I dont want to revel in this game's failures, but I find it interesting in how dated it is. It was apparently in development for 7 years and it feels like it--12 Minutes is a ceolacanth of 2010s critical darling narrative game design.

Multiple twists as the primary driver of interest in the story? Liberal use of dark/twisted events to "earn" the story its artistic merit? Fixation on a single emotional beat, at the expense of variety/depth? Clamoring for Hollywood prestige by casting stars who are clearly out of their element?

I feel that the time-loop concept has legs, but its hard to give the game much benefit of the doubt when the performances really are just that bad. Daisy Ridley responds to her husband being choked to death like I do when my cat scratches my furniture. Willem Dafoe belts out strange breathless sound bites that cut off half a second too early. Clicking rapidly on a home invader as he attempts to murder your wife results in a comedically-timed "Sir?! Sir?! Sir?!"

I'd feel dishonest calling it BAD, but I expected much more.