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. TheRealPurtuzzi
    Aug 20, 2021
    7
    Twelve Minutes uses clever storytelling, coupled with elite Hollywood talent, to unravel a dark mystery surrounding a family heirloom. The story is short but well-written, and solid ambience adds suspense and realism to counter sub-par animations.

    Voice performances are memorable and engaging, allowing players to be engrossed in the gradually exposed drama... err trauma. While    Twelve Minutes uses clever storytelling, coupled with elite Hollywood talent, to unravel a dark mystery surrounding a family heirloom. The story is short but well-written, and solid ambience adds suspense and realism to counter sub-par animations.

    Voice performances are memorable and engaging, allowing players to be engrossed in the gradually exposed drama... err trauma. While animations and rendering do not detract from the overall experience, they certainly aren't groundbreaking -- or even exceptional.

    The short experience of this point-and-click murder mystery is a markedly AA game with AAA talent. Asking $30 (Canadian) for this game is a little steep, as replay value to extremely low; I would say this is a solid $20 experience.    … Expand
  2. D1zzy0509
    Aug 20, 2021
    7
    The idea behind this game is great but it could have been better executed, as you progress through the game it becomes progressively slower because you have to do the same things over and over again and that can be discouraging, combined with the fact that you sometimes have to do some very specific actions which aren't really clear to progress the game, which can become quite boring, butThe idea behind this game is great but it could have been better executed, as you progress through the game it becomes progressively slower because you have to do the same things over and over again and that can be discouraging, combined with the fact that you sometimes have to do some very specific actions which aren't really clear to progress the game, which can become quite boring, but I still think that the turn the narrative takes as you reach the end of the game makes it worth it to endure the not so great game-play, but it was ever so slightly longer I don't think I would reach its end. Overall this is a pleasant experience that is worth a try if you are interested in the concept.… Expand
  3. SuperBurger
    Aug 22, 2021
    7
    Fun for a short while but can get repetitive and boring. Fun for someone looking for a story based mystery game, but overall a mediocre game at best.
  4. ScottieSpliffin
    Aug 26, 2021
    7
    Great story to tell but not the best way to do it. The wordtracks were too leading from the get-go. With all of the different paths you could take they should have found a way around that. The ending also becomes quite clear and predictable quite early. But wow what a whirlwind and what a way to find out.

    I loved the design of the game overall and the voice acting and soundtrack work. I'm    Great story to tell but not the best way to do it. The wordtracks were too leading from the get-go. With all of the different paths you could take they should have found a way around that. The ending also becomes quite clear and predictable quite early. But wow what a whirlwind and what a way to find out.

    I loved the design of the game overall and the voice acting and soundtrack work. I'm looking forward to 100% this thing.    … Expand
  5. Lynrev
    Nov 18, 2022
    7
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The "puzzle" part of the game is good and really well done but the game really feels too short (5 hours for me) and most importantly the story is really good BUT the cliffhanger at the end is just too **** up like man are you ok ???
    Still if you love puzzles and you have the game pass give it a try    … Expand
  6. kinsang
    Apr 7, 2023
    7
    เกมอินดี้แหวกแนวอย่างสร้างสรรค์ แต่บางอย่างก็สังเกตเห็นได้ยากเกินไปหน่อย ทำให้เสียเวลา
  7. vincenzocosmo
    May 25, 2023
    7
    Twelve Minutes is a gripping and immersive interactive thriller with a unique time-loop concept. Sometimes it can be challenging to figure out the next steps in the narrative progression
  8. RomanG700
    Aug 22, 2021
    6
    A very mediocre game without variability, logic and an interesting plot. You expect much more from a project that has been done for six years.
  9. TomasLacerda
    Aug 22, 2021
    6
    Liked the story and the concept of it.
    Disliked the endings, how clunky animations are and same actor voicing multiples characters.
  10. muzmuz
    Apr 30, 2022
    6
    Twelve Minutes is a short but unique and engaging narrative experience carried by 3 amazing cast, unfortunately, even for its really interesting writing the game itself has not a lot of game in it, which was further embittered by unsatisfying endings.
  11. parallax_84
    Aug 28, 2021
    6
    The game is not that bad but in my opinion gets ruined by a soap opera twist that you can see coming from far and the endings are completely awful,
  12. Deckard2
    Feb 3, 2022
    6
    An intriguing premise eventually becomes your own personal purgatory. I don't think I've ever played a game like this before. The story and gameplay loop sucks you in from its opening few minutes. The events that unfold throughout your 8 or so hour adventure takes place in a single apartment over a course of 12 minutes. The setting; you play as a man having dinner with his wife and allAn intriguing premise eventually becomes your own personal purgatory. I don't think I've ever played a game like this before. The story and gameplay loop sucks you in from its opening few minutes. The events that unfold throughout your 8 or so hour adventure takes place in a single apartment over a course of 12 minutes. The setting; you play as a man having dinner with his wife and all seems serene until the night slowly spirals into chaos as a policeman abruptly interrupts and wreaks havoc. Then, boom! The day repeats. Timeloop.

    The game is played from a single top down perspective and is essentially a point and click adventure. You click on things and direct the husband throughout his 12 minute evening choosing different dialogue options and choosing certain actions that cause the events to drastically change on each repeated time loop. The games goal is that your wife is being accused of murder and you must prove her innocence. The art style is pleasing enough and the sound design does the job. The voice talent hear is excellent with James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and Willem Defoe voicing the husband, wife and policeman respectively. Defoe here is a particular joy to listen to and stands out as the menacing mysterious policeman.

    Unfortuantley what starts out with intrigue and mystery and a desire to press on quickly gets bogged down in tedium and frustration. You have to repeat dialogue loops over and over to progress. The story often hits a brick wall with regards progression and randomly trying different options to progress can become tiring. The game over stays its welcome by about 3 or so hours and doesn't serve to guide the player or have any system other than trial an error in some cases to advance things along. In the end after sinking 5 or so hours I had had enough and just used a guide to suss out the endings. There are multiple resolutions to this tale and the twist ending feels somewhat unearned and not as intelligent as it thinks it is.

    All in all the premise here is exciting but its execution could have done with some refinement. An interesting game with some excellent performances that unfortunately out stays its welcome. Try it on game pass or pick it up in a sale.    … Expand
  13. ajgamer
    Aug 27, 2021
    6
    Compelling idea, poor execution. The mystery reveals itself to be a poorly thought out plot, and the big plot twist falls flat. Not only that, but the exciting time loop becomes gratingly frustrating the more that you play, until you reach the point that you hate the characters of the story, despite some solid voice acting.

    On the voice acting - William Dafoe is stellar. James McCavoy    Compelling idea, poor execution. The mystery reveals itself to be a poorly thought out plot, and the big plot twist falls flat. Not only that, but the exciting time loop becomes gratingly frustrating the more that you play, until you reach the point that you hate the characters of the story, despite some solid voice acting.

    On the voice acting - William Dafoe is stellar. James McCavoy okay but unfortunately Daisy Ridley's character becomes extremely annoying through repetition and always doubting your character or lying to you. You stop seeing them as characters and more as means to an end by design on the experimental gameplay.    … Expand
  14. SilverOrlov
    Aug 24, 2021
    6
    This could be a good game if not for two BUTs:
    1) From some moment, the same repetitions in such a small space simply cannot but get bored. Physically. In addition, this game is also sick with such a thing as "from time to time to solve the puzzle you need to give up with logic and just hit with mouse everywhere".
    2) Partly because of the strained boredom from the (1), the quality level    This could be a good game if not for two BUTs:
    1) From some moment, the same repetitions in such a small space simply cannot but get bored. Physically. In addition, this game is also sick with such a thing as "from time to time to solve the puzzle you need to give up with logic and just hit with mouse everywhere".
    2) Partly because of the strained boredom from the (1), the quality level is raised and so ... the pompously end of story give us only a very funny end. Just disappointed. It could be normal if the game itself built the right interesting path to that ending, but no.    … Expand
  15. philzlz
    Aug 29, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. While fun in the beginning the game became rather frustrating halfway. Looping over and over again just because the game wants you to play a certain way got annoying fast.

    I was looking forward to the stellar cast and voice acting, but with overlapping dialogue and a rather wooden performance I left disappointed.

    The story twist near the end was also not satisfying and I am surprised to see the game was in development for six years.    … Expand
  16. rezo_21
    Dec 22, 2021
    6
    ====================IIIIIIIIII GAME SCORE : 59 IIIIIIIIII====================
  17. Wweald
    Aug 25, 2021
    6
    It's mediocre, the gameplay is kind of boring as it's just a clicking interaction game. Getting stuck on a part is annoying because you have to do the whole loop again until you find what you were missing. It looks nice and has good voice acting, the story is mediocre. It's like it was trying to be a big twist mind blown kind of story, but it just falls short and is rather boring.
  18. Kelen
    Jan 19, 2022
    6
    [PL]
    6/10 - Niezła
    (po 4,5h grania, ukończeniu gry i zobaczeniu wszystkich zakończeń) Utknąłem w pierwszej minucie grania na pierwszym przedmiocie, ale potem było lepiej. Bardzo prosta mechanika, a gra krótka (max 1-2 wieczory). Trochę zbędnych, nieciekawych, powtarzalnych czynności. Choć wiele można później skrócić, ale to nie zawsze jest oczywiste. Całkiem przyjemna i    [PL]
    6/10 - Niezła
    (po 4,5h grania, ukończeniu gry i zobaczeniu wszystkich zakończeń)

    Utknąłem w pierwszej minucie grania na pierwszym przedmiocie, ale potem było lepiej.

    Bardzo prosta mechanika, a gra krótka (max 1-2 wieczory).
    Trochę zbędnych, nieciekawych, powtarzalnych czynności. Choć wiele można później skrócić, ale to nie zawsze jest oczywiste.

    Całkiem przyjemna i wciągająca fabuła.
    Nieintuicyjne ostatnie czynności przed samym końcem, a zakończenia niesatysfakcjonujące.    … Expand
  19. Nintenderek
    Oct 8, 2021
    6
    This is an interesting game with a lot of different things to explore, with a decent story. It does a good job of keeping you wanting to know more. However, the ending is kind of weird. In fact, it's really weird, too weird in fact. The voice acting is top notch from everyone involved. The graphics are fine. The game runs fine on my computer which is really just an average gamingThis is an interesting game with a lot of different things to explore, with a decent story. It does a good job of keeping you wanting to know more. However, the ending is kind of weird. In fact, it's really weird, too weird in fact. The voice acting is top notch from everyone involved. The graphics are fine. The game runs fine on my computer which is really just an average gaming computer. It can sometimes be a bit too difficult to figure out what you are supposed to do next and it would be nice if there was some sort of a hint, even if it wasn't a super obvious hint. Worth picking up if it's interesting to you, but not something everyone should go out of their way to play.… Expand
  20. EfiDiveroli
    Aug 21, 2021
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I love the concept of this game, but it does not respect one's free time at all and is poorly executed, especially if one takes into account that they worked on it at least for 3 years. The voice acting is on spot, but the developers managed to string their lines and conversations together so poorly that sometimes the dialogues are incredibly clumsy and threw me out of the whole experience. I also encountered cases when the same dialogue resulted in different reaction from a character, which affected the ending of the given loop.

    I often thought more of this game than what it really could offer and I ended up spending ridiculous amount of time repeating the loops in order to try things that eventually did not matter at all (looking out of the windows, analysing paintings etc.). Furthermore, several times I knew how to progress in the story, but I could not find the dialogue that triggered the advancement.

    The number of visual bugs I experienced is frustrating considering that the game provides the tiniest playing area I have ever encountered in a story game. I expect perfect execution when the whole game is 3 small rooms and there are only 3 characters (whose faces were not even animated due to the perspective and what you could see from their face through the peephole was literally pre 2004 graphics), there is no excuse in this matter when you spend 3+ YEARS!!! on this minimalistic graphical content, even if just a single person worked on the graphical content (which I assume was not the case). I also disliked the dialogue skip mechanism. I hated that I had to skip by constant clicks and I just could not jump to the end of a dialogue that I had heard countless times before.

    This game had so much potential, but it was mostly frustrating and a disappointment after waiting for 2 years since the announcement trailer from the 2019 E3. I pity the actors, they deserved better execution. I personally disliked the story and found it bizarre. It was not immersive for me at all (mainly due to the aforementioned frustrating parts and poor design).

    Spoilers:
    I also want to share some really frustrating experiences about certain parts. There are countless like this in the game.

    1. When I convince the cop's daughter that I have evidence about the wife not being the killer, and the cop comes into the apartment he will kill me if I take polaroid photo (the evidence) off of the fridge, even if it is in my pocket and I click on it to show him.

    2. When I wanted to end the game with the meditation quote I accidentally clicked the book a little after the husband started the quotation which resulted in the father beating me up and his death due to the accident, which also resulted in the need of repeating the whole loop.

    3. The light switch... I knew that the only way to advance in the game is to make the light switch shock the cop (when the cop got into the bedroom he always said that **** this light switch, and the wife also talked about the need of repair multiple times). I thought that I had to use one of the available tools in order to jinx it somehow (logical, not?). I tried everything. Literally I spent more than an hour on this matter, and I finally managed to activate the electric shock on the WIFE by accidentally using the switch before her once.

    4. The title. The title does not make any sense at all. It could be 13 minutes or 15 minutes or whatever. The game let you experience the first ~5 mins at the beginning. As you advance the game you get to live through more and more time in each loop. But only 10 minutes all in all. The 12 minutes clearly is just a random integer number that is greater than 10 and you have to set back the clock 12 minutes in order to trigger a certain ending.

    5. I found the writing quite childish that it wanted to make the player hate the wife then like the wife, hate the cop and then arouse sympathy towards him... similar narrative applies to the protagonist with the twist that you were made to like him first and feel disguise at the end.

    6. Once I was stuck in the game and I made the following: I knocked out the wife with the meds, then took the pocket watch, which I put on the dining table. Then I hid in the wardrobe and waited for the cop to arrive. I thought this would be interesting, since the cop would take the watch and leave without further notice, but it was not the case. He did not even notice the watch, even though he clearly had looked around in the house, but managed to find me and kill me instead...    … Expand
  21. danilogan7
    Jun 23, 2022
    6
    Boa história, porém rápida e pouco ramificada. Tem que fazer muita repetição nos loops pra poder desbloquear novos diálogos ou possibilidades, isso é meio chatinho. O plot twist é bom.
    Os gráficos são ok, mas algumas animações são bem mal feitas, as vezes os personagens se atravessam.
    A gameplay é o báscio de qualquer point and click.
  22. TheKize
    Dec 7, 2021
    6
    Does a nice job with the time loop mechanic, giving the player lots of options to learn its rhythm and manipulate it. It continuously kept me coming back to unravel more of the story over the 3 days I played it. But, the dialogue gets distractingly clunky and disconnected in places (probably in order to fit it into the limits of the time loop), and the story choices at the end are justDoes a nice job with the time loop mechanic, giving the player lots of options to learn its rhythm and manipulate it. It continuously kept me coming back to unravel more of the story over the 3 days I played it. But, the dialogue gets distractingly clunky and disconnected in places (probably in order to fit it into the limits of the time loop), and the story choices at the end are just baffling. A 6/10 that I wish had been a bit more refined.… Expand
  23. SandeMC
    Aug 23, 2021
    6
    Honestly, I barely liked the game. It begins good, honestly. I expected to give it a 9/10. But then, the horrible twist and the end being repetitive. 6/10. Disappointed. (i'm not one of the review bombers, I'm an Xbox fan, but this game is seriously disappointing)
  24. ashmit
    Aug 24, 2021
    6
    It's tryhard M. Night Shyamalan ending ruins the whole game. I strongly recommend no one to buy it. Unless you're a **** neckbearded loser
  25. awar_7
    Dec 20, 2021
    6
    Premisa muy orignal, pero que llega a convertirse en tedisoa conforme vas intentando avanzar. La mecánica de ensayo/error funciona durante la primera hora de juego, después se va haciendo repetitiva y pesada. Aún así, juego muy original que me sorprendió bastante.
  26. bub156
    Feb 9, 2022
    6
    I applaud the game for experimenting with unique ideas but in execution this ends up being kind of frustrating. The time loop mechanic hypothetically allows you to continuously experiment with different scenarios, in each loop learning new pieces and bits of information that you can use to your advantage in future loops. However gameplay wise this quickly becomes tedious as you repeat theI applaud the game for experimenting with unique ideas but in execution this ends up being kind of frustrating. The time loop mechanic hypothetically allows you to continuously experiment with different scenarios, in each loop learning new pieces and bits of information that you can use to your advantage in future loops. However gameplay wise this quickly becomes tedious as you repeat the same actions over and over, with slight variations each time. There's a point in the game where you literally have to repeat the same cycle with the only difference being which dialogue option you select at the very end. Each loop only lets you select one option so it ends up being quite a slog. There are also lots of actions you can take which to my knowledge are only red herrings. These end up being quite frustrating since the game doesn't do a good job of communicating that things are red herrings and I got so frustrated toward the end that I ended up using a walkthrough due to how much of a slog it had become

    Story wise the voice acting is great and I legitimately didn't see the twist at the end coming. It's just a shame that the frustrating mechanics overshadow this to such a high degree    … Expand
  27. Top1saraya_
    Dec 26, 2022
    6
    ---------------------
    / My score - 6 /
    ---------------------
  28. 3a21
    Aug 19, 2022
    6
    Too short, Confuse about how to go next,
    must play more than 1 one with flesh start
    to complete
    - Story is twisted which is very good.
    - Gameplay is so annoying with point and
    click and it's getting worse by use
    controller.
    - Visual is ok when graphic is not much but
    it's replaced by angle of camera to top view
    and it's great.
  29. imalynxcat
    Aug 18, 2023
    6
    Kafayı yemelik bir oyun. Loop'tan kurtulmak için bir sürü seçeneğin varmış gibi gözüken ama oyundaki asıl amacın bir şeyleri tetiklemekten ibaret olduğu bir oyun. aynı şeyleri 1000 kez yapmamıza gerek yoktu.
  30. dubesor
    Aug 20, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It's such a great concept (time manipulation in general) but executed rather mediocre. There are 3 main issues with the game.

    1) Repetitiveness - yes this is a game about a time loop but repeating the same dialogue and actions over and over again could have been handled much better. For example if you reveal something big to a person there are 20 lines of dialogue and you can skip the repeat but it only fast forwards line by line, instead of the entire segment, gets old really fast.

    2) No real clever situations with obtained knowledge - a lot of times the dialogue doesn't make sense considering the knowledge the player/MC should have. One example is if you call 911 for the first time the main character is surprised by the given long response time. If you call again in another loop mc must have lost all memory because his dialogue is the exact same and thus he is again surprised on the 20th loop. This is just one example but basically this was experienced all throughout the game. Just having different lines of dialogue or progression of character with his obtained memory during previous loops should have been an absolute must.

    3) Bit too much illogical mechanics (and/or moon logic) - one very obvious example from early on (in order to prevent spoilers) is that you can put sleeping pills in your wife's water mug. If you do this in her sight she will comment on it (cool!) and if you offer her the drink she will refuse it (again, good!) but if you then place it for her in plain sight, right after she refused it, she will drink it after 1 second. There are many such illogical scenarios and also some really weirdly specific illogical steps needed to be taken.

    3b) weak ending (canon ending as well as all alternate "endings").

    Overall neither game play nor dialogue felt particularly clever, which in a time loop game absolute has to be. Mediocre game.    … Expand
  31. Cinetyk
    Aug 21, 2021
    5
    Played for about an hour and got frustrated and gave up. There's very little to help you on, basically you keep banging your head against the wall trying different things to try and make some progress. Then you eventually find something, but you keep restarting and having to repeat a lot of the same actions to get to a point where you maybe could try something different. The time of eachPlayed for about an hour and got frustrated and gave up. There's very little to help you on, basically you keep banging your head against the wall trying different things to try and make some progress. Then you eventually find something, but you keep restarting and having to repeat a lot of the same actions to get to a point where you maybe could try something different. The time of each loop feels too long when you're repeating stuff you already did and when you're finally able to do and discover new things you barely have any time. Not to mention that when you make a mistake earlier on you just wish you could restart right there.
    I guess the frustrations is on theme give the main character is in the time loop, but it was just too frustrating to carry on. I suppose there could be an interesting story behind all this, but the method of unravelling it is too frustrating for me.    … Expand
  32. tamayo1993
    Aug 21, 2021
    5
    Brilliant idea, lousy execution. This is the summary that could be given to the game. It gets repetitive and long, and you feel like you repeat the same sequence too many times. Illogical decision and at times with little or no meaning.
  33. Archound
    Dec 13, 2021
    5
    Overhyped. 12 Minutes proves how magnificent The Forgotten City turned out to be. Time-loop gameplay is hard to design, and unfortunately Luis Antonio developer failed in the attempt.
    The very same item given slightly later in the dialogue might lead to a different outcome, usually forcing you to repeat several minutes of repetitive non-skippable part of the game (part is skippable, but    Overhyped. 12 Minutes proves how magnificent The Forgotten City turned out to be. Time-loop gameplay is hard to design, and unfortunately Luis Antonio developer failed in the attempt.
    The very same item given slightly later in the dialogue might lead to a different outcome, usually forcing you to repeat several minutes of repetitive non-skippable part of the game (part is skippable, but not enough). 12 Minutes does not respect the player's time. Save game system (reducing repetition and encouraging experiments) could easily boost the grade 1-2 points up. Besides, the story is a joke!    … Expand
  34. onderd
    Aug 22, 2021
    5
    i had high expectations about the game, after i saw the trailer on e3 2019. But it was a disappointment for me. Short and cheap story(even for an independent game), average acting. I give all the six points for experimental game play. It could inspire other game developers. But to call it a game, maybe it should have more stories and possibilities to change the storyline with ouri had high expectations about the game, after i saw the trailer on e3 2019. But it was a disappointment for me. Short and cheap story(even for an independent game), average acting. I give all the six points for experimental game play. It could inspire other game developers. But to call it a game, maybe it should have more stories and possibilities to change the storyline with our decisions. As i said, it is a too much short and cheap story and even in this story there are unreasonable moments, such as that she opens the door, after i tell her to don't open and she accept. She can open the door after I lock/bar from inside.

    As many told, the idea is good, execution is bad.    … Expand
  35. JontyS
    Aug 22, 2021
    5
    Boring, with some bugs. Glad what I played it on Game Pass and don't waste money on this game
  36. CauzeMythical
    Sep 15, 2021
    5
    game is mid 5/50 at best the the story is not good just wanted to get through with it don't recommend
  37. Alex_Stone
    Jan 29, 2022
    5
    Идея хорошая и плохо раскрыта в играх, но получился унылый квест на пару часов с плохой визуальной составляющей. Но, конечно, если вам нужны СМЫСАЛЫ))) в повествовании, то велкам. Остальным соболезную.
  38. RagnusLif
    Aug 20, 2021
    5
    good premisse, but the story, and the way characters react or simply talk is horrendous, also the game is pure repeat and you get all the story halfway thought the game, so the ending is only seeing differente routes that never make you feel like you accomplishment something
  39. vova22379
    Jul 17, 2022
    5
    ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
  40. seyis
    Aug 20, 2021
    5
    Although it has a nice idea and story, it gets boring after a while due to the uncertainty in the gameplay and the repetition of itself a lot. It is a game that will be more enjoyable when it is short, but it is very annoying after long hours of playing the same moment and doing the same things over and over again.
  41. TheVividestPeak
    Aug 24, 2021
    5
    I waited a solid year for this title and feel bad for those who had to wait longer. This by far was an utter disappointment and a waste of time in the end. It’s fun for the first hour or so until you sit there moving around the same small apartment, going through the same dialogue, and getting the same results. Over and over and over again for hours until you do some small thingI waited a solid year for this title and feel bad for those who had to wait longer. This by far was an utter disappointment and a waste of time in the end. It’s fun for the first hour or so until you sit there moving around the same small apartment, going through the same dialogue, and getting the same results. Over and over and over again for hours until you do some small thing differently then you get some info then it’s the same dialogue, same janky animation, same scenes repeating. The game is repetitive, mind-numbing, and boring. The plot starts interesting and leaves you with some tools on the table and lets you figure things out. That's fun till it all crumbles and becomes meaningless. The whole final quarter of the game is utterly pointless and adds nothing to the story except making it harder for the player. Overall if you want to play it, don’t expect much, and prepare to stare.… Expand
  42. Dorner
    Aug 20, 2021
    5
    It's nice to feel free to do something in the beginning. But as you progress, you have to do everything as the game demands, and this reduces the dose of fun. You start to get bored with each loop.
  43. ajosanyi
    Aug 21, 2021
    5
    Good story. Good basic idea. Repetitive and boring. Self-repeating. There is nothing to help the game move forward. You always do the same thing in it. The first 12 minutes are exciting after that, the whole game is awful.
  44. BlackLung17
    Aug 21, 2021
    5
    Anyone who votes 0/10 obviously didn’t play the game, it didn’t have game breaking errors, it didn’t have a horrible story (not a great one albeit) the review bombing here is definitely unnecessary.
  45. Dyldom
    Nov 5, 2021
    5
    Twelve minutes has interesting ideas and bold gameplay choices, but is let down by its strange narrative twists, repetitive, frustrating loops, and 'clues' that often come off as oversights or mistakes.
  46. vmarkovtsev
    Nov 7, 2021
    5
    While I appreciate the idea and the voice acting, the gameplay made me remember both the best and the worst of the quests I played in the 90-is when I was a kid: you had to guess what the developer wanted from you, with little to no hints from the game. Some parts were quite illogical, and they killed the initial fun and involvement. The story is neither a detective masterpiece. I wantedWhile I appreciate the idea and the voice acting, the gameplay made me remember both the best and the worst of the quests I played in the 90-is when I was a kid: you had to guess what the developer wanted from you, with little to no hints from the game. Some parts were quite illogical, and they killed the initial fun and involvement. The story is neither a detective masterpiece. I wanted to kill the wife even more than the cop in the end, for her acting so dumb. Or at least she felt dumb after repeating the same guerilla dialogues over and over.… Expand
  47. 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.
  48. 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
  49. 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
  50. 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
  51. 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
  52. 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
  53. 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
  54. 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.
  55. 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.
  56. 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
  57. 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
  58. 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
  59. StarkAgentos
    Apr 13, 2022
    4
    Неплохая игра в жанре квест, да вот только я не понимаю, как пройти первый уровень.
  60. 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.
  61. 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
  62. 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
  63. 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.
  64. 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.
  65. 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.
  66. 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
  67. 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.
  68. 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.
  69. 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
  70. 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
  71. 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....
  72. nastyjes
    Jan 10, 2023
    2
    Overrated repetitive boring pretentious piece of **** .
  73. sanja12345
    Aug 20, 2021
    1
    i can't believe that they ruined so great idea with this stupid endless nonsense loops
  74. 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.”
  75. Stefanobed
    Aug 21, 2021
    1
    Boring, again a boring indie , is free for lucky of all . No pay for that game is a 1
  76. 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
  77. 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
  78. 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
  79. bigfarken
    Aug 23, 2021
    0
    boring jank game incredibly frustrating to play completely busted in every aspect without a single redeemable aspect
  80. 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
  81. 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.
  82. 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.
  83. 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.
  84. 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.
  85. Ki183063
    Aug 20, 2021
    0
    The idea is good. But not executed well. Frustrating loops and some plot holes made it a bad game
  86. Heisenberg421
    Aug 22, 2021
    0
    The game just seems really boring and the idea isn't interesitng, I refunded it
  87. 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.
  88. 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.
  89. 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
  90. 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
  91. 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
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Awards & Rankings

21
#21 Most Discussed PC Game of 2021

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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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