Twelve Minutes — And That’s How Long the Game Is (Well… Almost)

Yet another Groundhog Day scenario

I’ll be honest: I have no idea how to start this one. I just happened to come across this game and be impressed by the premise of a Groundhog Day scenario. Except this time, it’s not an entire day; It’s only 10 minutes… which is ironic considering that the game is called Twelve Minutes.

So this game… is not a long game… as the title may or may not imply, but it’s a fun puzzle game with an interesting mechanic. Although there isn’t much for a story, its immersion is ruined because it’s a game. For example, there’s a part in the game where you have the option to kill your wife. When the antagonist enters the apartment, he fails to recognise the bloody corpse conspicuously lying down on the mahogany floor. It’s because of these tongue-in-cheek comedy moments that give games a hard time at being serious. Also, I’m trying not to spoil too much, but it’s a short game, so there’s not much to say either.

The story is about a man who inexplicably finds himself trapped in a time loop in his apartment. As he tries to escape the time loop, he learns more about his relationship with his wife and the identity of the cop that enters the apartment at the end of every loop. Otherwise, the game feels somewhat like a point-and-click adventure game since you mostly use the mouse in this game. Did I mention the game has celebrity voice actors?

Professor Xavier is in this

The game is intriguing in its mechanics and how it requires you to use the time loop to your advantage to gain relevant information. While that is a cool feature, and I’ll admit that this game was interesting enough for me to stick to the end, I think that some people will be most intrigued by the game’s cast of notable actors.

You have James McAvoy, who is often recognised as the man who replaced Patrick Stewart as Professor Xavier from the X-Men movies, and Willem Defoe, who is… um… known for…? He’s a very famous Hollywood actor, that’s my point. The game has a notable cast of voice actors.

Although I wonder: is a cast of celebrity voice actors really necessary? I mean, sure, it’s an easy way to catch people’s attention, because if it’s their favourite actor, they’ll play the game simply because it has their favourite actor. But at the time, it must be expensive to recruit someone like Willem Dafoe. It’d be easier to afford an anonymous voice actor for half the price, even less. So… why not?

Willem Dafoe or John Doe?

Of course, there will always be contemplation between famous voice actors and random voice actors, with the latter being cheaper. If it were me, I’d probably go with the cheaper option because I don’t see it necessary for the voice actors to be famous for doing a good job. They don’t have to come together.

You should also always consider what company the voice actor represents (if they have one to represent, that is). Some represent an agency that is more successful than others, but that just means that they’re more expensive, like celebrity actors. But what group the voice actor comes from definitely says a lot about what they’re capable of.

The main consideration is the cost of the voice actor. Personally, I would go with the cost-effective choice since, as I said, I don’t see the necessity in having to recruit famous people just to attract people who may or may not like said voice actor. I would love for Tara Strong to be featured in one of my works, but if I can’t afford her, I’m not going to have her… in my works. As the French say: C’est la vie.

What do you think of celebrity voice actors?

Are they better than conventional voice actors regardless of talent, or does cost play a major role in deciding who gets to voice which characters? I already expressed my opinion, and now is your turn, as usual. Other than that, I don’t know what more to say about the subject.

In Conclusion…

Twelve Minutes is a nice game, and I think you should play it too. Even though the game isn’t long, it is still worth it. But frankly, the game is so short that there’s not much to say about it, even though a clever player will probably finish it in like an hour or so, probably even less. Anyways, try it out… if you want to.

I don’t care that much about whether one should have celebrities voice their characters in whatever agency they’re working on. I never pay attention to voice whom in whichever game I’m playing right now… with exceptions, of course.

But to work with Tara Strong… now that’s a goal I’m willing to work for!