At its core, 12 Minutes is more of a typical point-and-click than I was expecting; and that's just not my genre.
I had some real frustration early when I knew a piece of information, and my character knew a piece of information, but I had to figure out the video game's very particular way of making him say it -- which frustrated me to no end. But, the game's very delicate way of letting you solve its puzzles has its positives too. There is a realistic social dynamic here that I'd love to see other games ape. Other characters will not simply wait while you meander around the environment looking for clues; you do not dictate the pace of progress in this game, and I like that. Failing to sit and eat a meal promptly with your wife after she sets the table will cause her to be offended and block off potential conversations. Phoning a character 30 seconds into a game will yield different results to making that same call six minutes later, depending on the NPC's schedule. The clockwork nature of 12 Minutes' world is about the only one of its ambitious elements that really hits.
The story, unfortunately, feels shlocky from the get-go, and descends into complete Quantic Dream parody at the end. The diarama aesthetic is undercut by a handful of ugly textures and first person shots that do the game no favours. Most surprisingly; the A list cast is a huge disappointment. Defoe is solid, but McAvoy and Ridley could be any two amateur voice actors from any video game -- thoroughly unremarkable performances, and I like both in their film roles.
A cool premise, well engineered clockwork design, and a nice score are all that redeem this one. One of the most disappointing of the last five years.
I had some real frustration early when I knew a piece of information, and my character knew a piece of information, but I had to figure out the video game's very particular way of making him say it -- which frustrated me to no end. But, the game's very delicate way of letting you solve its puzzles has its positives too. There is a realistic social dynamic here that I'd love to see other games ape. Other characters will not simply wait while you meander around the environment looking for clues; you do not dictate the pace of progress in this game, and I like that. Failing to sit and eat a meal promptly with your wife after she sets the table will cause her to be offended and block off potential conversations. Phoning a character 30 seconds into a game will yield different results to making that same call six minutes later, depending on the NPC's schedule. The clockwork nature of 12 Minutes' world is about the only one of its ambitious elements that really hits.
The story, unfortunately, feels shlocky from the get-go, and descends into complete Quantic Dream parody at the end. The diarama aesthetic is undercut by a handful of ugly textures and first person shots that do the game no favours. Most surprisingly; the A list cast is a huge disappointment. Defoe is solid, but McAvoy and Ridley could be any two amateur voice actors from any video game -- thoroughly unremarkable performances, and I like both in their film roles.
A cool premise, well engineered clockwork design, and a nice score are all that redeem this one. One of the most disappointing of the last five years.