A Little to the Left (2022)

A Little to the Left is a relaxing game in terms of ambiance, but it also has tiring gameplay due to all the puzzles that require you to move and click intensely. Organizing, sorting, stacking and arranging things takes its toll after some time playing, but that could have been just me. Graphically the game looks fairly sterile, but quite sleek and playful. The puzzles are varied, although you might not expect that and with the many levels and archive puzzles it will ultimately take you about 2 to 5 hours (depending on how quickly you ask for a hint or skip levels).

A Little to the Left is a satisfyingly methodical puzzler that had me feeling relaxed from the minute I started shifting items around. Every part of the game feels intricately crafted to feel as relaxing as possible and each puzzles offers a real sense of satisfaction that I don't often get from other games.

A Little to the Left is at its absolute best when it’s focusing on finding just the right spot for everyday things, and at its worst when it’s operating on its own, chaotic-puzzle logic. Those two worlds and design choices are at odds in my opinion, and collide to unfortunately produce an uneven end result. However, I feel confident in saying any puzzle game fan will find something to like and perhaps even love here, and with it being available to try on Xbox Game Pass, it’s worth a download.

The "little" in the title also summarises the game's length. As with most games like this, you'll likely finish it in three to four hours, which for some is a perfect length considering how long it takes to finish other games being released these days. Nevertheless, the experience itself is charming, with a lovely soundtrack, and interesting puzzles to solve. If you're after another cosy game to play, then you will likely enjoy yourself.

A Little To The Left is nothing exceptional, but precisely because it is unpretentious it can surprise you positively. Get ready to relax and spend hours organizing all kinds of messes, barely noticing the time passing.