Today marks the first day of E3 and already it's full of hectic attendees eager to play some games. Over at the Nintendo Booth I got a chance to play the prologue of the highly anticipated next Professor Layton game. For those that don't know, Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is the sequel to last years Professor Layton and the Curious Village. Part adventure and part puzzle solving, you take the role of Professor Layton and his apprentice Luke as they solve the mysteries present.

After I entered my name, I was on my way. The introductory cutscene played, setting up the back story. The story revolves around Professor Layton and Luke as they travel to meet Layton's mentor, who sends them a letter about a mysterious box. Layton's mentor, Andrew Schroeder, writes that he wishes to have Layton take care of his information if anything were to happen to him. Professor Layton and Luke rush to the mentor's home, only to find him killed under mysterious circumstances. Inspector Chelmey comes into the scene to examine Schroeder's room, while Layton and Luke secretly take a train ticket. They board the train, the Molentary Express, and visit an array of locations in the hope of solving the mysteries of Schroeder's death and the diabolical box itself. The first stop on the trip is London, England.

Once again I'm always blown away with Level-5's amazing artistic ability. The animations are just as rich as ever and the inclusion of different locations bring more varying visuals.

Not many puzzles were playable. The build only allowed for the first three puzzles to be played but it did help give a glimpse of the kinds of puzzles one could expect later on in the game. The first puzzle was a map that needed to be reconfigured in order to find the right path to their next location. Another was trying to figure out the window of the suspect. And lastly, the right key needed to be put in the right spot in order to open the door. All were pretty easy but granted, they were just the first three puzzles.

Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box is more or less the same game with new settings and more puzzles, which isn't a bad thing. I'll be looking forward to finishing the rest of the game when it comes out later this year.