A Little to the Left: Cupboards and Drawers DLC Review

Game: A Little To The Left: Cupboards and Drawers DLC
Genre: Casual, Point-And-Click, Puzzle
System: Steam (Windows, macOS) (also available on itch.io, Switch, and Apple)
Developer|Publisher: Max Inferno | Secret Mode
Age Rating: US E | UK 3+
Price: US $5.99 | UK £4.99 | EU € 5,99
Release Date: June 27th, 2023

Review code provided with many thanks to Press Engine.

I was lucky enough to be able to review A Little To The Left back when it became available in November 2022. So when I heard it was getting some DLC this month, I jumped on the opportunity. I had so much fun with the original. I knew the DLC would be something to get my hands on.

The Gameplay of A Little To The Left: Cupboards and Drawers

The DLC for A Little To The Left, called Cupboards and Drawers, feels just like the original game. Players need to put objects back into order, sorting things into shaped spaces, stacking objects, and getting multiple solutions to single puzzles. Some of the puzzles are a little isosteric, just like the original, and Rookie the Cat shows up again. Thankfully, they don’t mess with the objects this time as I’m trying to put them back in order.

A white cat in a sink, upside down and showing its belly, its eyes closed with a happy look on its face. The cat takes up basically the entirety of the sink's radius and depth. — Just like a cat.

A Little To The Left: Cupboards and Drawers feels like a continuation of the original game, with some new kinds of puzzles added on and different, hidden challenges added to levels. It has the same look and feel as the original, but it adds a lot more to the game.

Problems I Had with the Original

A galaxy with stars and planets and the swirl of the spiral arms around it. Objects are floating around in it, like spatulas bowls, vases, and other odds and ends. — Where did the devs get a photo of my junk drawer?

I had a handful of issues with the original. While none of them were egregious enough that it killed my delight with the game, I wanted to go back and go through the issues I had and see if they were still present in the DLC.

The uniqueness of the puzzles was simultaneously one of its highlights and one of its worst faults. This is still kind of a problem; I ended up going back and playing some of the original levels just to get myself back in the mindset, and that seemed to be a great idea. There is a certain way you must think to succeed at A Little to the Left, and I needed to get back into that headspace.
The cat that messed up your work as you play. The cat was still present in the DLC, but they did not mess with you at all. A great change!
The Tupperware level went on forever. The final level of the original game is too long. It just seemed to go on forever to a point where it felt like a bug. This DLC does not have that problem; all of the puzzles are short and sweet.
The first time you open the Levels menu, you can’t close it until it’s done floating through all the levels you’ve already completed. It still does this. Thankfully there aren’t as many levels, and it only does it the first time you go to the menu. I don’t remember if the Levels menu kept doing that floating thing and that was changed or if it always only did it once. Either way, I wish there was a way to skip it.

The Top says "DLC (81%) Cupboards and Drawers." There are colored-in pictures for each completed level, and black and white pictures for those still incomplete. — It still does that thing I hate, but it only does it once, thankfully.

What Does the DLC Add to A Little to the Left?

A Little to the Left: Cupboards and Drawers adds a whole 25 new levels. Each of these levels takes place inside of a drawer or a cupboard, as the name implies. Three or four of these levels have multiple solutions; a most have brand-new types of puzzles we have never seen before.

A drawer for coins or buttons sits empty, each spot sectioned off for the right shape button, but the buttons are all in a drawer, jumbled up. — This puzzle has three solutions!

Some of the new puzzles even have secret compartments, extra drawers, additional hidden pieces, and more. Some of these new kinds of puzzles were challenging, but none felt like they were unsolvable. These puzzles kept the same feel as the original while adding new kinds of content and an additional couple of hours of gameplay.

Each of the drawers and cupboards has a big variety of fun new pieces and returning pieces. We now have to put Scrabble tiles, buttons, bows, and broccoli in order, and NES games, marbles, and buttons return from the base game.

A multi-game board, surrounded by board game pieces for a number of different games. This includes dice with different amounts of sides, chess pieces, timers, dominoes, and more. — Wow, I feel like the developers just know my board game collection is a mess.

A Few Other Things I Want to Note About the DLC

I’m so happy they brought Rookie the Cat back! And they don’t mess with you while you are playing!
There’s even more video game and board game content, which I love.

A collection of video game cases, NES cartridges, Rubric Cubes, Joy sticks, and other gaming equipment, all in a jumble. — Are those PS3 games?

Once you think the same way as A Little to the Left: Cupboards and Drawers does, all the puzzles are very, very solvable.
There’s something absolutely warm and fuzzy feeling about putting a messy junk drawer in good order. I can’t get over how pleasing both A Little to the Left and Cupboards and Drawers feels to play.

Filing folders in a drawer, all out of order. — Time to do your taxes!

If they do another DLC with just organizing bookshelves, I might die of happiness.

Conclusion

The A Little to the Left: Cupboards and Drawers DLC is AMAZING. If you love the original game, you’ll love this even more. It’s a wonderful addition to the game and feels like a DLC should. I thought I was in love with the base game, but this has brought the original puzzles to a new level that I couldn’t have predicted.

A sectioned off plate with crackers, celery, apple slices, a sandwich, and broccoli, all laid out so they form patterns and just fit into their slots. — So perfect.

The changes made to the puzzles feel good; they feel like they fit with the base game, and A Little to the Left: Cupboards and Drawers is just a seamless, wonderful addition to the original. I am so pleased with the DLC; it’s definitely worth the $6 USD price tag. I can’t recommend this enough!

Final Verdict: Two Thumbs Up: