Some people enjoy adventure games. Others lean toward shooters or sports titles. But A Little to the Left is a game designed for those who, well, find joy in a bit of tidying up. This relaxed and cozy puzzle game was originally released in 2022 for PC and is now available on PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch.
The game starts off, very true to its name, by simply asking players to straighten picture frames hanging on a wall. Then it eases you into organizing a jumble of colored pencils, stamping envelopes, stacking messed-up papers and sorting through a disheveled junk drawer.
By the time you graduate to trimming house plants, organizing a garden shed full of tools and the like, you begin to realize that the keys to solving each puzzle are right in front of you: colors, patterns, object sizes, etc. As you work through the logic of each puzzle, the game underscores your efforts with soft, soothing music, using small tones to indicate when you’ve made a correct choice.
Those beginning steps may sound almost too simple, but challenges become ever-more difficult with every new creative image. And there are often up to three possible solutions for each puzzle.
You won’t encounter enemies to blast or a story to follow, but the game throws some extra disorder into your nicely stacked solutions. It shows up in the form of a white cat that may occasionally swoop in to grab at your work with a curious paw or swish everything aside with a fluffy tail. That mischievous kitty adds a bit of kitchen-counter charm to the homey puzzles and clean-up tasks. And by the game’s end he’s a frequent addition to your puzzle-solving quests.
If the conundrums become too tough, there is a simple hint system built in. Or gamers can skip any given puzzle they choose to. A Little to the Left offers more than 40 conundrums to figure out and, depending on your playing style, that can amount to anywhere from about 4 to 9 hours of play. Previously solved puzzles are generally given a new spin during replay. And the Daily Tidy is a special mode that provides fans with fresh puzzles every day.
This is a single player game that can be played offline.
A Little to the Left can be a very satisfying game. For one thing, when your head-scratching over a tangled muddle resolves in a nicely tied solution, it gives you a sense of gratification. And the clean-up and tidying aspect of the game plucks a basic human need to organize mess, delivering a comforting inner sigh. In fact, for those into relaxing after a stressful day with a casual game, this one is an easy choice to pick up and work through in small, satisfying bites.
The game’s art style is softly pastel and appealing. You can even pet that fluffy cat if you’re so inclined. Altogether, this is a pleasant little game.
No nasty bits to worry over. However, I encountered a few mechanical issues when playing the game with my Xbox controller. Small item adjustments were a tad finicky. (Some have said that a PC mouse is their preferred interface.). Younger players might have a difficult time seeing the onscreen clues and logic connections necessary to solve some of the more complicated puzzles.
Do you like the feeling of organizing a disheveled mess into orderly, color-coded sweetness? Well, A Little to the Left might be just the itch-scratcher you’re looking for.(Just don’t forget to pet the cat.)
After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.
