A launch trailer for the upcoming interactive thriller Twelve Minutes sheds some new light on the game's intense time loop. The narrative-driven title is being created by Luis Antonio, an independent developer who previously worked as an artist at big-name studios such as Ubisoft and Rockstar Games. While initially announced for a 2016 release, Twelve Minutes has been delayed into 2021 with its final release date of August 19 rapidly approaching.
Described as an interactive thriller, Twelve Minutes will take players on the mind-bending journey of a man who finds himself stuck in a twelve-minute time loop. While the man eats dinner with his wife, the couple is accosted by a police officer who breaks into their home in order to arrest the wife. This initial event results in the husband being caught in a time loop, forcing him to repeatedly relive the event until he can find a way to change the grisly outcome. The Groundhog Day-esque adventure is played from a top-down perspective, allowing players to study their surroundings as they attempt to break out of the loop. The narrative-driven experience is also notable for its star-studded voice cast, which is made up of Hollywood icons such as Daisy Ridley, James McAvoy, and Willem Dafoe.
Publisher Annapurna Interactive has released a launch trailer for Twelve Minutes which provides a clearer look into the game's premise. In the trailer, the game's playable protagonist attempts to explain to his wife that he has been stuck inside of a time loop. Multiple different scenarios are then shown, suggesting the numerous ways in which the player's actions can affect the loop's progression. Among these events are repeated confrontations with the police officer who bursts into the couple's apartment, accuses the wife of murder and inevitably beats the protagonist to death.
Twelve Minutes' fantastical premise and impressive voice cast are balanced out by the game's intimate narrative and limited scope. A preview of Twelve Minutes reveals that the entirety of Luis Antonio's thriller takes place within a single three-room apartment, giving players a chance to grow increasingly familiar with their surroundings. Collecting various items and learning new information through dialogue are the keys to surviving Twelve Minutes' intense situations, so playing through multiple time loops is useful for learning the ins and outs of the game. Learning new information in one loop will then allow the player to utilize new dialogue options in the next loop, allowing them to delve deeper and deeper into the wife and police officers' stories. While time loop gameplay has appeared in many games, Antonio's project will stand out by focusing on narrative intimacy and exploration rather than fast-paced shooting and rewinding foes.
Luis Antonio's Twelve Minutes looks to make clever use of its premise, and the trio of Ridley, McAvoy, and Dafoe will no doubt grant the game some incredible acting. By constantly replaying the same scenario, players of the interactive thriller will slowly learn more about each character, their personalities, and their role in the exciting narrative. Players will soon be able to finally unravel the mystery of Twelve Minutes and help break free from the twelve-minute cycle.
Twelve Minutes will release on August 19 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Microsoft Windows.
Source: Annapurna Interactive/YouTube