12 Minutes Reviews

12 Minutes is ranked in the 56th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
8.5 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2021

When Twelve Minutes is firing on all cylinders it will pull you along with its dark and twisted story. The performances from the cast are memorable, varied, and hold weight. It’s an easy recommendation for fans of strong narrative, point-and-click adventure games, or people who just love indies.

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8.5 / 10.0
Aug 25, 2021

Twelve Minutes is a bold adventure, one with shocking revelations, tense moments, and some very human interactions. It’s a point-and-click title that doesn’t do much to add to the genre, but there are enough encounters to make it worth playing. It’s a visually distinct game, with an excellent cast that truly makes up for an unforgettable experience.

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8.4 / 10.0
Aug 25, 2021

Twelve Minutes takes advantage of a time loop to tell us an intricate story, managing to motivate player's creativity in trying to prevent seemingly inavoidable situations. Featuring a breathtaking voiceover, it lacks in credibility when it tries to amaze and horrify at any cost, while successfully managing to blow the audience away. It will give you a fulfilling afternoon, and if you love point and click adventures you shouldn't miss it. You can easily see the first two or three endings, but unlocking them all needs quite an effort.

Review in Italian | Read full review

8.4 / 10.0
Dec 19, 2021

Twelve Minutes is an essential game for lovers of film. Developer Luis António translates his understanding of cinema to create something genuinely deserving of being called an “interactive thriller.” Although it can be frustrating being stuck on what to do next, this is an adventure game drenched in atmosphere and mystery, and you’ll have a hell of a time with it.

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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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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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8 / 10.0
Aug 18, 2021

So with every repeated loop, and every new piece of info that leads to more narrative threads to pull on, Twelve Minutes is certainly fascinating to unravel. Some of it might start to feel a bit clunky, when dialogue starts mashing up against itself and characters move in awkward ways, but on the whole, it’s a puzzle I kept wanting to piece together, both fascinated and afraid of the answers I might find. It keeps the story driving forward, and if some deep, dark character drama set in a time loop sounds appealing, you’ll find what you’re looking for here.

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80 / 100
Aug 21, 2021

A unique graphic adventure, sometimes thrilling and sometimes frustrating, that makes the most out of three characters and a time loop. Not a game for every kind of player, but definitely worth a try.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

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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Alex Donaldson
Top Critic
Aug 18, 2021

Twelve Minutes ultimately presents a compelling, thrilling experience that feels more than worth the price of entry. It has interesting things to say through its looping core conceit, and it’ll tease your brain more than a few times - sometimes genuinely, sometimes through slightly cheap requirements to progress. I also admit I was less of a fan of where the story went in its later stages - but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t hooked. The journey matters more than the destination, after all - and a gripping journey this is.

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IGN Spain
Top Critic
8 / 10.0
Aug 23, 2021

‎12 Minutes is a statement of intent on the part of Luis Antonio, a video game that elevates him as a designer, and places him on the map after having gone through Rockstar Games and having participated in projects as disparate as The Witness or What Remains of Edith Finch. Now, he puts on the table his particular vision of graphic adventure, with a video game that exudes a love for textual enigma, cinema and mystery. A title that, at most, can take you a couple of afternoons, but that will leave a great taste in your mouth and, quite possibly, the brains smoky.‎

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Aug 20, 2021

Twelve Minutes is a celebrity-led adventure title, but its time looping mechanic and riveting narrative are the real stars.

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Aug 22, 2021

12 Minutes is an excellent narrative experience thanks to its chilling story, top-notch voice actors, and unique and intriguing gameplay loop.

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Aug 18, 2021

This stylish, twisted take on movies such as Rear Window and Chinatown marries noir sensibilities with puzzle gameplay

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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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8 / 10.0
Aug 23, 2021

Twelve Minutes is a nice little point-and-click adventure game that will leave you stunned. Some points of frustration can make the game longer than it needs to be. Can get tedious at times if you're stuck.

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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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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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80 / 100
Aug 25, 2021

Twelve Minutes is one of the best indie experiences of the year. History and freedom for the player are its strengths. Still, there are a number of decisions that affect the bottom line.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

8 / 10
Aug 19, 2021

Twelve Minutes is a game of dualities. It is very economic in how it presents itself. The focus is tight on three characters, in a small apartment that houses the few instruments of change at your disposal. This allows each little detail to have a nauseating amount of depth to it, including the fantastic performances of the characters and their backstories. The downside to this is that it can lead players astray, due to the limitless possibilities and comparatively limited guidance. Regardless, Twelve Minutes is a tidy and reasonably well-told pressure-cooker drama with few divots, provided you can follow the path.

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