“Twelve Minutes” ruins compelling game concept with terrible twists



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Rarely does a game concept hook me in seconds, but Twelve minutes managed to do so in 2015. Before winning a star cast including Daisy Ridley, James McAvoy, and Willem Dafoe, it was an intriguing point-and-click indie adventure with a Groundhog’s Day time loop and a unique, top-down perspective. Its interactive narrative, combined with a plethora of cinematic influences, made it seem like developer Luis Antonio was creating something that was meant for me.

That’s pretty much how I felt at the start of the game. You play as a man who comes home to a small apartment. Your wife has a special news, which you celebrate over a romantic dinner. Suddenly, a cop knocks on the door and accuses him of murder. Things go downhill quickly and in an instant you’re back to the start of the night. Your mission: to understand what is going on.

Sounds like a solid thriller, right? But after spending six hours with the game, I was furious. What started out as a fun mystery has turned into repetitive work. I was forced to abuse my seemingly adorable wife. Sometimes I had to see her being tortured multiple times by this sadistic cop. And I have become a murderer myself, several times. To make matters worse, my reward for this hellish journey was such a convoluted, mind-numbing array of twists and turns. stupid, I was angry about this for days. Say what you like about M. Night Shyamalan’s works, but at least his twists seem original. (And yes, I know these twists happen less often than you might think.)

I won’t spoil where Twelve minutes finally goes. And, to be honest, I hesitate to even point out that a story has twists and turns. But for a mystery like this, I guess that’s to be expected. All this time of looping detective work just needs to lead to something really dramatic! And it is clear that Luis Antonio really wants to blow you away. It’s just a shame that almost everything falls flat in the end.

This does not mean Twelve minutes not worth playing. The early hours of the game set up a fascinating mystery box. Your small apartment has a kitchen and a cramped living space, a bathroom, a bathroom and a closet. That’s it. Everything you need to complete the game is here (or getting there later). Some of these puzzle pieces look organic, like the mugs you can fill with water or the large knife that tempts you in the kitchen. Some of them, like the light switch which can shock people at the right time, are very practical.

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