Twelve Minutes is a point-and-click adventure game developed by solo developer Luis Antonio, and published by Annapurna Interactive. The game was initially released on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, but later made its made to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Android, and iOS.
Twelve Minutes received respectable reviews from critics, landing at a 76 on Metacritic. It received particular praise for its unique gameplay loop, as well as the performances of stars Daisy Ridley, James McAvoy, and Willem Dafoe.
Twelve Minutes Premise
Twelve Minutes takes place over a 12-minute cycle, which you must repeat over and over again to solve a mystery. The entire game is played from a top-down perspective, putting you in the protagonist’s apartment. When a man claiming to be a police officer forces his way into your apartment, chaos ensues, resulting in a time loop of which only the protagonist is aware.
By replaying the 12 minutes over and over, you can learn new details about the entire situation, which you can then use to influence future cycles. The whole 12-minute cycle implies that Twelve Minutes would be a short game to complete, however, that isn’t the case. Once you’ve discovered everything you need to complete the game, Twelve Minutes takes around six to eight hours for the average player to finish.
Overall, it’s a perfect example of why indie games are alive and well. The passion and vision of one developer can often outshine the money and resources of a megacorporation, and that’s why gaming is so great.
Twelve Minutes Main Characters
With its star-studded cast of Daisy Ridley, James McAvoy, and Willem Dafoe, the entire success of Twelve Minutes relies on its main trio of characters. You can always rely on these three to give strong performances, and Twelve Minutes is no exception. Each character has deep secrets, which you can continue to unlock with every loop. Here’s everything you need to know about the trio in Twelve Minutes:
- The Husband: Portrayed by James McAvoy, the husband is the protagonist of the game. He finds himself stuck in a time loop when an intruder breaks into his house, murdering his wife and unborn child. Using the knowledge he gains in each loop, he must solve the mystery and save both himself and his family.
- The Wife: Played by Daisy Ridley, the wife is accused of murder by the intruder. She harbors deep family secrets, which the husband must unravel with each loop. She doesn’t believe her husband’s ‘time loop’ story at first, but comes around every loop when he learns exactly how to convince her.
- The Intruder: Masquerading as a police officer, Willem Dafoe’s intruder comes to the apartment looking for answers. What he’s looking for exactly becomes clearer with each loop. The intruder has no issue with retorting to heavy violence to get what he wants.
Twelve Minutes Titles in the Series
With just two years since the release of the original game, Twelve Minutes remains the only game in the series. Developer Luis Antonio has yet to confirm any plans for a sequel, or even a spiritual successor for that matter. It’s such a unique idea, that it’s difficult to see where the innovation will come from.
For now, Twelve Minutes will remain a standalone release. Let’s hope we get to see more in the future.
- Twelve Minutes (2021)
Twelve Minutes Cheat Codes
Sadly, Twelve Minutes doesn’t have cheat codes that you can use. The overall experience is so meticulously crafted from start to finish, and it makes sense that the developer wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of that. Because of this, you’ll probably be playing Twelve Minutes the way it was originally intended to be played. There aren’t even any third-party cheats or trainers to speed up the gameplay!
Instead, we can give a couple of simple tips about how the time loop works in Twelve Minutes. This will ensure you know exactly how they work in-game, and how to avoid inadvertently resetting the loop. There are just three factors that affect the time loop in Twelve Minutes:
- The first thing you must avoid is getting physically hurt in any way. In many of the loops, the intruder won’t hesitate to knock you out. You’ve got to figure out a way to stop this, as it instantly resets the loop.
- Second, do not exit your apartment before the intruder knocks on the door. Again, this will reset the loop immediately.
- The final thing you must do is not allow the clock to strike 10 minutes before completing certain tasks. These tasks will change from loop to loop, so it isn’t always clear exactly what you have to do. Just make sure you’re gathering as much information as possible from each loop, and you’ll be okay.
Knowing these tips about how the loop works in Twelve Minutes should set you up for success, even if there are no cheat codes to be used.
Twelve Minutes Cheat Code FAQs
Why Are There No Cheats for Twelve Minutes?
It’s not the type of game that requires them. In this title, information is more important than any item you could cheat into the game. You can only gather knowledge by playing through a variety of loops, rendering potential cheat codes useless.
How Do You Prove The Day Is Restarting in Twelve Minutes?
Even if we can’t provide cheats, we can give you little nuggets of knowledge that’ll prove useful in-game. If you’re struggling to prove to your wife that the day really is restarting, you have to tell her about what happened the night she ran away. This will give her everything she needs to truly believe you and help you out.
Beware – she’ll forget this every time the loop resets. You’ll have to remind her of this every time you reset.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Annapurna Interactive.