12 Minutes is a narrative-driven puzzle game. Players must make sense of the protagonist’s life and memories while navigating a 12-minute window of time that continues to repeat. In December, more players can experience that adventure.
12 Minutes is playable on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch as of December 7, 2021. While Cloud releases on Switch are becoming slightly more common even for less-demanding titles, 12 Minutes appears to be a native port. It originally launched on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on August 19, 2021. It was also a day one Game Pass release.
12 Minutes has been a very divisive title since its launch. Many lamented its miscasting of famous actors along with a plot device that didn’t seem justified upon reaching the true ending. Others enjoyed the act of messing around with each time loop in such a tiny space, citing it as refreshing. In spite of the mixed response, 12 Minutes was nominated for Best Indie at The Game Awards 2021.
The game was developed by Luís António and published by Annapurna Interactive. The voice cast includes famous actors James McAvoy, Willem Dafoe, Daisey Ridley, and Ella June Conroy.
