Secret Mode Limited | $10/£10 with free intro
- A cute and cozy puzzler
- Tidy or straighten up objects
- Simple controls and a powerful hint system
A Little to the Left is the kind of game you could imagine Marie Kondo unwinding with at the end of a busy day.
It’s a cozy puzzler that takes the satisfaction inherent to tidying up (for some people at least), and makes it into a pleasurable gaming mechanic. Or rather, several mechanics.
Arrange items in a neat, visually pleasing way
Each level is themed around a quotidian chore such as stacking a cutlery tray or removing stickers from fruit, or else a borderline-OCD activity like making sure books or pencils are stacked according to height.
These tasks start out almost insultingly (but still somehow satisfyingly) simple, with a straightforward swipe-to-move control system and a generous auto-alignment system. At first, it feels a little like a game aimed at toddlers, albeit one with an impeccably tasteful hand-drawn art style, ASMR sound effects, and an appropriately low key soundtrack.
Some of the puzzles can be tricky to decipher
Pretty soon, however, those simple mechanics are applied to more involved or downright abstract puzzles. Arranging a bunch of containers according to size or shape becomes arranging a bunch of containers so that their labels align in an aesthetically cohesive manner (see above).
Some of these puzzles feel very clever indeed, but a few too many feel vaguely implemented. On a couple of occasions, the woolliness of the auto-alignment feature let us down, which was frustrating.
The auto-alignment system can let you down sometimes
Thankfully there’s a limitless hint system at play, though it’s less a ‘hint’ than a full-on solution, albeit in charming sketch form. You have to erase the pencil scrawl on top to uncover it, but even so, it’s always pretty on the nose.
While we don’t like to question a game’s value too much at a time when there’s far too much free-to-play fluff filling up the App Store, $10/£10 arguably feels a tad steep for the simplistic puzzling that’s on offer here. That’s around the kind of price you can find yourself paying for fully fleshed out 3D console adventure games.
The tip system is cute but more like a full solution
On the flip side, you can play the first nine puzzles for free, so you should know whether the game’s for you well before having to commit to a purchase.
For a certain kind of person who finds tactile pleasure in everyday tasks, or who simply can’t walk past a wonky towel without straightening it up, A Little to the Left will be worth every cent.