Twelve Minutes Launches On PS4, PS5, and Switch

After being released a little over three months ago on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, Twelve Minutes is finally available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch. The game features a tiny but star-studded cast and a story involving a time loop that takes place in a small apartment.

If you’re under the impression that some of this sounds old and familiar, you’re probably not alone. Twelve Minutes had initially premiered as a prototype at Pax East back in 2015. Although there were plans for it to launch in 2016, the team was expanded and received support through Annapurna Games acting as a publisher. You might recognize Annapurna Interactive for publishing games such as Kentucky Route Zero or Outer Wilds.

It would be shown again at Microsoft’s E3 conference in 2019 and given a release date of 2020. This release date would be announced as pushed back until 2021, but not before the cast of James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe was revealed at Gamescom 2020.

There was a decent amount of hype for this smaller game with a unique premise and a famous cast. Twelve Minutes was released on August 19th and many people (myself included) experienced it thanks to Xbox Game Pass. It received decent reviews and a lot of people enjoyed it when it came out, but it wasn’t quite a hit with everybody.

I thought it was a fun game to experiment with. Even though some story beats sullied the experience a little bit, it’s a game that gave me memorable experiences as I discovered what was possible. I also appreciated that it showed the monotony of being stuck in a time loop, including the parts that nearly every time loop movie has gone over in a quick montage.

Granted, not everyone else found that to be fun. I also played it through a subscription service and didn’t have to pay full price for the game. Taking that into account it is possible my outlook is a little bit skewed.

PlayStation and Nintendo console owners who were worried they might not have a platform to play it on are now in luck. I’d say the timing is good too since the game is nominated for Best Indie Game at The Game Awards this year. Even though I played the game months ago, I know I’m certainly interested in seeing others’ thoughts about the game.