keep robbers away from the castle.

When he sees Katia, he takes her for Sophia and believes that she left him because of Layton, which is why he attacks him. In the course of the fight, the dilapidated castle is destroyed and the rubble closes the underground mine. A hallucinogenic gas had escaped from this, which had caused the epidemic and also misled all visitors to Folsense. In reality the city was very dilapidated and Anthony was an old man. Katia turns out to be Anthony's granddaughter. Sophia had only left town because she was pregnant and did not want to expose the child to danger. Her daughter was Katia's mother, who died when Katia was born. Sophia is no longer alive either.

One now also learns the truth about Pandora's box. Anthony had sent a letter to Sophia in it, which was in a secret compartment. However, since it came from Folsene, the visible compartment contained the hallucinogenic gas. Since everyone who opened the box feared death, the gas made this imagination come true. The heroes eventually open the secret compartment and Anthony discovers that it is not his letter that is inside. Sophia had received the box after all, read the letter and put an answer back. In it she explains the whole truth to Anthony that she has always loved only him and now hopes to see Anthony again in the afterlife. However, he explains that he wants to wait a little longer to be able to spend time with his granddaughter.

On the way back, Luke and Professor find Flora unharmed. They also learn from the newspaper that Dr. Schrader was not dead at all, but only fell into a very deep unconsciousness from which he is now recovering.

mystery

In total there are 153 puzzles to be solved in the second part of the series. Some of these puzzles are part of the storyline and must be solved in order to advance in the game, others can also be solved after the game is over. These puzzles are transferred to an elderly lady's house. Points called picarat are awarded for solving the games. The last puzzle is worth 80 picarats, this puzzle opens the secret door (i.e. the second opening of the box).

If the player does not manage to solve a puzzle, he can get up to three clues with the help of hint coins. Many of the puzzles are well-known games, such as the towers of Hanoi , solitaire or the knight problem .

There are additional internal puzzles in this episode, such as helping a hamster lose weight by distributing various food items in a field. If the hamster has moved enough, it will help to find clue coins. You can also mix teas and offer them to other game characters. Furthermore, parts of a camera have to be assembled.

main characters

Professor Layton: The professor values two things above all else: a good puzzle and a fine tea. He is an experienced archaeologist and very talented fencer.

Luke: As the professor's self-proclaimed apprentice, Luke is usually polite and level-headed, only now and then does he get a little temperamental like all boys his age. Luke's amazing handling of animals often makes him the man of the hour.

Flora: Flora, the only daughter of a rich baron, follows Luke and the professor to the Molentary Express. She is an enthusiastic hobby cook, but her creations often put even the most tolerant palates to a severe test.

bonus

As you progress in the game, you can unlock bonus material, which can be selected in the start menu. These are:

2500 picarats → figure profiles
3000 picarats → illustrations
3500 picarat → game music
4000 picarats → figure parts
4500 picarats → video sequences

The maximum number of points can only be achieved by solving the bonus puzzles, some of which are worth 99 picarats, such as B. the puzzle in the "house of lovers" or the "knight problem 4", which provides an 8 × 8 playing field.

In addition, until May 2014 it was possible to download new puzzles every week via Wi-Fi connection via the now discontinued Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection .

There is also the category "secret doors" in the game, which you can open with the codes of the first or third game. Behind this is a sliding puzzle.

Ratings

Game tips 89%
Nintendo Online 9/10

Web links

Individual evidence

[1] Test on spieletipps.de

[2] Test on nintendo-online.de