Twelve Minutes Impressions (Tribeca Games 2021)

By Nadya Martinez

Twelve Minutes is an interactive thriller about a man trapped in a time loop. .In this interactive thriller, a man’s romantic evening with his wife is interrupted by a violent home invasion. The man tries to stop the attacker and gets knocked out only to immediately find himself back to the start of the evening, stuck in a time loop of twelve minutes. He must use the knowledge of what is about to happen to change the outcome and break the loop. Twelve Minutes is directed by Luis Antonio and published by Annapurna Interactive. “The man” is voiced by James McAvoy, “the woman” is voiced by Daisy Ridley, and “the intruder” is voiced by Willem Dafoe. The game will be published by Annapurna Interactive for Xbox Series X, Xbox One, and PC via Steam in 2021.

I have to say after having a chance to check out this game that this is definitely on my must play list for 2021. The concept of the groundhog day effect of repeated scenarios, until you find the right puzzle to end the loop was very intriguing. The stellar performances of Daisy Ridley, Willem Dafoe and James McAvoy kept me engaged. The game is more narrative driven, point n click gameplay mechanices that some gamers from the 90s will really enjoy. I like the over-the-head perspective of the game as it adds a more interactive feel to the environment. With multiple outcomes, scenarios, and ways to find out of the loop, I can see myself playing this one more than once.