A Little to the Left

by Aethyna Nov 11, 2022 | 1 Votes | 7 Played | 0 Reviews

10 rate

Genres:

Puzzle

Graphics:

Labels:

Cozy

Platforms:

Publishers:

Secret Mode A Little to the Left is a cozy puzzle game where you get to channel the spirit of Marie Kondo as you try to tidy up and rearrange various objects so that they “make sense”. Will you be able to complete all the levels despite the pet cat trying its best to mess things up for you? Play Now Similar Games

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Summary Gameplay Graphics/ Sound Conclusion

Summary

A Little to the Left is a cozy puzzle game where you get to channel the spirit of Marie Kondo as you try to tidy up and rearrange various objects so that they “make sense” while doing your best to outwit the pet kitty who's hellbent on messing things up for you. Will you be able to complete all the levels?

Gameplay

As a cozy game, A Little to the Left features puzzles that are fairly chill to solve, requiring you to rearrange pencils in order of length, plucking offending leaves so both left and right are mirror images of each other, or even fitting everything into the correct boxes, though there are a few reflex-based tests such as when you’re trying to pet your pet cat on the head in this game.

In a way, the puzzles can feel quite OCD-like, getting you to tweak framed pictures so they are orderly or arranging seashells in a symmetrical way. The puzzles have some variety here as well, even if it’s just a slight variation of a previous puzzle. Occasionally, your pet cat will come around and mess things up for you as well.

Even if instructions weren’t given and the player is expected figure out how to solve the puzzles themselves, the puzzles are mostly intuitive enough that this wouldn’t be a problem. However, there are some levels, especially in the later chapters, where knowing exactly what to do to solve a puzzle can be a bit tricker.

Thankfully, the game has something that might be able to help – hints! Accessible via the Pause menu, the game provides you with a shaded-out image of the puzzle solution – one of them, at least (more on this later) – which you can then reveal by using an on-screen eraser.

Completing a puzzle will earn you a star. That being said, some puzzles have more than one star that you can earn. After all, there are different ways of organizing the items. So, for example, there’s a level where you’re given pencils to arrange. You can choose to arrange it based on the sharpness of the pencils’ tips or you could arrange them based on how worn-out the erasers at the end of the pencils are.

However, I’ve got to say, getting all stars for every level in this game can be quite difficult, mainly because you don’t get any hints to find the alternative puzzle solutions and well, the alternative solutions usually aren’t that obvious to find. Due to this, it might sometimes be good to simply “Let It Be” and move on to the next level. The game actually lets you do just this via the Pause menu. Of course, if you want to start all over on a puzzle, to get a fresh start so to speak, the Restart option is also available here.

Although the game comes with a fixed number of levels neatly categorized into 5 chapters, there’s some replayability to be had here, in addition to the different solutions that you can find. The game has some unique achievements that you can only get if you do something a specific way, like arranging the colored crayons in the same order as the colors of a rainbow.

There’s also a Daily Tidy mode where you’ll get a new puzzle to solve every day. Completing the Daily Tidy mode consistently will earn you badges for bragging rights, with the most coveted badge being the “365”, which will only be revealed once you’ve completed your 365th Daily Tidy.

Graphics/ Sound

A Little to the Left features a fairly retro look, thanks to how grainy the objects look in this game. The splash of colors here works well, both to add some color to the objects and also to sometimes serve as a puzzle clue.

In terms of the music, the game provides a selection of relaxing piano tunes that fit the game and its cozy theme really well. The game also uses a gentle bell ring to indicate the correct placement of certain objects, but due to how well the gentle “ting” blend with the background music sometimes, it can be hard to discern at times.

Conclusion

All in all, A Little to the Left is a well-made cozy puzzle game that not only relaxes you with its mostly simple puzzles, but also gives you that sense of satisfaction when you do manage to tidy things up and arrange the objects in such a way that just “makes sense”. Thanks to hints, the puzzles aren’t too hard to solve even without instructions, though for players who are looking for more of a challenge, the game does have levels where you’ll be able to put those brain cogs to work, trying to figure out alternative solutions to a puzzle you’ve already solved. Its Daily Tidy mode also gives the game plenty of replayability, enough to have you keep the game on your computers long after you’ve completed the main chapters of puzzles.