Our Verdict
An already great package is given just a little bit more, as the A Little to the Left Cupboards and Drawers DLC opens up the interactive puzzles with fun new elements. It can’t quite stack up to the amount of content in the original, but if you love the original then be sure to carefully arrange this new DLC into your Nintendo Switch library.
If you’re the sort of person who likes to relax by tidying, then you have come to the right place. From developer Max Inferno and publisher Secret Mode, A Little to the Left is a gorgeous illustrated puzzle game that would bring a smile to Kim and Aggie’s faces if they know how to use a Switch.
The base game is a delightful experience that tasks you with placing miscellaneous items, knick-knacks, trinkets, and utensils in a satisfying way. The key here is that there’s a set answer, and visual cues both on the items and their home give this away. The shape of a space points to an item, and the pattern might reveal what order the items are stacked in.
It’s a bit difficult to explain on paper, but hopefully, the screenshots attached give you a decent clue. What’s more, we’re back at it with the tidying in our A Little to the Left Cupboards and Drawers DLC review, as Max Inferno delivers another 25 levels of pleasing puzzle design to soothe your brain.
If you own and have completed the original, you know exactly what you’re in for. This DLC is hardly a transformation, but it’s a welcome iteration, and another excuse to lose yourself for a few hours putting things away. Plus, you can even pet the cat again with four new levels allowing you to give the adorable feline a nice little tickle.
The main drawer (sorry) here, is the addition of secret compartments, or more accurately additional layers to the puzzles. Much like the base game, you’re still organizing and arranging items into some sort of order, but now with the cupboards and drawers update you can move the levels themselves.
You can open and close drawers cupboard doors, and even find secret compartments tucked away. It’s the key to solving many puzzles, and of course, there are many more things to tidy tucked away in each new hidden hiding spot you can find.
It’s hard to review the additional levels, as they don’t fundamentally change the game, but even having over twenty new puzzles for this price is a really great addition to the package. Organizing tea cups into a cupboard is as pleasing to my anxious brain as it’s ever been, and the addition of the new layers to the levels allows for a touch more creativity in design.
Occasionally, the answer to a puzzle is a little finicky, as what might seem like a good fit for a fork can often not match the developer’s intent. There’s only one way to solve any of the puzzles, and the strict answer to these puzzles is possibly the only flaw. While the arrangement is great, a tiny bit of leeway would be nice.
Still, you can use hints to unveil each individual corner of the puzzle, allowing you to control exactly how much of the solution you see. This is fantastic for when you’re really stuck, but I’d prefer a hint system that perhaps highlights the items or utensils that are in the wrong place instead. Perhaps I’ve been playing too much Powerwash Simulator, but I’m desperate for a button that makes the remaining pieces glow yellow to show that they’re not home quite yet.
The A Little to the Left Cupboard and Drawers DLC is a welcome addition that iterates nicely on an already stellar package. Puzzles remain as finicky as always, but the new interactive elements add a deeper amount of engagement in a game that already has me hooked. For the price, this is a lovely addition that fans are sure to love.
For even more great games on your Switch, be sure to check out our guides to the best Switch puzzles games and the best match 3 games on Switch and mobile.