How do more than a dozen batteries fit into a box? Get five cat-themed fridge magnets to work just right. Decide how to align different shapes of pasta. Take a look at a shelf of books and decide how to best order them. What is the best way to organize screws? These are activities that make intuitive sense but that most of us will not engage with in the real world. The game makes them fun, with a touch of whimsy.
There is a lot of variety in A Little to the Left. Seeing what’s coming up is as exciting as solving a section. Some of the puzzles have simple solutions, while others are headscratchers that ask gamers to shift the way they see shapes, colors, and other attributes. There are more than 75 challenges to play through. They are organized into chapters, moving players through the house, adding new concepts, and slowly pushing the difficulty higher.
A Little to the Left stands out from the puzzle crowd with its Let It Be feature. If one of the problems seems too hard and you don’t want to spoil yourself by picking up a hint (which is as easy as using an eraser to reveal a solution on a whiteboard), you can simply move to the next one. The idea fits very well with the overall spirit of the experience and eliminates frustration, which can be an issue for any title in the genre.
Make no mistake, the challenges can be tricky and often ask gamers to look at objects from a new perspective. But there’s no feeling that they were designed to be difficult just for the sake of it.
I liked spending time in the game’s world and was genuinely surprised by the creativity of the puzzles it presents. The experience puts no pressure on the player and it is a pleasure to spend 20 to 30 minutes in its company each day until I solve all the puzzles.
This is a rare experience that many players will actively want to save and play over as many days as possible. The whole package works because everything is familiar, there are no abstract rules to learn, and the atmosphere (with a solid contribution from the cat) is immersive.