Twelve Minutes

Developer Luis Antonio Publisher Annapurna Interactive Format PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series Origin US Release 2021

If you’ve played The Witness, you’re already acquainted with Luis Antonio’s work. As an artist on that game, he helped shape an entire island, modelling ruins and planting carefully-chosen vegetation to create one of the most memorable locations in videogames. In his new game, his first as lead designer, he’s working on a much smaller canvas.

Twelve Minutes takes place in and around a single apartment, within the narrow timeframe suggested by the title. The cast is similarly compact: just your character, his wife, and the intruder who bursts into their lives a few minutes into the game, claiming to be working for the police and accusing the wife of murder. Out of these sparse elements, though, Antonio appears to be creating a sprawl. He started work on Twelve Minutes in evenings and at weekends alongside The Witness, some seven years ago; a playable version was first sighted in 2016.

It’s tempting to compare the developer’s situation to the one presented in his game. Because, yes, this is a timeloop story. As things escalate with the intruder, you pass out – or worse – only to find yourself right back at the apartment’s door, a dozen minutes before your seemingly certain fate.

Time loops have come into vogue since the project began, and Antonio has been able to capitalise on that to attract Hollywood talent in the form of James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley and Willem Dafoe. We can certainly see the appeal. Breaking out of an endless time loop that strands you in your own home? As we look forward, that particular fantasy is at the forefront of our minds.