12 Minutes Reviews

12 Minutes is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Aug 17, 2021

12 Minutes is a game about escaping a time loop, which is ironic given that it's so good that I wish I could see it all again for the first time myself.

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Ryan McCaffrey
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2021

Twelve Minutes injects a compelling time-loop mystery into a traditional point-and-click adventure game to create original gameplay that complements its story's curiosity factor.

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90 / 100
Aug 18, 2021

Twelve Minutes is an immaculate construction of narrative that manages to take an extremely compact apartment space and spin an incredibly substantial story in it.

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Aug 18, 2021

At times maddening, but always fascinating, Twelve Minutes is a unique vision worth experiencing. It blends disparate genres and explores a twisting narrative using a terrarium of the mundane.

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9 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2021

Twelve Minutes had me on a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. I started being let down by the game seeming too simple in premise. Then I got frustrated because I got stuck uncovering its hidden complexities. Finally, I can't and don't want to put it down until I'd turned everything over thrice. It executes the time loop mechanic meticulously, its story is twisting and turning constantly, and the excellent voice cast, environmental art, and music work together to create a new type of adventure game. It is not perfect, and you see some cut corners, but what it sacrifices, it makes up for with a satisfying payoff as you delve deeper into its time loop to unravel the mystery at the core.

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Aug 18, 2021

Despite taking place solely in a tiny apartment, 12 Minutes delivers hours of captivating mysteries.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2021

Twelve Minutes sinks its claws in from the get-go and doesn't let go until the final, brutal revelation

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Polygon
Top Critic
Unscored
Aug 18, 2021

Twelve Minutes is an uncomfortable journey — maybe too uncomfortable

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Aug 18, 2021

Experimental and unique, 12 Minutes forgoes some classic gaming standards in favor of a stylized, cinematic approach.

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Aug 18, 2021

There's a lot to like in Twelve Minutes, but when you start to get into the puzzles at the core of the game, things begin to get bogged down.

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Aug 18, 2021

A miniature time loop thriller that will burrow into your frontal lobe and stay there long after you've solved the mystery.

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GameSpew
Top Critic
6 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2021

In the end, I enjoyed some of my time with Twelve Minutes. Its story is genuinely gripping, and the cast’s performances are excellent, solidifying the game as a believable world. In many ways, developer Luis Antonio has created something truly remarkable here. But so much of Twelve Minutes is an exercise in frustration and repetition.

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8 / 10
Aug 18, 2021

Twelve Minutes tells a gripping story through a unique, time-jumping point-and-click adventure experience.

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8 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2021

Twelve Minutes unravels its mysteries so well as to leave you pondering long after you finish the game — I’m still trying to wrap my head around the ending, and I know I’ll be thinking about it for a long time to come.

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Aug 18, 2021

Twelve Minutes is atmospheric and hugely ambitious within its tight time limits, although the game is held back by unsatisfying narrative payoffs.

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9 / 10
Aug 18, 2021

12 Minutes is a brilliant, complex, dense and very smart point and click adventure, which amazes each time you play it, thanks to its many, many branches. Served by a talented and rightfully toned cast, 12 Minutes is a rare and outstanding experience all the way.

Review in French | Read full review

Aug 18, 2021

Luis Antonio's smart timeloop starring James McAvoy is an absorbing yarn... if you can see past its frayed edges

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PC Gamer
Top Critic
53 / 100
Aug 18, 2021

A clever time loop setup devolves into frustrating repetition.

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GameSpot
Top Critic
9 / 10
Aug 18, 2021

12 Minutes is a point-and-click adventure in a clockwork world that's as expertly crafted as a Swiss watch.

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EGM
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2021

Twelve Minutes fully embraces its time loop conceit to amp up tension and provide players with a cleverly directed puzzle to solve. Discovering the whos and whys of the game's central event in bite-sized increments is just as satisfying as interacting with its simple adventure-style interface. Its A-list casting and unanswered plot elements might distract from the overall package, but at its core, Twelve Minutes is a satisfying thriller that asks some dark and disturbing moral questions.

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