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This Cozy Cat Game isn't What it Seems
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2024
- A Little to the Left was a game released in 2022 but has been getting more traction recently so I wanted to review the game for myself. You solve puzzles with a cute atmosphere, chill music and a mischievous cat so it's perfect for a lot of people looking for a casual gaming experience.
But something about this game seems weird... and that's what I want to talk about today.
A little to the left IS in fact a cozy game, the thing is: it's a cozy *puzzle* game
To us at least, just interesting how a lot of people don’t think so 😅
@@fireplacegamingYT but what I'm saying is that "cozy" isn't a *type* of game. You can even create some kind of cozy tower defense or fight game. Of course the gameplay has to add to the coziness but the thought of it being a genre subtracts value from the game. Stardew valley and Unpacking are both very known cozy games, but what do they have in common besides that?
I'm not trying to diminish your work by any means (I'm truly sorry if that's how I'm sounding cause that's not at all my intention, it's a great video) but I'd like to add that "cozy" is mostly an aesthetic category and that since A little to the left is a cozy *puzzle* game those who don't like that specific genre wouldn't like to play it in the same way I don't like to play farming games, but neither of our likes and dislikes diminishes their cozyness
@@matiassanchez1362agreed, cozy is less mechanics (but those certainly can help) and more of aesthetics, even the setting of the game and the "situation" where your character is.
@@matiassanchez1362 I onced searched the internet for cozy games to play. There was a list where Skyrim was on it! Cozy has no objective description as everyone finds different stuff cozy. My Husband plays Skyrim and Subnautica for relaxing. He relaxes with them. I clearly do not. Subnautica stresses me out.
So I just stoped at believing "cozy" (I read a cozy crime story. I found it NOT cozy at all. I was at edge the full damn time reading it! It was interesting, but not cozy...)
i think you absolutely nailed why i bounced off of A Little to the Left so hard. i'm someone who likes organizing things irl (autism go brrr) but i found it frustrating that i could have a seemingly perfect setup and yet the game wouldn't let me go on. i think i would have had more fun without the gamified aspect - like, legitimately give me a room to organize and i'd set about doing that with gusto. i should probably play unpacking sometime, but i've been putting it off, funnily enough, because i'm actually not a cozy game fan either! i like challenge - not a dark souls level of challenge, mind you, that's just frustrating - but a noticeable level of brain activation, y'know.
as a side note, while the hints were absolutely useless, i definitely appreciated being able to skip the puzzles. sometimes a specific puzzle just didn't "click" and i liked being able to come back to it later instead of banging my head against a wall for ages. you and i did the exact same thing at 7:10 lmao
all that being said, this was a super well-made review! sometimes reviews can come off like a list of bullet points, but you crafted an engaging narrative throughout the video and i really enjoyed it. subscribed
Unpacking is also a lot of fun, I played it to see the comparison and I can see the appeal! And I agree the skipping is good within reason, I think it’s just a lot of people seem to find themselves needing it more than they expect which adds to the frustration.
Happy you enjoyed the review and thanks for watching! 😄
@@fireplacegamingYT for sure, yeah. it's also more frustrating to skip because you don't even know what you're supposed to be doing vs. just being unable to perform whatever the game's asking of you
@@ryanwillinghamI don't mean to sound rude, but you said you like a challenge (noticeable brain activation) but get frustrated at the game when you can't do a level the way you want to.. almost like it's supposed to be a puzzle that challenges you? Is there a difference? Genuinely curious 😅
@@TheCanderemy it's hard to explain. it felt like i SHOULD be able to solve it if the game just told me what it wanted from me. it felt like the game's failure to communicate and not my failure to solve the puzzle.
some of the levels really felt like someone saying "organize these things" so i arrange them until they look organized, but the person says "no, not like that", so i rearrange them into a different order that also looks organized, but the person keeps saying "no, that's still not organized", and they won't tell me what they want "organized" to be, so i'm just stuck moving things around like a monkey on a typewriter.
whereas with a game like portal there's a clear goal: get through the door to the next room. and within that framework you can work backwards and create miniature goals of your own, like "how do i press this button and get on this platform at the same time?" it also lets the game give you little bits of feedback, so you don't have to solve the entire puzzle in one go. you can figure out how to press the button, then figure out how to get on the platform, and then figure out how to do both at the same time, and it's clear whether or not you've succeeded or failed at each step at the process.
in a little to the left, the only real feedback you're given is when things snap into invisible spaces on the screen. the spaces could be anywhere (if the level had them at all) and you could need to put anything in them. maybe the game's not letting me move on because a piece is ever so slightly off, or maybe i'm totally wrong and need to redo the whole thing. the worst ones were like solving a rubix cube with all the stickers peeled off.
This is my type of game, I love organization games, love puzzles that are like "sort by color and size." I don't know, it could just be the fact that I have a very strict way of organizing things, but I love it
Yessss
This video helped me realize why I liked a little to the left, but didn't like unpacking. As someone who typically gravitates to more challenging games, the latter seemed somewhat boring, like I was just going through the motions without any real though involved. A little to the left however, although still relaxing, did manage to engage me far more
I will say that i am someone who can really struggle with certain logic puzzles, i have really bad spacial reasoning and a difficult time picking up on patterns. But despite all that, i dont think i ever felt truly frustrated with the game. If I couldn't figure out a puzzle i would click the hint, if that didnt help i'd skip it and go back later, and if i still couldn't figure it out, i would just look up a guide. I dont know how to explain it, but for some reason the game never made me feel stupid.
I feel like a lot of people will their enjoyment of games by being to stubborn to look up hints or solutions, which yeah, i get it, it feels good when you figure it out yourself, but if you get frustrated to the point of being upset, i think its fine to look it up. Its not cheating if you aren't playing against anyone, and you are allowed to enjoy games how you want too, y'know?
Stumbled across your video by chance. Never heard of A Little To The Left, now I want to play it! :D Great video!
I love this game tbh , it's cozy and the art is really pretty , I'm glad I'm not the only one
Cozy is not a genre, or at least not a gameplay genre.
Cozy is honestly more of a style or aesthetic.
I wholeheartedly agree with the entire first half of the video, but A Little To The Left is so incredibly much a cozy game, just for very specific people who get the idea and don’t think it’s that challenging, whereas Unpacking is more generalized and more broadly appealing.
They are both cozy games, but A Little To The Left is more specialized.
I didn't realize the negativity the game got. This game was exactly what I was looking for, and exceeded my expectations. I wanted an organizing game that didn't just give me the answer, I like that the game gave me an expectation that I had to meet, so not only r the visuals and art style very satisfying, the game rewarded me for being smart which satisfied me as well, and I personally love that aspect. I was kinda expecting it to be like other organizing games, but it wasn't, so I was pleasantly surprised. I guess we had a similar feeling, just coming from different places haha.
Also side note, I love organizing and I also like solving puzzles, so the game didn't feel *too* hard for me, everything just kinda fit, which helped it scratch the itch in my brain. Maybe this game was just built for me. :p
the i spy comparison is so real! i only played the games and i've spent years looking for their name, so naturally when i saw a little to the left i thought: ah yes, the new i spy
I actually thought that this was gonna be a theory video about the cat and it and its owner’s possible backstory; I was not expecting a video essay about the game itself. Not complaining though, still enjoyed the video, and I learned something! As someone who enjoys puzzles and feeling dumb, I’d definitely like to try playing the game.
I'm glad I'm not the only one. I think logic puzzles just click for some people. Like I'll watch videos of people struggling and THATS what frustrates me bcuz I can tell like 3 different solutions lol
Ok not related to the video at all but i wanted to share.
0:37
Earlier i said yt to notify me when an animatic dropped and....as soon as this moment comes i see a pop up at the top of the video that "Suffering" got uploaded, seriously how perfect it was timed that it took me a bit before it clicked.
P.s. its suffering from the epic musical, animatic by gigi
6:19
Somehow I haven't noticed that Penko Park reference when I played that game, it's really cool
To be fair, the puzzle makes it hard to concentrate on anything else 😅
It's a Puzzle game with a cozy art style. From the video I gather cozy games are just games without an actual set goal.
Not quite. Stardew Valley is categorized under the label and that has a very much clear cut goal.
Not always, it's more about vibe than anything. For instance, I like to consider A Short Hike a cozy game. It's probably my go-to game to just spend a good time. And it's a bonafide 3D platformer where the goal is to hike the mountain of Hawk Peak... unless you get steered out by all the other side quests, people, treasures and trinkets around the entire island!
There's so much to do and so much to see, with a very pleasant art style, lots of charming animal characters, and lots of treasure and stuff to find. Much of what you do gives you some nice rewards, especially golden feathers, which you use as stamina to climb, fly and eventually run.
And I don't think this game would've been so fun if it didn't control as well as it does, because the gliding mechanics are incredibly satisfying to pull off.
This game has a very well defined goal, and you could go for it as soon as possible or take as much time as you want to do as much as you feel like before going to the end. Yet it's as much of a cozy game as it can be!
God, the workshop puzzle. I actually got really far, completely finished the right half of the board, but i had no idea what to do for the second half so i ended up having to look at the hint. Turned out some of the items i had made to snugly fit on the right half were supposed to go on the left. Not many but it made me really annoyed and sad.
Nonetheless, i ended up liking the game in the end, even if i didnt get all the puzzles, i liked the challenge of it and finished the game in one or two sittings, well, one day but i had to get up a few times to do something my parents told me to do.
Currently im close to 100%ing the game, athough im also taking a break from it since i finsuhed the main game and all the versions.
One thing im worried about is the acheivment for the last puxxle where you have to pile food containers on top of eachother in order for the cat to jump up, im not 100% sure what the acheivement means? But ill get it!
I love the game, i Genuinly enjoy it , I got it after playing unpacking, and want More games like those two. BUT The hints for a little to the left rarely, or pretty much Never actually helped me, most of the times showing the solutions to stars i had allready finished.
I love A Little to the Left. The hits are bs though, so at one point, when someone was streaming it and wanted hints in how to solve the puzzle I just gave subtle ones. Nobody wants the solutions to puzzles handed to them on a silver platter.
If you want a massive challenge try the Seeing Stars DLC at some point. Some of the solutions are completely out of the box. Funnily enough it happened to me several times I overlooked the supposedly most obvious solution and instead my brain went to the most obscure one first.
I have found all solutions in the game (base game campaign, both DLC packs, and the sections where they store the past seasonal puzzles). I've needed some help several times, but as with any puzzle game I find it online instead. At least with that effort you don't loose the satisfaction of solving a puzzle and usually it was for one weird alternative solution or another. Some puzzles in the Seeing Stars DLC have the weirdest solutions, and like 5 of m. Really keeps you thinking.
I also usually get a bit confident when I fly through the first bunch of puzzles and then BOOM there's a hard one. I like my mind sharp though. I play a combo of cozy and not cozy games. I think any game that makes you feel cozy while playing is a cozy game though. So if a bout of Elden Ring makes you feel cozy because you cozied up under a blanket while playing it, that's cozy to you.
Cozy games is such a weird label. It is so hard to pin down what'll fit in there as the feeling is completely personal. Casual games might be a better label. Those also don't engage me enough after I get the mechanics a lot of the time. The progression makes it fun. As soon as I start min-maxing it just loses all the fun and the point of the game. At that point I'd rather speedsolve a jigsaw puzzle. That's surprisingly fun to watch, btw. Speed puzzle contests. I'm just not so sure if I like doing it myself. It requires a hell of a lot of focus/concentration for prolonged periods of time decided months in advance. That's not how my brain works, just give me a 1000 piece starry night sky puzzle or an image with complex textures instead :D.
I mean... this is a puzzle game. I don't think that makes it more or less cozy for anyone. It's just too hard for some people... tho I wouldn't say masochistic either? I should give it a try someday.
If someone is interested in the game I *don’t* recommend downloading it on the App Store, there aren’t that many level and wayyyy too many ads
It’s actually not on App Store yet, what you’re playing is probably a knock off.
This was a really great review of the game! I have watched people play it for a while and just recently got it for myself on Game Pass. I found it to be addicting but also somewhat monotonous. Especially if you’ve seen the game played before, you know exactly what to expect and how to solve the puzzles. There is no “unique experience” in this game. Overall, I think it’s cute, but I enjoy games where no two players will have the same experience. Maybe that’s a bit restrictive to games with linear story lines and only one direction like the FNAF games, but at least the absolute control the player has creates a new experience every time.
I was shocked that this video and your channel are so new! This is a great video of great quality and I look forward to seeing more videos from you!
That’s a great observation! It’s interesting because the lack of control and freedom is probably what makes it fun for others who love puzzles - but every player is different and that’s cool
Thanks for watching and I’m glad you enjoyed the video 😊
So, looks like a coloring book, plays like a puzzle book.
the people who complained want mobile games, its a cozy puzzle game that allows you to go ah hah! its hard yes but you have the time to figure out the solution and there isnt a threat, cozy games should be able to be hard in a similar way to how sudoku is a challenge! people have to remember that its a cozy puzzle game and its very cozy in comparison to other puzzle games such as little nightmares (think about it) or oneshot (no threats but not cozy no mater how cute niko is) a little to the left is cozy when you remember what non-cozy puzzle games look like
A little to the left is great and a nice change of pace after playing through Metal Gear Rising...again. But yeah I had times where I looked at the hints and went "how tf am i suppossed to know that?" I try to use them less tho because I feel like figuring out what you need to do can be fun as well. Besides you are suppossed to relax aren't you? So spending a lot of time on one puzzle shouldn't be one of your concerns.
nigh i request you do a video on pathologic 2, specifically the bachelor route as there’s no content of it on youtube and it’s just that soulcrushingly hard level of game that you clearly enjoy. just a suggestion, but please give it a try.
It was fun until the box level I didn't mind the slightly harder levels but that was ridiculous
I’m over 400 days into the Daily Tidies and I have no regrets
That’s some amazing dedication 🫡
a little to the left striked me as a perfectionist kind game. very anal lol
“I got it in GamePass” for an indie game? C'mon man, do better for the gaming community. I get the appeal of not paying, but if you like it, give the creators the money they deserve. Many have come out already to say Microsoft ain't paying them even a quarter of the royalties they'd need to stay afloat through GamePass. Studios have been closed down for not making enough money when their games are on GP on release.
Idk if you said anything else in the video as I just started, and if so I apologize, but please consider supporting games you like. The industry is very messed up at the moment.
I did get it! Agree that we should support indie devs whenever we can (also I prefer to somewhat “own” my games as games come and go on gamepass all the time)
I mostly recommend gamepass for those who are curious to try it but already have the subscription so they can do so risk-free. And while I can afford the game, I can’t always expect that from all viewers especially as the game + dlc is no longer on sale and is, unfortunately, considered a big sum in my country for example :(
@@fireplacegamingYT that is all a very fair response, thank you for taking the time to type it out. I did make an assumption there, so that's also my bad and I apologize.
I agree with you especially that trying a game before purchase is for the best and should be the norm. Given this answer and the nice content provided, though, you have a new subscriber here 🫡
No worries! You’re just looking out for indie devs and it’s awesome you voiced it out. Thanks for the support 😊