HomeReviewsA Little To The Left
A Little To The Left review: everything in its right placeConfession: I’m a neat freak
Confession: I’m a neat freak
I love tidying up in games, and I’m not just talking about playingUnpackingandHouse Flipper, either. Any game I play with an inventory gets a regular, satisfying purge. I’m either marching to an in-game shopkeeper and holding my adventuring sack upside down, or just swiftly frisbeeing items straight into the bin. If it’s cluttering my screen, it’s cluttering my mind. Zero regrets.That’sthe gamer dopamine hit I’m chasing.
So, as you might have guessed, I love the idea ofA Little To The Left, a game that celebrates neatness and tidiness through a string of fun puzzles. If you love the satisfaction of arranging books on your shelf in order of height, or displaying your mugs in order of which can hold the most tea, then you’ll love this game too. Some simple tidying puzzles would have been enough for me, but A Little To The Left takes the idea in interesting directions through smart puzzle design.
A Little to the Left - Cozy Organizational Puzzle Game (Gameplay Trailer 1)Watch on YouTube
A Little to the Left - Cozy Organizational Puzzle Game (Gameplay Trailer 1)
I really love this approach to organising. A Little To The Left understands that everyone has their own ways of tidying (as Alice0 found out when she played thedemo back in May). Most of the time, you’ll understand exactly what you need to do from a brief glance at the objects in front of you, but others require a little more poking around. Some of my favourites were themed around pattern spotting: arranging a set of postcards to make a landscape scene; organising a group of sticky notes so they show one, long squiggle.
Some puzzles, however, were a little too abstract and it ruined the overall zen-vibe of the game. One tasked me with picking the leaves off a bunch of branches but I couldn’t figure out which ones needed plucking (nothing looked withered or an off-yellow colour). Each time I clicked on a wrong leaf, it would magically sprout back.
Spring cleanAfter you’ve finished the game, why not turn your eye to the ‘Daily Tidy’ tasks option available in the menu, which provides a new puzzle every day for your tidying pleasure.
The puzzles also feel incredibly tactile. Putting pins in a pinboard has a satisfying push, placing cutlery in a draw has a brilliant rattle, and there’s even a bit in the game where you’re just peeling those tiny sticker-labels off pieces of fruit. It’s not even a puzzle of any sort, but the satisfaction of each peel still feels just as good. Is there anyone in the world who doesn’t love peeling those off?
This calendar puzzle is more a head-scratcher than the rest. You’ll need to look for patterns in its dates and slap stickers on accordingly.
Even with the addition of a furry creature who wants to see the whole world burn to the ground, the vibe of the game remains totally laid-back. If you’re having trouble with a puzzle you can use the games hint system to help you out in the form of a notebook where you use an eraser on a scribble to reveal the correct solution underneath. There’s even a‘Let It Be’ optionthat skips the puzzle all together if it’s too tough or you’re not vibing with it. A Little To The Left wants you to find the fun in tidying up, not the frustrations.
More sticker peeling please.Relatable for cat owners.
More sticker peeling please.
Relatable for cat owners.
A Little To The Left surpassed my tidying expectations. Feeling that jolt of satisfaction never gets tired, and the sheer variety of puzzles keeps things interesting. It’s a game with lots of little surprises, right up until the very end where the game takes a surprising, but welcome, magical realist turn. With its charming visuals and playfuy soundtrack, its a puzzle game that feels like the complete package.
