She’s manipulated, she’s laughed at, she’s disgusting. At this point and throughout, the game’s treatment of its female lead is appalling. After learning about the incestuous relationship, the time loop repeats and we’re greeted once again by our unknowing, loving wife with a kiss. Just as we’re manipulating the game, the game is manipulating us towards its big – an inevitable – surprise.Īnd so the misogyny continues. This is Shyamalan level storytelling that doesn’t interrogate its subject matter nearly enough, nor warrant the face crack it’s aiming for. It quickly becomes clear that what was initially an intriguing narrative setup all revolves around this shock twist, intended purely to disgust its audience. That’s right, this murder mystery simulator is all about incest. It turns out that your wife isn’t a murderer, you are. Which brings us to the big twist of the game. To get there, you’re expected to repeatedly do horrible things to your wife. Instead, there’s seemingly only one route to the game’s conclusion. There could have been interesting choice-based gameplay where different options eventually result in the same outcome. What’s worse, because of the time loop you’re expected to do this multiple times in order to detect variations in the outcome. Initially the only way to do this is to play the deceptive husband and drug her by pouring sleeping pills into her cup. So you want to stop her from opening the door to the cop. The cop will then tie up your wife and repeatedly kick her, as you simply watch on helplessly from behind a door. So how can you stop her, or save yourself?įor the latter, you can simply hide in the closet before the cop bursts in and accuses your wife of being a murderer – the game’s first shocking twist. Inevitably she will open the door to the cop, spelling your doom. Much of that manipulation, though, is centred on your in-game wife. Interact with the people and the environment and you’ll change its course to uncover new information. Leave the game alone and events will play out a certain way. Manipulation is somewhat expected for this type of game. Major spoilers for Twelve Minutes follow. ![]() ![]() The problem with the game, though, is how much it relies on manipulation and misogyny, coupled with a gross twist ending intended purely to shock. The star-studded cast comprises James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and Willem Defoe, who bring acting heft to their respective roles. Loop after loop you slowly unravel this murder mystery. And it’s a sound premise that merges the thrill of cinema with the interactivity of gaming… at least to begin with.Īs you repeat each cycle of the time loop, you learn more about yourself, your wife and the mysterious cop – information you take with you and use the next time. That’s the premise behind Twelve Minutes, a new point-and-click adventure title from publisher Annapurna Interactive.
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