Twelve Minutes

 PC
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 513 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 227 out of 513
  2. Mixed: 141 out of 513
  3. Negative: 145 out of 513

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  1. Ki183063
    Aug 20, 2021
    0
    The idea is good. But not executed well. Frustrating loops and some plot holes made it a bad game
  2. tacsquid
    Aug 20, 2021
    2
    The game is initially fun. Things logically make sense and you have a good time. Eventually though, you end up "fighting the system". you "know" what happened and now you are just clicking away trying to figure out how to get your character to say or do what you want. You'll have to try over and over until you fumble across the right combination to make your dude say the line you need.The game is initially fun. Things logically make sense and you have a good time. Eventually though, you end up "fighting the system". you "know" what happened and now you are just clicking away trying to figure out how to get your character to say or do what you want. You'll have to try over and over until you fumble across the right combination to make your dude say the line you need. Most people who can't afford to replay it over and over will end up googling a walk though because wasting hours on guess work isn't "fun".

    If you have limited free time this game is a hard pass or wait for it to be on sale and have a walk though standing by. If you have nothing to do, have played all the other new releases, and are looking for something to waste a few hours of time this may be the game for you. I wouldn't recommend it though.    … Expand
  3. diazli1031
    Aug 20, 2021
    0
    A BAD STORY DRIVEN GAME. this game struggle with its loops. sometimes you just want to close the game and never come back. i like the idea. but they couldn't make it good.
  4. amirabbas488ik
    Aug 20, 2021
    0
    the definition of a bad narrative. wasting the material and idea. I had big expectations for this game. some dialogues make no sense. i`m not gonna spoil the game. but sometimes there can be many more useful lines. but no. they put senseless lines instead. at first, the loops are fun. but you get more and more tired of it as you play more.
  5. Dariabi2020
    Aug 20, 2021
    0
    the voice acting is f***ing great. but it can't make the storytelling better. don't get me wrong. story isn't bad. but the way that they telling story is bad.
  6. XLazer
    Aug 25, 2021
    4
    Overall - 4/10

    + Good voice acting/dialogues + Interesting game concept - The game gets really repetitive and annoying after 5-7 loops. You will have to play a whole loop again just to get one new dialogue - You can skip most dialogues but some you cant for some reason - The dialogues gets mixed up and overlaps from time to time - The story is very dumb, feels like a child was    Overall - 4/10

    + Good voice acting/dialogues
    + Interesting game concept

    - The game gets really repetitive and annoying after 5-7 loops. You will have to play a whole loop again just to get one new dialogue
    - You can skip most dialogues but some you cant for some reason
    - The dialogues gets mixed up and overlaps from time to time
    - The story is very dumb, feels like a child was supposed to create a mystery story and wrote whatever tf he could think of to make it look deep.

    Enjoyment - 5/10    … Expand
  7. Blurrywolf
    Aug 22, 2021
    2
    I was initially kind of excited for this game since I like choose your own adventure and solving mysteries type games. But this game gets SO repetitive and feels like a drag since you have to see the same rooms and the same dialogue over and over again and after two hours I didn't have any interest in finishing the game anymore. Bummer.
  8. 0danielryan701
    Aug 20, 2021
    0
    I didn't expect such a bad storytelling from this game after all the trailers. I'm still sure the idea was great. but you need to work on that idea. you should develop it. They didn't do that.
  9. silencer
    Aug 21, 2021
    4
    Interesting idea and intriguing mechanics but the story becomes unrelatable about halfway and the main plot twist makes no sense even after unlocking true ending. Glad I played on gamepass and not wasted money on this
  10. ThunderRam
    Aug 21, 2021
    2
    I never... ever... look up walkthroughs/tips for a game but this one was just so difficult to understand that it got overwhelmingly frustrating. I was intrigued by the story and wanted to find out what happened next but doing the same thing over and over and over.... and over... just to have to do it over and over again is not fun. Plus when I got to the end and got the "shock"... it wasI never... ever... look up walkthroughs/tips for a game but this one was just so difficult to understand that it got overwhelmingly frustrating. I was intrigued by the story and wanted to find out what happened next but doing the same thing over and over and over.... and over... just to have to do it over and over again is not fun. Plus when I got to the end and got the "shock"... it was meh. Dont get me wrong, the game gets extra points for being intuitive with it's premise but fails in execution.… Expand
  11. OctaviaAlpha1
    Aug 22, 2021
    4
    I’ll be avoiding story spoilers:

    On paper 12 Minutes is an intriguing idea. You’re in your apartment with your wife, enjoying a pleasant evening until a very aggressive cop knocks on the door and accuses your wife of murder. You then discover you are trapped in a time loop and have to use the repeating time to solve the murder and break the loop. As I said, on paper it’s an intriguing    I’ll be avoiding story spoilers:

    On paper 12 Minutes is an intriguing idea. You’re in your apartment with your wife, enjoying a pleasant evening until a very aggressive cop knocks on the door and accuses your wife of murder. You then discover you are trapped in a time loop and have to use the repeating time to solve the murder and break the loop. As I said, on paper it’s an intriguing idea. Unfortunately the execution of the idea falls somewhat short of the hype that has built around this game.

    It doesn’t take long for the game to get extremely repetitive. A lot of your time will be spent doing the exact same things over and over again trying to figure out how to advance the shockingly short story. As I said I won’t be going into detail with the story so we’ll look at the gameplay. At its core it is a basic point a click adventure game. You click a point in the room to move your character and spend most of your time interacting with items and selecting dialogue options. The whole game is shown in a top down perspective of your apartment which consists of 3 rooms. Character animations and movement do feel a bit janky at times with characters often clipping into each other and the apartments furniture. The one aspect that 12 Minutes can’t be faulted on is the voice cast and the quality of the acting. With James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and the highlight of the game, Willem Dafoe, the voice work is AAA as you would expect of these seasoned actors. Luís António Does deserve high praise for creating 12 Minutes. As a first game from an independent developer and his first game period, it lays the groundwork for more ambitious projects in the future and I for one look forward to his next projects now he has dipped his toe into game development. I just hope we don’t have to wait 6 years for the next project.

    Overall 12 Minutes is a game you should at least try if you subscribe to GamePass. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing it as it has almost zero replay value. Unless of course you need to explore every dead end option just to hear every line of dialogue possible. But once you know what you’re doing the story can run it’s course in just 7 loops, or about an hour in real time.    … Expand
  12. NeoRazyMist
    Aug 21, 2021
    3
    I do not know how to pass this game without tips because you're not even told what the end goal and you literally do not know what to do next. I spent 2 hours trying to kill a cop and leave his wife alive, but as it turned out this is not the purpose of the game.
  13. jboy74183
    Aug 21, 2021
    0
    Doesn't worth a try. this game doesn't have anything. no gameplay. no story. It's just boring. this is one of the games that you just wanna finish and get rid of it.
  14. Agasdus
    Aug 22, 2021
    0
    Bad writing, worse execution. Repetitive, boring puzzles, you won't care what will happen, you definitely won't like any endings. Dialogue options are sloppy and makes you frustrated. And the worst thing is, loop means **** for this game, there is no real purpose
  15. HazretiBjorn
    Aug 21, 2021
    2
    Wow so developer give the money to the actors instead of development of game. I must say i was really hyped for that game. It was have a great idea, great concept. Execution is worse i saw. First you have ZERO freedom. You must do everything the way game wants you to do. I know this not an rpg game but i never saw that much. Example like, you cut the handcuffs, try to sneak up to doWow so developer give the money to the actors instead of development of game. I must say i was really hyped for that game. It was have a great idea, great concept. Execution is worse i saw. First you have ZERO freedom. You must do everything the way game wants you to do. I know this not an rpg game but i never saw that much. Example like, you cut the handcuffs, try to sneak up to do police, only thing you can do is click on police and say "Sir?". God, atleast give me attack option, he can beat me again after i try but atleast give me freedom of try.

    Aaaand i hope they didn't gave James McAvoy and Daisy Ridley very much because they weren't even that good lol.    … Expand
  16. Luuthian
    Aug 21, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Awful. The hype was completely unwarranted. The game's 12 minutes mechanic is frustrating in how many loops you require to get things done and how little time you have to explore as everything is timed. Then when you do know what to look for you are stuck waiting in real time for *nothing* to happen. And the exact nature of things you need to know is not always obvious or easy to uncover.

    Beyond the gameplay the story is completely vapid. Having an incest baby with your half-sister? That's the big twist? Really? Are all these narrative games just going for the quick and easy shock factor now?And then the game doesn't have the balls to commit to you staying with her or leaving her once you figure out the truth (you are given the option for both but those don't lead to a real ending). Instead the game asks you to merely relive your life up to that point over and over so you don't need to commit to a decision because of course that would cause a controversy. Something tells me this game only got developed on the promise of the gameplay and no one was looking to see how the narrative was panning out.

    Waste of time, don't bother. No idea why this game got the hype it did from Microsoft. You can't tell me anyone in an office knew what this game was about beyond the surface concept of reliving 12 minutes before your own murder. "Yeah, the sister incest baby game! That's the one we should hype this E3!"    … Expand
  17. sanja12345
    Aug 20, 2021
    1
    i can't believe that they ruined so great idea with this stupid endless nonsense loops
  18. Oxyinco
    Aug 22, 2021
    0
    The game is full of guesswork and trying to do things you know you have to but can't figure out the convoluted way to actually do. The story is fine for the first half or so, but then it becomes a mess of information you're supposed to piece together into something coherent. Repeating the same thing over and over numbed my mind and I would stop after an hour if I was playing alone.
  19. ShadowofZexa
    Oct 24, 2021
    4
    While this isn't an awful game the game has a very interesting concept but terrible execution you'll be playing loops over and over again until you just get frustrated and give. The story here is the only reason to play this game it is pretty good. It's a very simple game and most of the time you'll get frustrated and not know what to do because the game isn't smart enough.
  20. shigbot
    Sep 15, 2021
    1
    If you found yourself stuck in a mysterious time loop with your pregnant wife and a cop, and you were the only one who could remember it, would you A.) tell your wife, or B.) murder her with a knife to see what happens? If you picked B, and didn’t even consider A, congratulations, you wrote “Twelve Minutes.”
  21. Darkys7
    Aug 22, 2021
    3
    the first hour she's really cool. you can do whatever you want as you are in a time loop) but then comes complete disappointment due to the fact that you have to move in the plot simply by clicking on everything. for me it would be better if you could come to conclusions from logical actions ala as in detective stories. in fact, you just need to click on everything in order to guess athe first hour she's really cool. you can do whatever you want as you are in a time loop) but then comes complete disappointment due to the fact that you have to move in the plot simply by clicking on everything. for me it would be better if you could come to conclusions from logical actions ala as in detective stories. in fact, you just need to click on everything in order to guess a random set of actions invented by the developers. Well, the main plot is also not for everybody.… Expand
  22. bigfarken
    Aug 23, 2021
    0
    boring jank game incredibly frustrating to play completely busted in every aspect without a single redeemable aspect
  23. Piruz
    Aug 25, 2021
    0
    Is it even a game? Can't remember so boring, stupid, useless and featureless game. Game design is totally ucked! Embodiment of emptiness
  24. Gorbunov2004
    Sep 5, 2021
    4
    Сначала было интересно потом стало раздражать. Игра с отстойной графикой грузит видеокарту на 100 процентов и выдаёт 30 кадров с просадками а в холодильнике вообще 17 офигеть детализированный холодильник. Как проходить не понятно даже если делать по гайдам в интернете.Сначала было интересно потом стало раздражать. Игра с отстойной графикой грузит видеокарту на 100 процентов и выдаёт 30 кадров с просадками а в холодильнике вообще 17 офигеть детализированный холодильник. Как проходить не понятно даже если делать по гайдам в интернете.
  25. Stefanobed
    Aug 21, 2021
    1
    Boring, again a boring indie , is free for lucky of all . No pay for that game is a 1
  26. Heisenberg421
    Aug 22, 2021
    0
    The game just seems really boring and the idea isn't interesitng, I refunded it
  27. paname95190
    Aug 22, 2021
    1
    trop prise de tete pour rien avoir a la fin pas vraiment mon truc mais a faire quand meme sur le gamepass
  28. Mythri
    Aug 24, 2021
    4
    12 Minutes is a time loop game done wrong. Instead of exploring the interesting possibilities, it gets tied up in the monotony and bothersome repetitions. And yet, I can tell there is a market for what this game does almost accidentally. If you have ever seen Bill Murry's "Groundhog Day" you would know exactly what I mean. It better reflects the pain and trauma connected with the game, as12 Minutes is a time loop game done wrong. Instead of exploring the interesting possibilities, it gets tied up in the monotony and bothersome repetitions. And yet, I can tell there is a market for what this game does almost accidentally. If you have ever seen Bill Murry's "Groundhog Day" you would know exactly what I mean. It better reflects the pain and trauma connected with the game, as you will reach the point where you try taking your own characters life, or even killing his spouse. That's a part of Twelve Minutes that I really enjoyed. But to get to those gut wrenching dark moments where your character is at his lowest, you have to wade through endless dialogue, poorly strung together at that.
    I can ask my wife "Did you murder your father" (not a spoiler, happens in the first 5 minutes) She will deny it and get VERY offended. Then you can ask her who killed her father and her tone will do a 180 and she will be confused. I have heard ludacrous claims such as this being "the most realistic game of all time" That is insanity, it is merely ok in its realism.
    The puzzles are nearly non existent. They felt like puzzles for the sake of puzzles because they couldn't make any good puzzles, if that makes sense. Most involved simply clicking the right things at the right time. The worst one only allowed you to click a thing on a different loop at a specific time. Very dumb.
    Overall, Twelve Minutes really makes you f e e l like Bill Murry. 4/10    … Expand
  29. ColonelAngus
    Aug 26, 2021
    2
    Great game!! Scratch that. Horrible game! Scratch that...! Great game! 600 time loops later...Nope! Horrible game! OK, honestly this had potential. Just have to replay it 50 times to find it! Oh wait!! I got it! This is a frustration simulator! Nailed it....
  30. ColdHand
    Sep 20, 2021
    2
    Good concept, terrible execution. The game quickly becomes tedious and boring, forcing you to replay loops in search of what it expects from you. You often know what you *want* to do, the real challenge being how to explain the game you want to do it. Give it a try if you're subscribed to the Gamepass, but don't spend your money on it otherwise.
  31. aditya1101
    Jan 4, 2022
    3
    The premise is interesting, and the voice acting was pretty good, but I didn't really enjoy most other aspects of the game. The story started pretty strong but ended on a pretty unsatisfying note. Ambiguity in stories is fine but I didn't feel it was handled well here. Instead of making past story elements fall into place, the big reveal actually made most of the first act of the game moreThe premise is interesting, and the voice acting was pretty good, but I didn't really enjoy most other aspects of the game. The story started pretty strong but ended on a pretty unsatisfying note. Ambiguity in stories is fine but I didn't feel it was handled well here. Instead of making past story elements fall into place, the big reveal actually made most of the first act of the game more confusing and there were so many loose ends and things that I felt didn't have a satisfying explanation beyond just being an oversight or plot hole. In addition to the story issues, the gameplay loop itself quickly became very tedious - it was cool to discover new lines of action through trial and error, but those exciting discoveries were too few and far between all the drudgery required to experiment. There was also a lot of polish missing from the games, particularly in the character animations but also in the overall clunkiness of the games UI.… Expand
  32. danderso
    Aug 31, 2021
    4
    I was so disappointed with 12 minutes. The story seemed intriguing until you begin to get into the continual looping scenario. Having to start each loop and remember the set order of events that the game wants you to undertake was a real let down.

    It has some redeeming qualities but overall the game play (if you want to call it that) was not strong enough to support the narrative
  33. Javichuck
    Aug 25, 2021
    4
    I like the concept and the bravery to do something different but the result has some failures.

    The game only has one path to resolve the problem, some parts can be done sooner or later but you need to do them the way the dev wants or you can get stuck. At some point the loops start loosing its value because you cant get new info and to try every possibility you need a full loop again.    I like the concept and the bravery to do something different but the result has some failures.

    The game only has one path to resolve the problem, some parts can be done sooner or later but you need to do them the way the dev wants or you can get stuck. At some point the loops start loosing its value because you cant get new info and to try every possibility you need a full loop again. That's where the game failures overcome the idea.

    I like the idea, its fun to discover how to get some things done but when you don't know what to do next the game suddenly becomes too tedious and frustrating. I still recommend you to play it because of the idea but its ok if you don't want to finish it.    … Expand
  34. BulgarianCritic
    Sep 8, 2021
    4
    Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this game even though I really love time loop games if they are done right. The game starts pretty strongly with an interesting premise but unfortunately after awhile it falls flat and becomes pretty annoying to repeat every thing in order to advance just a small fraction in the story. The idea is interesting but the execution falls flat after theUnfortunately, I cannot recommend this game even though I really love time loop games if they are done right. The game starts pretty strongly with an interesting premise but unfortunately after awhile it falls flat and becomes pretty annoying to repeat every thing in order to advance just a small fraction in the story. The idea is interesting but the execution falls flat after the beginning, the puzzles are pretty cryptic which can make some players stop playing after the first 30 minutes. Voice acting is great but by the end the actors sound very tired and drained for some reason. Due to the cryptic puzzles and tedious gameplay I would suggest avoiding this game or buying it when its discounted.… Expand
  35. Seethi
    Aug 24, 2021
    3
    The worst plot twist since Detroit. Entire story is bad and incoherent. Gameplay isn't as unique as it may seem. Plays like typical point and click.
  36. Timentiy
    Dec 1, 2022
    4
    Так много рассказывали про эту игру на выходе и так ее хвалили, а на деле игра совершенно не то чем кажется. Конечно по началу игра затягивает но после часов трех ты понимаешь, что тебя где то обманули и игра не то чем кажется по началу, как итог жаль и время и деньги потраченное на эту поделку.Так много рассказывали про эту игру на выходе и так ее хвалили, а на деле игра совершенно не то чем кажется. Конечно по началу игра затягивает но после часов трех ты понимаешь, что тебя где то обманули и игра не то чем кажется по началу, как итог жаль и время и деньги потраченное на эту поделку.
  37. achittranshi
    Jan 31, 2022
    4
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I left the game midway. It's supposed to be a puzzle point and click game but the puzzles are so stupid. I wasted my precious hours on this game.… Expand
  38. Ratingss
    Aug 25, 2021
    4
    This game does something great that is to treat time like its supposed to work, things will just happen no matter what you do or dont. I would love more games to strive to do this instead of the same static time world where the clock revolves around your character actions.
    But it also is an extremely linear game that only has a single specific way to progress and point n click gameplay,    This game does something great that is to treat time like its supposed to work, things will just happen no matter what you do or dont. I would love more games to strive to do this instead of the same static time world where the clock revolves around your character actions.
    But it also is an extremely linear game that only has a single specific way to progress and point n click gameplay, so you cant be creative, quick on your feet, or anything clever, you just have to play over and over and over and over, and over again the same sequence, until you know what you should do, a pity.    … Expand
  39. Cywor
    Nov 18, 2021
    3
    12 Minutes is not worth it's hype, which was big before the release. It's not an innovative, extra-ordinary game as promised. It's just... a big, big dissapointment.
  40. sasa30007
    Oct 7, 2021
    0
    worst game i ever play
    story is ****
    gameplay is torture
    didn't encourage me to complete it and i resort to complete it in youtube and i thank god i didn't complete it myself
  41. StarkAgentos
    Apr 13, 2022
    4
    Неплохая игра в жанре квест, да вот только я не понимаю, как пройти первый уровень.
  42. Zaickly
    Dec 11, 2021
    0
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. People complain that is hard and confusing well...that's the point of the game and the loop trying and trying. It's like complaining that dark souls are hard. The point of the game is founding the truth. Not Killing the cop. And when you finally found the truth by yourself you understand the masterpiece that it is.… Expand
  43. darrien
    Jan 19, 2022
    0
    the entire game takes place in a house and i struggled to beat the game when you look on youtube playthroughs the game is 50 minutes and when you play the game entirely blind it takes 6 hours youtubers videos makes the game look fun but they actually had to cut out some parts where they didnt know what to do in frusturating time loops
  44. MaxieZeus
    Apr 3, 2023
    4
    Repetitive and clunky. They could have done a lot of interesting things with this concept but they messed it up. The story is ridiculous and to actually get a decent ending you need to do the loop like ten times doing really specific things at the right time watching the same dialogue over and over and over.
  45. nastyjes
    Jan 10, 2023
    2
    Overrated repetitive boring pretentious piece of **** .

Awards & Rankings

21
#21 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76

Generally favorable reviews - based on 60 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 35 out of 60
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 60
  3. Negative: 0 out of 60
  1. Gamersky
    Dec 2, 2021
    66
    Twelve minutes is a puzzle game with the theme of time loop. Although the scenes are rich in details and the art design is attractive, the mediocre gameplay and bad ending ruin everything the game has come before.
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  2. Game World Navigator Magazine
    Nov 30, 2021
    64
    It’s one of those cases where it’s really hard to rate a game. It has a great concept and good plot delivery, but actual gameplay is incredibly frustrating. You’re stuck in the loop along with your character, with no way to fast-forward the events, and you have to meticulously try every possible combination, until find the trigger that will open up a new option. And then you re-check it all over again. [Issue#256, p.44]
  3. JeuxActu
    Nov 24, 2021
    75
    Used to atypical games, the publisher Annapurna Interactive surprises us once again with Twelve Minutes. Yes indeed the game has some rigid animations, not really worthy in 2021, game is quite short, and the system of dialogues isn't perfect, but the stifling atmosphere, the atypical staging, the surprising scenario and the puzzles are really worth the detour in our opinion.
    Read full review
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