Review: A Little to the Left (Nintendo Switch)
For the OCD in all of us.
A Little to the Left is a relaxing puzzle game in which you, well, solve puzzles. There is no story and no objective arc. What’s unique about this game are the puzzles you solve, which are centered around everyday objects.
The game tasks you with arranging magnets on a fridge, papers on a desk, pencils, postcards, and so much more. While doing all this, a cat will try to mess up your organizing.
A Little to the Left succeeds at creating a cozy and homey environment that makes organizing household spaces not only challenging, but also fun. Some other recurring puzzles include sorting books or even post-it notes that have to be placed in order so the scribbles connect.
There are different “chapters” with many levels that progressively grow more challenging. If you are ever stuck on a level you can ask for a hint. These are given to you on a pad of paper with scribbles all over it that you have to erase in order to actually see the hint. There are also some levels that have multiple solutions. So, once you finish the game, you can go back and replay those levels for full completion.
A Little to the Left’s graphics are also really nice; the illustration- style imagery and pretty color scheme add to the cozy and cute vibe of the game. The animations run smoothly, and I found no interface troubles while playing. The music is also very relaxing; it never distracts nor gets annoying to listen to.
The gameplay controls are pretty basic; you just click on items to interact with them, and move them around to solve the puzzle. A Little to the Left can be easily played in handheld mode, as the controls are easy and the game is a nice fit for the small screen.
A Little to the Left is perfect for those who like clean and tidy spaces. Given multiple messes to clean up and different items to organize, the game surprisingly never feels repetitive as each puzzle is unique. Despite the lack of action or items to manage, I found myself playing it for hours. It’s something that’s super easy to play when you just want to relax and relieve some stress.
