A Little to the Left is a laid-back puzzle game which turns everyday items into intuitive puzzles, tasking you with organising items by finding connections between them. Developed by Max Inferno and published by Secret Mode, A Little to the Left has you spotting patterns, sorting items by size order and solving symmetry puzzles, and loads more variety of level types for you to untangle. There are no time limits or progression barriers either; the only competition being your own stubbornness and the multiple solutions to be found.
A Little to the Left is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and Nintendo Switch from £11.99 ($19.99). The Cupboards and Drawers DLC is also available on all platforms for £4.99 ($7.99).
Story – Full Drawers, Empty Stories
While packed with the same calming atmosphere as Unpacking, the household objects in A Little to the Left have less of a story to tell – unless that of an extremely unorganised person feigning getting their life together. The lack of narrative here isn’t a bad thing though, allowing the player to zone in on the level, appreciate the details and identify relevant patterns. A Little to the Left is structured around five separately themed chapters, indicating the type of items which will appear. As well as turning ordinary things into imaginative puzzles, another persistent presence throughout the game is a destructive cat, whose antics are harshly scolded with a fuss.
You will encounter the mischievous feline periodically, doing what cats do best and causing trouble.
Gameplay – A Nudge Of The Left Stick
The controls in A Little to the Left are easy to pick up and remain simple throughout, consisting mostly of a drag and drop mechanic. Pressing then holding down X selects items, and the left stick guides them into the desired positions. Movement is limited depending on the rules of the puzzle. Sometimes you can move an item freely around the space, perhaps to piece them together like a jigsaw, whereas other times movement is restricted to left and right. Although sliding things into place is an easy enough task, there are a few occasions where using the analog stick feels a little clumsy. While this is sometimes countered with the snap into place mechanism, using the D-pad beyond item selection would have been beneficial.
There are no coins or points needed to unlock hints, nor are you locked out of progression if a problem has you stumped. The ‘Let It Be’ option in the pause menu lets you skip to the next level, and level select allows you to go back at your leisure. This relaxed approach is paired with no difficulty setting. Instead, the stars displayed for each level represent how many solutions there are to be found, encouraging you to look at things a little differently in order to connect the dots. If upon completing the main chapters you are looking to further scratch a brain itch, the Archive is full of easter eggs and old seasonal bonus levels. And if you need a regular fix, this will be delivered in an envelope containing the Daily Tidy.
The more satisfying levels consist of organising draws full of miscellaneous objects.
Cupboards and Drawers
If you are still craving more virtual tidying, then the DLC Cupboards and Drawers has got you covered, hiding more lighthearted messes behind the many doors and handles. The theme enabled the developers to expand on their ideas, adding further depth to the 2D cabinets. Slide open draws and unlock compartments to find the belongings a new home by satisfyingly slotting objects side by side. Cupboards and Drawers is an expansion to the comfortable confusion of A Little to the Left, and the majority of the puzzles follow the same logic. However there was one occurrence where I thought I had been glitched out of completion, due to myself (surprisingly) thinking too far outside the box.
Audio and Graphics – Cosy Vibes
A Little to the Left is presented using endearing hand-drawn illustrations which accurately reflect their real life models. It is important to thoroughly study these intricate sketches as decorative details may hold vital clues, and you will often need to arrange things using colours or align inconspicuous patterns. The therapeutic sorting is reinforced with a soft and melodic soundtrack, avoiding monotony even during longer periods of thinking. Finally, falling perfectly into place is the sound of the items themselves, differing depending on their materials. The clinking of metal and clunking of hard-back books into their correct positions is then confirmed by a subtle but distinct chime.
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- Each puzzle has its own rules, so it is important to identify patterns or groups of items.
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- Hints are free to use, accessed by rubbing out as much or as little of the clue as you feel is needed.
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- Some levels require you to figure out the order in seemingly random items.
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- The ‘Cupboards and Draws’ DLC contains a further selection of organisation tasks.
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- You can continue to return to A Little to the Left to solve the Daily Puzzle.
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- The Archive stores previous bonus levels, literally hiding easter eggs.
A Little to the Left was reviewed on PS5, with a code provided by Secret Mode Games.
