Twelve Minutes

A miniature time loop thriller that will burrow into your frontal lobe and stay there long after you've solved the mystery.

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"Twelve Minutes" is a real-time top-down thriller featuring James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe. You, as the player, are trapped in a twelve-minute time loop, during which a police detective accuses your wife of murder and beats you to death. The goal is to use the knowledge of each loop to alter the outcome and escape the cycle of terror. The game draws inspiration from films like "The Shining," "Rear Window," and the fragmented structure of "Memento."

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

69%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,180 reviews

story585 positive mentions

grinding165 negative mentions

Engaging and unique story with unexpected twists that keep players intrigued.
Strong voice acting from a talented cast, including Willem Dafoe, James McAvoy, and Daisy Ridley.
Interesting time loop mechanics that encourage experimentation and exploration of different outcomes.

Repetitive gameplay that can become tedious, requiring players to repeat the same actions multiple times to progress.
Frustrating puzzles with specific solutions that often feel arbitrary and illogical, leading to confusion and trial-and-error gameplay.
Disappointing and convoluted ending that undermines the buildup of the story and leaves many plot holes unresolved.

story
1,838 mentions
32 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
7 % negative mentions
The story of "Twelve Minutes" is a complex and often polarizing narrative that revolves around a time loop, where players must uncover the truth behind a series of events involving a husband, his wife, and a mysterious cop. While many players appreciate the intriguing setup and the unexpected plot twists, particularly the darker themes and character revelations, others criticize the story for being convoluted, repetitive, and ultimately unsatisfying, especially in its execution and conclusion. Overall, the game is noted for its strong voice acting and engaging premise, but opinions vary widely on the effectiveness of its storytelling and the impact of its twists.
- “The story is amazing and the puzzles are really satisfying.”
- “The voice acting, the story, the puzzles, they all are very impressive and keep you captivated.”
- “The story is well thought out and the acting is wonderful.”
- “The story is very confusing and not compelling enough to keep you entertained.”
- “It seems as if the game can't really create something solid with the script and relies on basic and so saturated storytelling techniques to try and keep you in it.”
- “The sheer amount of item and knowledge combinations that could be used to alter the story simply became too much to program, so they weren't implemented.”
gameplay
546 mentions
27 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Twelve Minutes" has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating its innovative time-loop mechanic and point-and-click style, but criticizing its repetitiveness and clunky execution. While some found the initial experience engaging and the puzzles intriguing, others felt that the gameplay quickly became tedious, requiring excessive trial and error and leading to frustration due to the limited interactivity and lengthy dialogue sequences. Overall, the game presents a unique concept that struggles with pacing and depth, leaving players divided on its effectiveness.
- “The gameplay is interesting, but incredibly repetitive.”
- “The gameplay remains intriguing to some extent, but becomes annoying the more you play.”
- “The gameplay is unique; the actions available may not be that much, but with the time-loop element added, it adds so much depth.”
- “Repetitive gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is tedious and repetitive.”
- “Ultimately, the gameplay and the story letdowns were too much to justify a recommendation.”
grinding
169 mentions
1 % positive mentions
2 % neutral mentions
98 % negative mentions
The reviews overwhelmingly describe the grinding aspect of the game as tedious and repetitive, particularly as players progress through the time loops. Many users express frustration with having to repeat actions and dialogue, often leading to feelings of boredom and annoyance, especially when trying to discover new paths or endings. While the initial concept is intriguing, the execution ultimately results in a grindy experience that detracts from overall enjoyment.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “The game forces you to try and find out through mistakes and repetitions; the process can be tedious and uninteresting.”
- “The gameplay being repetitive in a time loop game is not a total dealbreaker, nor is it completely unexpected, but the puzzles are often solved with trial and error, and when you have to start the loop over completely from the beginning every time you hit 'error', it can become quickly tedious.”
- “The game only gets interesting after the cop comes in, with no way to skip through sections that have already been completed, so in later loops I spent a lot of time just waiting around and going through the motions until I could finally actually progress the story, which was just really tedious and boring.”
graphics
144 mentions
38 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the cohesive and moody art style, while others criticize the visuals as uninspiring or sub-par, especially given the game's indie status. Many appreciate the aesthetic and lighting, which contribute to the atmosphere, but there are frequent mentions of glitches and clunky animations that detract from the overall experience. Overall, while the graphics are considered acceptable by some, they fall short of expectations for others, particularly in a game with such a unique premise.
- “The graphics are aesthetic and feel very well put together as the style is cohesive and moody.”
- “Visuals are outstanding, it captures some moments so well that they will not leave my mind for some time.”
- “The graphics are beautifully done, the voice acting is outstanding from three well-respected actors, the story/writing is spectacular and the ending pays off, and the music adds melancholy, dramatic, and subtle notes according to the situation.”
- “Uninspiring visuals, not an intriguing story; the developers should have put some money into the development of the actual game instead of hiring well-known celebrities.”
- “Poor graphics and clunky gameplay.”
- “The graphics and detail quality are lower than desired, especially with all face models blurred.”
music
87 mentions
56 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the emotional depth of the story. Reviewers highlighted the impressive soundtrack and voice acting, noting that they contribute significantly to the overall experience, although some felt the music could become repetitive over time. Overall, the game's sound design, including the music, is often described as beautiful and well-suited to the game's themes.
- “The voice acting, music, and art direction of this game is fantastic.”
- “The soundtrack is really good and creates this captivating atmosphere that makes the game so much better.”
- “Excellent musical score and overall sound quality.”
- “In terms of music, it's equally trash.”
- “Soundtrack was nothing special, like it didn't catch my attention.”
- “The visual details and the music are on point but it's the horrible script that ruins everything (the plot twist is cringeworthy).”
optimization
68 mentions
47 % positive mentions
47 % neutral mentions
6 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization received mixed feedback, with some players experiencing performance dips and frame stuttering, while others reported no major bugs or crashes. The voice acting performances from the star-studded cast were generally praised, though some felt that the directing could have been better to fully utilize their talents. Despite the optimization issues, the game's atmosphere and character interactions were highlighted as strong points, contributing to an engaging experience.
- “Getting towards the 'end' of the game (by which I mean you have seen a majority of the scene variations, made a variety of the choices, and optimized your path through the 12 minutes) the game does get really specific in terms of requiring the player to do certain actions to edge towards the final moments of the plot.”
- “The acting is great, the optimization is great, the art is great, the music is great.”
- “There is no issue with optimization whatsoever in case you are wondering.”
- “Getting towards the 'end' of the game (by which I mean you have seen a majority of the scene variations, made a variety of the choices, and optimized your path through the 12 minutes), the game does get really specific in terms of requiring the player to do certain actions to edge towards the final moments of the plot.”
- “Overall cool game, only downside is some optimization and lack of graphic options other than 'high' and 'low', so I had some lag but still.”
- “It is so sad that the performance on my PC is so bad I cannot even play without a big drop in frames...”
replayability
51 mentions
18 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is generally considered low, with many players noting that once the story is completed, there is little incentive to replay it. While some mention the presence of multiple endings, the consensus is that the limited gameplay duration and lack of significant variation in outcomes diminish its long-term appeal. Many reviewers suggest that the game is not worth its full price due to this lack of replay value.
- “I love the game mechanics and the game offers great replayability value.”
- “Games are actually quite fun, replayable with multiple endings, and the cast is pretty impressive.”
- “Very interesting concept, with huge replay value.”
- “Now, I would like to say that this game will not be in my top 50 games that I played in my entire life; it is not replayable after getting the ending.”
- “Paid full price for this game and ultimately, after barely 5 hours of just trying to get a few endings, it has zero replayability.”
- “The number one problem with this is the lack of replayability, which means the price tag might be a bit too high for some folks.”
emotional
43 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highly polarized among players, with some praising its impactful storytelling and strong voice acting that evoke genuine feelings, while others criticize the repetitive dialogue and abrupt emotional shifts that diminish the overall emotional resonance. Many players felt frustrated by the trial-and-error gameplay, which often led to desensitization to the narrative's emotional moments, ultimately hindering their connection to the characters and story. Despite some compelling and heart-wrenching scenes, the emotional manipulation and plot twists left several players feeling unsatisfied and disillusioned with the game's narrative direction.
- “This game is amazing - the engaging story that gets you hooked from the very beginning, the characters with their own backstories and motives, the soundtrack that really sets the mood when things get heated or emotional.”
- “The ending was impactful, tragic, and emotional, and it's brought to life through the amazing voice acting.”
- “Beautiful, compelling, and heart-breaking.”
stability
39 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game is widely reported to be plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, ranging from minor visual issues to more significant gameplay interruptions, which can detract from the overall experience. While some players find the glitches amusing or manageable, many express frustration with the frequency and impact of these issues on immersion and gameplay. Overall, the stability of the game is considered poor, especially for a recent release.
- “The achievements, for example, don't seem to work and are buggy.”
- “I encountered multiple game-breaking glitches and more immersion-breaking bugs.”
- “It's buggy, the gameplay is rough, and it can be extremely frustrating, but the story pulled me in and ate an entire day.”
atmosphere
36 mentions
61 % positive mentions
31 % neutral mentions
8 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive qualities, enhanced by strong voice acting and a captivating soundtrack that effectively sets the mood. While many reviewers appreciate the tension and unique ambiance, some note that the overall execution can feel lacking, with certain design choices detracting from the experience. Despite these criticisms, the combination of art style, sound design, and narrative elements contributes to a generally engaging atmosphere that draws players in.
- “The game presented numerous puzzles waiting to be solved, and the unstable, dangerous atmosphere was masterfully crafted through the plot and graphics.”
- “As simple as the game is, the atmosphere it creates and the immersion it offers you is simply beautiful.”
- “The soundtrack is really good and creates this captivating atmosphere that makes the game so much better.”
- “Dafoe participates in the game as a voice actor ('wow! how cool is that!?'), but that does not help matters if the dialogue is just badly written and the atmosphere is lacking.”
- “While the performances, atmosphere, and premise of this game were all fantastic, it is ultimately a giant letdown.”
- “There were some oversights like the protagonist always saying something along the lines of 'talk to you later' every time you want to exit a conversation, which sometimes overlaps with some very dramatic dialogue from other characters, completely breaking up the atmosphere and tone.”
humor
17 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity and unexpected twists, often leading to hilarious outcomes, especially through repetitive actions and quirky voice acting. Players find joy in the game's glitches and the absurdity of the narrative, which can evoke laughter even in darker moments. Overall, the combination of a silly storyline, engaging mechanics, and unintentional humor creates a uniquely entertaining experience.
- “If you were looking for a game where you have to do something over and over and over and over and ... again, with a hilariously stupid story, full of unnecessary twists, this is certainly it.”
- “I knew the basic concept and found it really interesting, but progressing through the game got more and more absurdly bad, to the point where I could barely make it through the ending because I was laughing too hard.”
- “This is not a game that wants the player to experiment because experimenting frequently causes hilarious malfunctions in animation, voice acting, and continuity.”
character development
7 mentions
57 % positive mentions
14 % neutral mentions
29 % negative mentions
Character development in the game receives mixed reviews; while some players praise the depth and thoughtfulness of the characters and story, others criticize the limited dialogue and unrealistic reactions, leading to a lack of emotional investment. Overall, opinions vary from "great" to "poor," indicating a divide in player experiences regarding character engagement.
- “Brilliant game, well thought out, thorough in thought and character development.”
- “It has good character development and story-wise.”
- “The story is great and deep, and the character development is also great.”
- “The characters' lines are limited in character development, and you end up not caring about what happens to them.”
- “Poor character development, and some unrealistic reactions thanks to the extreme linearity of the game.”
monetization
3 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game relies heavily on advertising, featuring a star-studded cast that, while initially perceived as a cash grab, is executed well enough to avoid feeling exploitative. Overall, the advertising aspect is noted as the game's strongest feature, effectively engaging players without overtly detracting from the experience.
- “The only well-crafted aspect of this game is the advertising, and it certainly fooled me.”
- “The actors are just here for loud advertising, let's be honest.”
- “In some ways, it was a sort of buzzword cast of huge actors, but at the same time, it was well executed enough to the extent that it doesn't feel like a cash grab.”