’12 Minutes’ Review: Time Loops are Hell

Publisher: Luis Antonio/ Developer: Annapurna Interactive / Platform: PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X / Release Date: August 19, 2021 Everyone is familiar with the movie Groundhog Day and the idea behind time loops, where one either repeats a day or a certain amount of time. In some kind of strange twist of fate, video games in 2021 have decided to tackle the genre with releases like Returnal and Deathloop. It’s fitting considering that 2021 feels like its own kind of time loop of 2020. Sandwiched in between those other two releases is 12 Minutes, a much smaller game, showing that all it takes is a tiny one-bedroom apartment to make an impactful experience. One that soon becomes the player’s prison.  Time is a Circle

12 Minutes is a game where players must navigate the life of a man (James McAvoy), his wife (Daisy Ridley), a “cop” (Willem Dafoe), and the secrets they hide from each other before the clock strikes past…well, 12 minutes. It’s a game that pushes your observational skills to their limits. More importantly, it’s a grueling experience that will make you frustrated, fascinated, and shocked by everything revealed in its excellently thought-out narrative filled with twists and turns. The game starts out with a man entering his home. He’s lovingly greeted by his wife, who has a special evening planned for the two of them with some big news. That night is cut short by the arrival of a “cop,” who barges his way into the man’s hom…