Twelve Minutes – Spotlight

I am really conflicted about Twelve Minutes. the premise – a husband comes home from work, greets his wife who has a surprise for him, they sit down for a romantic dinner, a cop comes in, accuses the wife of murder, and kills you. Time resets, you’re back at the start. Now you need to figure out what the heck is going on, and how to get out of the loop. The mystery that is presented at the start is really compelling. It’s a top down game, with old school point and click adventure game-esque gameplay.

The game play is really well done. As old school as it is, it feels modern, and fairly intuitive. Plus your journey of discovering each piece of the puzzle, literally putting things together, etc is really fun. It’s too bad that the very end doesn’t really feel as satisfying. The problem with the end is that the mystery was the main reason to keep going. But also while I kept going, I enjoyed the gameplay, the voice acting, and how everything was unfolding. I do recommend Twelve Minutes, and I feel that it is worth playing. The last hour or so may not be the best, but the first 6-8 are are truly incredible.

Pros:
Compelling premise
Great voice acting
Puzzles are fun
Lots to explore in a small space

Cons:
Unsatisfying ending

Score – 9/10

About:

TWELVE MINUTES is a real-time top-down interactive thriller with an accessible click and drag interface. Featuring James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe.

What should be a romantic evening with your wife turns into a nightmare when a police detective breaks into your home, accuses your wife of murder and beats you to death…

Only for you to find yourself immediately returned to the exact moment you opened the front door, stuck in a TWELVE-MINUTE time loop, doomed to relive the same terror again and again…

Unless you can find a way to use the knowledge of what’s coming to change the outcome and break the loop.

TWELVE MINUTES blends the dream-like tension of THE SHINING with the claustrophobia of REAR WINDOW and the fragmented structure of MEMENTO.