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12 Minutes Review

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
I gave it a try and finished in one sitting.
Holy shit couldn't let it go :D
Not sure I fully understand or if I am satisfied with the ending.
Took me maybe 4 hours

I have a question about endings. BIG SPOILER:
Are the 11:58 timelines with Father and bald father... I don't fully understand this part.
It's not a recollection because it was 8 years ago and they are talking about just having a child... but they have a child 8 years later.
So what is happening? The father with Hair is her father and bald father is... his father? help
 
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The concept is very cool and I liked most of the game. But the final conclusion was so unsatisfying. It kind of ruined the rest of the game for me.

I feel like the devs had an idea for a cool game loop, but didn't have a good story to go with it.
 

BabyYoda

Banned
I got sick of going through endless loops and just watched the endings on YT. It just wasn't fun enough for me to push through to finish it. I admit I'm not very observant though, but seeing that I just missed a click here or a conversation thread there, meh...then to see what the story was actually about, not worth it imho. Better just to watch a playthrough by someone smarter than me really.

As it is, I uninstalled it and won't look back, well, only enough to vent here a bit...Cool idea and it had some memorable moments, but poor execution imho. Glad it was on GP.

I much preferred my time spent with Recompile, the latter's writing in particular was superb, albeit, all delivered via text.

That being said, we need more Groundhog Day time loop type VG's I'd say, though in a way, most of them are already that if you think about it, considering the Edge of Tomorrow novel was inspired by VG's!
 
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rofif

Can’t Git Gud
The concept is very cool and I liked most of the game. But the final conclusion was so unsatisfying. It kind of ruined the rest of the game for me.

I feel like the devs had an idea for a cool game loop, but didn't have a good story to go with it.
Hypnosis?
 
I kinda dislike the ending. It measures the whole game pointless to me

Well, honestly I didn’t expect it, and I enjoyed all of it, actually I believe the ending matches perfectly the concept of this tiny game.

It would be so cool having more short stories like this.
 

Matt_Fox

Member
Just finished 12 Minutes and for me it was a neat concept but sorely let down by the presentation. This was such a tiny environment with only three character models, and yet it looked like The Sims. It could have had so much more impact with better graphics.

Project Mara seems to be going for the same type of scale (ie. a single apartment) but the graphical fidelity is on a different scale entirely.

nb7AWjH.jpg
 

bender

What time is it?
Just finished 12 Minutes and for me it was a neat concept but sorely let down by the presentation. This was such a tiny environment with only three character models, and yet it looked like The Sims. It could have had so much more impact with better graphics.

Project Mara seems to be going for the same type of scale (ie. a single apartment) but the graphical fidelity is on a different scale entirely.

nb7AWjH.jpg

The visuals don't bother me but the character animation is dreadful. You are dead on with your Sims comparison and I've only played the original in that series. The voice acting isn't all that hot either.
 

SkylineRKR

Member
I gave it a try and finished in one sitting.
Holy shit couldn't let it go :D
Not sure I fully understand or if I am satisfied with the ending.
Took me maybe 4 hours

I have a question about endings. BIG SPOILER:
Are the 11:58 timelines with Father and bald father... I don't fully understand this part.
It's not a recollection because it was 8 years ago and they are talking about just having a child... but they have a child 8 years later.
So what is happening? The father with Hair is her father and bald father is... his father? help

The cop seems to be an image of his father, I think the guy is just fucked up and conjures the whole apartment scene up. I mean, he's in a groundhog day to start with. If this is even true, then what you see, the scene with him and his father in the book room is how he killed him and why.

He got his half sister pregnant, confronted his father, and fatally shot him. I think thats the only true scene in the game. He's coping with this incident, he's bat shit insane, and he's making up this loop story as a result. Or, go even further and he's just in a therapy session to deal with his unhealthy affection for his sister. The hints are there also, such as the book.

His father is also her father, remember. They're half siblings. The father cheated with the nanny.
 
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vpance

Member
I kinda dislike the ending. It measures the whole game pointless to me

The endings are just there to make a point about forgetting (or not) and moving on. Basically tying in with the quote from that book in the game.

These "arthouse" kind of story lines are usually like that. Why or what the protag is doing is more to convey some message and being metaphorical than to be taken literally.
In this case we can pretty much say for sure none of the time loop stuff was real.
 
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Faithless83

Banned
Finished it, still love it. Sure, the story/ending is kind of cliche, the game had some logic errors, wrong translations and bugs, but it's still much more creative than what Sony and Microsoft offered this year. This game > any soulless 3rd person action adventure, sports game or shooter.
MS sure, but Sony offered R&C and Returnal, both are worth people's time.
This one is a poorly executed idea, and I'm not just saying the errors (easily fixable IMO) but it's poorly written story with a weird twist just for the sake of a twist.

It's frustrating, repetitive and there is no reward at the end. I played "for free" on gamepass and still felt ripped off, time wasted.

Edit: want to play an amazing written game? 13 Sentinels is it.
 
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BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
The visuals don't bother me but the character animation is dreadful. You are dead on with your Sims comparison and I've only played the original in that series. The voice acting isn't all that hot either.

Voice acting carried the game for me.
 

breakfuss

Member
More media outlets have cared to review this game than MS Flight Simulator for XSX or The Ascent in particular. Any ideas why?
I doubt it’s been reviewed more than Flight Simulator. Where are you tabulating your numbers? As for the attention it’s received, 3 extremely high profile actors…Annapurna etc. Not to mention this is easily the most well written and thought provoking piece of art that we’ve seen in decades…across all mediums. It’s changing lives.
 
I doubt it’s been reviewed more than Flight Simulator. Where are you tabulating your numbers? As for the attention it’s received, 3 extremely high profile actors…Annapurna etc. Not to mention this is easily the most well written and thought provoking piece of art that we’ve seen in decades…across all mediums. It’s changing lives.
Metacritic
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Just finished 12 Minutes and for me it was a neat concept but sorely let down by the presentation. This was such a tiny environment with only three character models, and yet it looked like The Sims. It could have had so much more impact with better graphics.

Project Mara seems to be going for the same type of scale (ie. a single apartment) but the graphical fidelity is on a different scale entirely.

nb7AWjH.jpg
It looked weird. Characters looked simple but environment was ray traced or something? It ran like crap on my 3080 at 4k. Some scenes close to 30 fps.
Like when you look in the fridge. It looks like render from classic adventure game but it's real time
 
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Now im not sure if I should bother installing it lol. Already have so many games to play anyway.
80% not good enough especially in game pass?

You never really cared then. You just a sheep who buy games based on Metacritic. Sad.

How about play yourself and decide,? Its not a 100 hour game. It small story focused game
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
The cop seems to be an image of his father, I think the guy is just fucked up and conjures the whole apartment scene up. I mean, he's in a groundhog day to start with. If this is even true, then what you see, the scene with him and his father in the book room is how he killed him and why.

He got his half sister pregnant, confronted his father, and fatally shot him. I think thats the only true scene in the game. He's coping with this incident, he's bat shit insane, and he's making up this loop story as a result. Or, go even further and he's just in a therapy session to deal with his unhealthy affection for his sister. The hints are there also, such as the book.

His father is also her father, remember. They're half siblings. The father cheated with the nanny.
yeah, I think he’s just nuts and also playing the scene out over and over in his head of how each scenario could play out based on his decisions. [/spolier]
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
80% not good enough especially in game pass?

You never really cared then. You just a sheep who buy games based on Metacritic. Sad.

How about play yourself and decide,? Its not a 100 hour game. It small story focused game
I agree but also not.
There are hundreds of shovelware games. If You wanted to experience each yourself, it's a lot of time or money. And peolpe might have 5 hours a week to play. Not 5 hours a day.
There has to be some filter everyone uses.
 

FireFly

Member
MS sure, but Sony offered R&C and Returnal, both are worth people's time.
This one is a poorly executed idea, and I'm not just saying the errors (easily fixable IMO) but it's poorly written story with a weird twist just for the sake of a twist.

It's frustrating, repetitive and there is no reward at the end. I played "for free" on gamepass and still felt ripped off, time wasted.

Edit: want to play an amazing written game? 13 Sentinels is it.
There is no "reward" at the end because the character gets no reward either. He can either try to forget or deny what happened, but can't change it. The twist is central to the story because it explains why the loop is happening in the first place.

It's like in The Machinist, if you have seen that movie.
 
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SkylineRKR

Member
yeah, I think he’s just nuts and also playing the scene out over and over in his head of how each scenario could play out based on his decisions. [/spolier]

Yes, I got the

Book passage ending, and I'm convinced this is canon. It also has credits etc. His father is a shrink, and is treating him for his illness. The pocket watch, like the cop, are just a manifestations of the objects in the room he's facing during his session. Both his father and the clock are there. The clock you see at the title screen is at a wooden wall, this is his fathers room. I think he snaps out of it when he focuses on it.

It just seems to be the most real scene in the game, and it makes the most sense. He's being confronted with this infatuation for his own sister, and they try to get her out of his mind.
 
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Faithless83

Banned
There is no "reward" at the end because the character gets no reward either. He can either try to forget or deny what happened, but can't change it. The twist is central to the story because it explains why the loop is happening in the first place.

It's like in The Machinist, if you have seen that movie.
To me it failed as a game, mechanically having to repeat the same actions multiple times, artificially making it longer, not to say obtuse at times. The story feels like it was constructed around the plot twist and everything else was an afterthought, leaving things to interpretation with the excuse of all happening (you know where).

Also, the technical problems don't help it either.

I truly don't understand the praise, maybe some of you are starving that bad for narrative driven games and decent point 'n click adventures.
 
Cheapskate, it's not very expensive you know 😅
Haha it's likely cheap where you are, 50 bucks for a 4 hour game where I'm at.

I had no issues with the price point, actually. But hearing how it's a 4 hour game that is somewhat middling in regards to being a P&C game - I rather hold off a little longer.

I just got Prey recently, and that was much cheaper than 12 Minutes - feels like a cop out to pay more on a new game with less content for the time being.

I was uber excited on the game, don't get me wrong. But hearing some of the issues makes me feel like waiting a month or two wouldn't be such a bad idea if it means some of the bugs are patched up in the future.
 

Matt_Fox

Member
Haha it's likely cheap where you are, 50 bucks for a 4 hour game where I'm at.

I definitely don't think it's worth paying $50 for. Every new game attracts a hyperbolic commentator or two who'll call it GOTY and perhaps feel a bit silly about saying so once their initial hype subsides. 12 Minutes is a neat and intriguing game for the first couple of hours, becomes less so in the second couple of hours required to complete it. Graphics are very poor for a 2021 title.

Subscribe to GamePass would be my suggestion, it's included for free on that service.
 
I agree but also not.
There are hundreds of shovelware games. If You wanted to experience each yourself, it's a lot of time or money. And peolpe might have 5 hours a week to play. Not 5 hours a day.
There has to be some filter everyone uses.
Its in GP and he is a subscriber. He will not be spending extra money. Its small size game also to download. I never check reviews for GP games coz i can experience them myself without buying and decide its worth my time or not.

Non game pass games which are 60$, for those games i do check selected reviews and user reviews to make decisions.
 

DenchDeckard

Moderated wildly
Yes, I got the

Book passage ending, and I'm convinced this is canon. It also has credits etc. His father is a shrink, and is treating him for his illness. The pocket watch, like the cop, are just a manifestations of the objects in the room he's facing during his session. Both his father and the clock are there. The clock you see at the title screen is at a wooden wall, this is his fathers room. I think he snaps out of it when he focuses on it.

It just seems to be the most real scene in the game, and it makes the most sense. He's being confronted with this infatuation for his own sister, and they try to get her out of his mind.

How do I get this ending?

I noticed the
book on the shelf, the same meditation book that the wife is reading and kept trying to click on it and see it fall at the end. Trying to click on it but nothing happens?.
 
How do I get this ending?

I noticed the
book on the shelf, the same meditation book that the wife is reading and kept trying to click on it and see it fall at the end. Trying to click on it but nothing happens?.
You have to click the book first while your wife is reading it on the couch to get that option. Do this twice.
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Its in GP and he is a subscriber. He will not be spending extra money. Its small size game also to download. I never check reviews for GP games coz i can experience them myself without buying and decide its worth my time or not.

Non game pass games which are 60$, for those games i do check selected reviews and user reviews to make decisions.
Yeah I've checked that new "art of rally" game yesterday just because it was on gamepass. Thank god I didn't had to spend money on that. This looked way better than it plays :p
 

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
btw anyone found what the toilet and flower are for? You can pass everything in the toilet :p
Or what are 2 other vents for ?
 

Yamisan

Member
Just got an Xbox Series X with game pass and finally was able to give this game a try. After a hour or so it feels like I've made no progress at all no matter what I do or say to her.
 
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