TWELVE MINUTES

And you’re back in the room

Developer Publisher Luis Antonio

Format Annapurna Interactive

Origin PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series US

Release 2021

Luis Antonio’s time-loop thriller would be tense enough in ordinary circumstances. But playing a time-limited demo of a game in which your protagonist already knows they’re against the clock adds an extra layer of pressure. Conscious of Antonio watching on invisibly, we become acutely aware of every single action we’re taking. Yet that’s as it should be in a game where every move counts. Because from the moment James McAvoy’s everyman arrives home to a surprise meal from his wife (Daisy Ridley), you’ve got about five minutes of in-game time to prepare for the event that threatens to change their lives forever.

But before we get to that, let’s rewind to the beginning. McAvoy’s character has forgotten his apartment key, but there’s a fake rock concealed among the fronds of the plant outside the front door that yields a spare. The key goes into his inventory at the top of the screen; click and drag it to the door and he unlocks it, in what amounts to the most economical control tutorial we’ve seen in a while. Inside the apartment we hear Ridley singing happily (if rather tunelessly) to herself. Emerging into the living room, she embraces her husband and tells him she’s made dessert. A storm brewing outside warns of trouble on the horizon, but in the meantime she has news to share.