Publisher: Annapurna Interactive | Developer: Luis Antonio | Platforms: Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Windows (Reviewed)
12 Minutes is a point-and-click narrative-driven game that I was looking forward to playing upon its initial reveal as a Game Pass bonus. Everything looked rosy for someone that enjoys these introspective experiences. The reality, unfortunately, was far from the perfect slice of indie darling that I was expecting it to be. In it, you relive the same 12 minutes of a home invasion. You learn more about the assailant and uncover a nefarious plot by poking through the entire apartment and prodding your wife for clues with every time loop. It’s novel the first 3 or 4 times but becomes increasingly annoying when doing it for the 20th time not knowing what you need to change and at what crucial time to do it. And as good as the acting is from the star-studded cast, it gets frustratingly old really quick. The plot – without spoiling it — is a mess. There are several endings, but the true ending is very unfulfilling and very misogynistic. The whole story is messed up once you uncover it and there’s nothing about it that made me feel like a better person or having learned anything. If this was an attempt at trying to be edgy, sorry, this wasn’t it.
5/10 – Average
Review Notes:
The Rise and Cons
The more 12 Minutes was shown publicly – from the headlining vocal talent including Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, and James McAvoy, to an interesting time loop gameplay premise, the more excited I was. It’s unfortunate that the game just falls apart in the aspects in which I wanted it to succeed.
Pros: play it if you like point-and-click adventures. The game can be finished in one sitting. Production values are high. The voice acting is solid and well delivered to the point where I actually cared about the main cast. Another pro? It all eventually ends.
Cons: Everything else.
We Got Comms! 