Reviews / 11 November 2022

Review: A Little To The Left

The Nintendo Indie’s presentation happened on Wednesday (09/11/22) which for me is really up there with the standard AAA Nintendo Directs that we get. I love getting to see all the new indies games that developers have been working hard on and in return my bank account gets a little lighter.

One of my personal highlights of the show was the announcement of ‘A Little To The Left’ coming to Nintendo Switch just a little while after the presentation. I have been keeping an eye on this little indie title since it was shown on a Wholesome Direct a while back and I even celebrated its PC launch on the Tuesday, so to see it come to the Switch within a day of it’s PC launch was a huge surprise and exciting time for myself.

In ‘A Little To The Left’, you are tasked with some simple tidying up of many household objects, such as sorting pencils into height order and organising a tray full of tools. Some of the puzzle also have multiple ways of completing them too. You think those books sort by height, but what about colour, or the thickness of the spine.

Occasionally, you may find your tidying interrupted by the paw of a mischievous cat, pulling and moving your tidy work and leaving them in chaos. However, even with the addition of this little cat, the game has no trouble keeping its laid back vibe.

Some of the puzzles I did find a little tricky and would have to get my partner to look as a fresh perspective to see if he could see any solutions. Personally for me having another pair of eyes trying to figure out the puzzle added to the enjoyment of the game as we discussed possible answers. For me these trickier puzzles were few and far between, and the game gives you the option to skip puzzles and even lets you look at hints if you really feel stuck.

Video games that include an aspect of tidying up (eg. Unpacking, Power Wash Sim) really appeal to me, even though in real life I can probably think of a million other things I would rather do than tidying. If you have ever seen those videos of people aligning shapes or items so they fit perfectly, then you understand the way this game makes you feel once you complete a puzzle. Instant serotonin.

If you enjoy cosy puzzle games to relax with then I highly recommend this game. It is a little short, but due to many of the puzzles having multiple ways of completing there is some replay-ability to try and 100% each chapter.