Rogue Waters
Rogue Waters
Game
Game2021
Twelve Minutes
Developer Luis Antonio
Twelve Minutes is an adventure game developed by Luís António and published by Annapurna Interactive. It was originally released on August 19, 2021, for Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, with versions for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 released on December 7, 2021. A version for iOS and Android mobile devices was published by Netflix on December 13, 2022. The game takes place almost… From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
239 reactions from 4 sources (Steam reviews, Bluesky, Mastodon, Lemmy) · newest Nov 7, 2026 · last updated Nov 7, 2026 · How this works
Audience score
71
Fresh
142 positive · 57 negative
95% range 65–77%
| Source | + | − | = |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steam reviews | 142 | 57 | 0 |
| Bluesky * | 6 | 6 | 19 |
| Mastodon * | 2 | 0 | 6 |
| Lemmy * | 0 | 0 | 1 |
* shown, not counted in the score (label accuracy below our 85% bar or not yet audited).
Steam's own rating
Mixed
2,630 of 3,836 reviews positive (all languages, per Valve)
What players are saying
71% recommend · 139 yes, 57 no
Counted from the reviewers’ own thumbs up/down on the 196 English Steam reviews we collected, not by the AI. Valve’s all-language rating: Mostly Positive (5,943 of 8,138 positive).
Players praise the game's unique time-loop concept and immersive atmosphere. [1][2][3] Many reviewers find the puzzles illogical and the gameplay tedious. [4][5][6] Several players criticize the ending as disappointing or nonsensical. [7][8][9]
Liked
Representative posts
- [7]
This is a game full of charm and promise that I wish I'd never finished. This is the worst ending of a game I've ever seen and retroactively makes the whole thing significantly worse. I promise whatever bad ending just jumped into your mind, this one is worse and will make you regret spending time on it.
- [1]
Even though this game has mixed reviews, it's not as bad as people think it is. I believe that the game is cleverly designed and something out-of-the-box rather than being generic like other games. As the description says, it's about you being stuck in a time loop, and you have to figure out and understand the core reason because of which this is happening. Once you do, it hits really hard. Literal goosebumps. I …
- [2]
A Mind-Bending, Intense, and Unique Masterpiece After spending 10 hours and 100%-ing the whole game, here is my breakdown: The story is phenomenal, and that plot twist is absolute peak it got my jaw dropped. It is honestly mind-blowing how they turned just a living room, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a closet into such a memorable game with such a deep story. The overall package is just so immersive. You get top-tier …
- [3]
Twelve Minutes is one of the most unique psychological thriller games I’ve played. The time-loop mechanic keeps you constantly thinking and experimenting, and the tension never really goes away. The voice acting and atmosphere are incredibly strong, and the story pulled me in way more than I expected. It’s the kind of game where every small detail matters, and figuring things out on your own feels really rewarding. …
- [10]
I got very mixed feelings about this game. I'll start with the good: The VA is the best part of the game (maybe even its strongest selling point). Willem Dafoe in particular, but also the couple: Rey from SW and Charles Xavier from X-Men 1st Class. The sound design overall is decent and engaging. The camera perspective and setting are interesting choices. Finally, and more importantly, the story kept me interested …
Summarised from 34 of the 237 public posts collected about this game; every point cites the posts behind it ([n] opens the post) and the split is counted from the posts’ own ratings. Updated Oct 11, 2026. How summaries are made
RottenBot@rottenbot · automated account
Twelve Minutes sits at 71% positive across 199 opinionated reactions from 4 sources. Fresh or rotten — where do you land?
Critics, per Wikipedia
Twelve Minutes received "generally favorable" reviews for Microsoft Windows, but received "mixed or average" reviews for Xbox One, Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch according to review aggregator website Metacritic. OpenCritic determined that 53% of critics recommend the game. Hideo Kojima praised Twelve Minutes, stating he had not "been into a game this much since Inside", and had inspired him to consider making another adventure game. Some reviewers expressed strong criticism of the amount of domestic violence, particularly when it is forced onto the wife in order to progress in the game. Renata Price of Kotaku stated that while it was possible a story could include this…
From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.
Reactions
60 of 239 · most liked firstThis is a game full of charm and promise that I wish I'd never finished. This is the worst ending of a game I've ever seen and retroactively makes the whole thing significantly worse. I promise whatever bad ending just jumped into your mind, this one is worse and will make you regret spending time on it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Yes, everyone is right the ending sucks. But even for that it's so tedious. Set up a chain of events. Wait three minutes in real life. If you miss your window you've got wait those three minutes again, so pay attention and don't get distracted. Okay, you waited those three minutes, you did the thing- oh you screwed up something in the set up. Do it all again. I'm pretty methodical but this is just painful.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →PROS: The voices are good. The story is good There are some nice visual decisions the developers made for this game. There's even some easter-egg like symbolism hidden through out. CONS: After about 5 loops you want to kill yourself. Then you want to kill your wife. Then you want to kill yourself in real life. Some of the puzzle aspects are interesting but there's so many issues where the you do something right but you didn't do the right right. The game wants you to do it only…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It's like they came up with a really interesting concept for a game and gave up half way.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I think people dislike the game because they suck at it. I suck at it too, but I liked it. Therefore, I am better than them /s
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The game was iight. I liked the time loop structure concept of the gameplay where you must use the knowledge gained from failed previous attempts to change future outcomes within a roughly 12 minute window. However, the puzzles were illogical requiring specific and arbitrary steps. On top of the fact, it was extremely tedious even with the fast forward option for dialogue, you would need to repeat long sequences of actions exactly to progress. Overall, I would give it a 5.5/10. Play it if you…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This is the first time I've written a review on Steam, but my feelings about this game are strong enough that I feel I ought to write something. Don't get this game. For me, a game has to be enjoyable to be good. Enjoyable isn't the same thing as challenging, although some games are both. This game isn't difficult, but it I still don't recommend it. That isn't to say that there aren't good things about it. I'll try not to spoil anything, but the game's central mystery is compelling. You'll…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →i played 6 hours and did not even finish to one ending without some playthrough tutorial. just some options you need to choose are so illogical. for example i learned how to electroshock the cop and handcuff him by myself and i also got his gun and he came at me and i shot him... so i learned when i shoot him, he dies.... but in a playthrough i learned that i need to shoot him when he is still lying on the ground and it will give me more conversation options because out of a sudden he survives…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I have completed the game and, after weighting everything out I can't recommend it. The idea and voicing is great. The technical realization and playing experience is not that great: fast-forward option is now well thought out and quite limited, so quite often you have to sit through the same dialogue or sequence over and over. The story is the most disappointing aspect of it all. It took me about 5 hour to get to one of the endings and in the end I don't feel these hours where well spent. It…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Interesting story and gameplay to begin with, but the final reveal of the story is just laughably stupid and over the top. They really fumbled this story at the last minute. Not worth the full price.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Even though this game has mixed reviews, it's not as bad as people think it is. I believe that the game is cleverly designed and something out-of-the-box rather than being generic like other games. As the description says, it's about you being stuck in a time loop, and you have to figure out and understand the core reason because of which this is happening. Once you do, it hits really hard. Literal goosebumps. I will definitely recommend this game to any gamer that plays games for the…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A very interesting game, with a classic time loop mechanic. Twelve minutes plays like a classic adventure game with a top down view. Don't expect huge worlds or puzzles, you are restricted to your apartment which is comprised of the living and kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. You are a guy who enters his apartment to have a nice night with your wife when suddenly someone unexpected knocks at your door. The gist is that you everytime something bad happens that result in you getting hit, or even…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I liked the performances and thats why I probably bought it. But the payoff was not worth the trouble - like yeah its messed up oooo , but at the same time...that's it? And limiting it to one room for the most part is kinda lame, if they expanded it to the building even and had some sort of murder mystery conspiracy going with a rich cast to interact with - this would be cooking. But just one room? Only pick it up for $2.50 or some stupid low price
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →12 minutes into the game. TWELVE MINUTES. TOP FOUR PRESSING TEAM IN THE LEAGUE, PER THE HEAD COACH. #RCTID
neutral · AI labelView post →Imagine you're dropped into a maze and told to find your way out. Whenever you stumble into a dead end, you're teleported back to the starting spot. You start mapping your way out, but you have no way of knowing if you're making progress. Sometimes you find a key that opens a door that reveals more paths, but you're not sure if they are taking you in the right direction or not. Sometimes there's a brick wall behind the door and you're left wondering if the key is used somewhere else or maybe…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I got very mixed feelings about this game. I'll start with the good: The VA is the best part of the game (maybe even its strongest selling point). Willem Dafoe in particular, but also the couple: Rey from SW and Charles Xavier from X-Men 1st Class. The sound design overall is decent and engaging. The camera perspective and setting are interesting choices. Finally, and more importantly, the story kept me interested and intrigued. But I'm a sucker for mystery. The bad parts, though... are…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Good premise but discovering new routes is tedious especially with how some parts require precise timing with the games janky systems and the story is such a plot twist extravaganza that you just expect every reveal to be another ruse and care for none of them.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →had to listen to the same long conversation over and over again... add a skip button
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →An interesting idea, but it doesn't really work. The story feels linear with limited options which becomes frustrating with the time loop. Also, its unclear what you have exhausted and what steps you should do next.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I just wanted to have dessert with my "wife" instead i got willem dafoe breaking into my house every five minutes and strangling me to death still a 10/10 game, would recommend
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Twelve Minutes is a game that asks: What if your worst evening lasted forever… and also you caused most of it? You play as a guy stuck in a 12-minute time loop inside his apartment. Romantic dinner? Sounds nice. Unfortunately, things go wrong faster than you can say “maybe we should just order takeout.” Every loop starts the same: walk in, talk, explore… and then everything spirals into chaos. Again. And again. And again. By loop #12 you’re no longer confused you’re strategically…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Groundhog Day, but everyone is angry and I live in a closet now. I bought this game thinking I’d be a detective solving a mystery. 3 hours later: I am a professional interior decorator who knows exactly how long it takes to boil a kettle while my wife is unconscious on the floor and Willem Dafoe is kicking my front door down for the 400th time. The Twelve Minutes Experience: * The Protagonist: A man who has lived through the same 12 minutes so many times he’s basically a god, yet still…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Unforgettable weekend in Montreal celebrating @nehapolitan.bsky.social and Jongwoo 🎉 Grateful to stand beside two wonderful friends as a groomsman and share it with one of my game dev heroes, Twelve Minutes creator Luis Antonio. So many devs here it was like a mini GDC 😂 Congratulations! 🎊🎊🎊
neutral · AI labelView post →tldr? Game is very frustrating and not the good kind and there is little content. While the concept for story is interesting. The execution... It suffers from being rigid with item usage, being illogical and misleading at some points. Small spoilers, if you can call it that. The most egregious example. There is animation for stabbing the light switch with a knife, thought that it meant you have sabotaged it, but that is not it. You don't have to do it at all, but there is stabbing animation…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really liked this game. I don't get the bad reviews really, the mechanics are good and the story is good too. Maybe people were expecting something else? My only critique is that it falls shorts in the sandboxy stuff of what you can do with the items, and there are other endings that would have been great to include. If you are doubtful, get it on sale. Really good game concept.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Frustrating It feels fun for like the first 30min and then it gets really frustrating. I'm not very patient, so I couldn't even finish the game. I tend to enjoy time loop movies, but as a game mechanic it wasn't fun and just felt like work, doing the same thing over and over again. I read about the full story and it's nothing special either. So, not for me, maybe if you're more patient and really like the art style, you might enjoy it.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Really enjoyed the concept of the game and the time loop mechanic. It did grind when coming to spots where I couldn't figure out a logical path, but at that point you just start trying anything to break the loops flow and normally you'll run into a solution. Just takes time. In the end it was a good game, but be warned it can be frustrating when you get stuck.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →SUCH a massive letdown. This whole game is a tedious, badly written mess. The endings are very unsatisfying, the plot twists are bad, and the game design is confusing and often accounts only for one option that doesn't even make sense, and that you need to wait 5 minutes to try again. If you're looking for well-made time-loop puzzle games, try playing Outer Wilds or The Forgotten City instead. Or read a book. Or stare at a blank wall. Watch grass grow. Anything will respect your time more than…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Surprised the rating on this isn't higher. Yes it can get a little repetitive but, it is also really rewarding when you figure something out.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →A Mind-Bending, Intense, and Unique Masterpiece After spending 10 hours and 100%-ing the whole game, here is my breakdown: The story is phenomenal, and that plot twist is absolute peak it got my jaw dropped. It is honestly mind-blowing how they turned just a living room, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a closet into such a memorable game with such a deep story. The overall package is just so immersive. You get top-tier voice acting, incredible music, and an atmosphere that completely sucks you…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game is so tuff. Re:Zero simulator is peak. Victory!!/10. Would recommend!!
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Twelve Minutes is one of the most unique psychological thriller games I’ve played. The time-loop mechanic keeps you constantly thinking and experimenting, and the tension never really goes away. The voice acting and atmosphere are incredibly strong, and the story pulled me in way more than I expected. It’s the kind of game where every small detail matters, and figuring things out on your own feels really rewarding. Definitely not for everyone, but if you enjoy mystery games with a darker vibe…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I love the mv so much it's so peak it reminds me of the game Twelve Minutes kinda youtu.be/OHAjc-ayhus?...
neutral · AI labelView post →Solving the puzzles was quite fun. I must admit I searched the internet once, but then I realised I missed a not so subtle hint and could get it :P I played it on Steam Deck and was a little surprised how fast it drains battery, but I realised it is full 3d and the top down view is simply a creative choice from developers. There was a couple of good plot twists, but I've found the last one weird. I am still leaving a recommendation, but I was on the verge after seeing the ending. It was…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →an infuriating, nothing experience - most point'n'clicks suffer from this problem, the combinations and throughlines that you think make sense aren't the intended solutions i.e. they do nothing. you might connect something, you need to trigger what makes your character know the same thing. here though, you'll have to repeat things again... and again... and again... and things will change or maybe they won't and then you have to play it again with unskippable dialogue options or unskippable…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →what was going through my mind like "oh yeah this game looks good Im gonna spend 25 bucks on it"
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →abuse wife simulator that somehow gets boring, also, unconsensual incest
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Torn on this one, but the twist just feels bad. This is the kind of game where story is important, and you're thrust in the protagonist's shoes and all of a sudden, you're not who you thought you were. Maybe that's the point, but it didn't land for me. Other than that, the visuals and sound effects are good, the music's fine, the rest of the writing is okay. Willem Defoe's voice acting is great. The others are fine. The game mechanics have the classic adventure game problem of not letting…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →this game is the epitome of when writers have something so good going for them and then ruin it with the worst ending imaginable
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Just get it, Its insanely underrated and good
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Do not recommend. Twelve Minutes has an interesting concept, strong presentation, and a unique setup. Unfortunately, the gameplay became repetitive very quickly. Progress often depends on obscure actions or specific dialogue chains, which made the experience frustrating rather than rewarding. I can see why some people enjoy it, but it wasn’t for me.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →cozy puzzle game with a nice twist
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Great game. This game tells an engrossing and distrurbing story through a rather creative set of puzzles, metaphors, and a setting full of interesting and fastidious detail. The soundtrack fits the atmosphere perfectly and sets a mood you will feel yourself. The story can be a bit disturbing but it also pulls at your heart strings and challenges your moral compass. The puzzles are not all easy by any means, but with a few hints and enough trial and error, I managed to 100% complete the game…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I had fun don't get me wrong. But...expecting me to find every single thing and try magical combinations until i figure out something that works is a little frustrating.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The beginning is really interesting but gets too repetitive and frustrating quickly. A major flaw is not having checkpoints or fast skips on parts you don't need to see again. Most of the game you just watch the same events unfold over and over again.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I fear for whatever the fuck the dev of "Twelve Minutes" does next. He's just... Out there doing god knows what for how long after dropping this. Menacing, really.
negative · AI labelView post →Tonight's stream kicks off in an hour! We're starting Twelve Minutes, which has been on my backlog list for ages. It's about time we have a mystery game again! See you soon 😘 twitch.tv/The_LoZelda
neutral · AI labelView post →Repetitive gameplay, ♥♥♥♥♥♥ narrative, pretentious, controversial just for the shock value. Don't buy/play this even on deep sale. I deeply regret my time with this game.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →2 out of 3 voice actors do not really sound like they are a real thing, game design is irritating, plot that 'you saw before', it's not terrible, but just misses the chance to be a great experience
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Twelve minutes is a time-looping adventure game that has an intriguing premise but the tedious game mechanics and excessively dark story ultimately just aren't worth it. The especially dark and disturbing story keeps getting more so the more you discover and the endings are almost all disappointing. That might suit some but actually uncovering the story requires a lot of trial and error gameplay where you have to wait many minutes of real time on each time loop to retry things with very limited…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It’s not a bad game; however, it’s far too short, and it gives you the impression that you’re only playing a small part of something bigger. This idea of going back in time and doing things differently is something we’ve already seen in other games that had much more story to support it. What I do think is that the game has been heavily overrated, probably because it features well‑known film actors in its voice cast, like Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, and James McAvoy. If you’re used to…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Not perfect, but engrossing and full of surprises.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I saved this game to my wishlist after seeing CoryXKenshin play it and wanted to see the ending myself! Haven’t seen the ending yet still but really like this story and kudos to the fantastic voice acting and atmosphere and overall style is excellent.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →The story falls apart at the end. The gameplay gets very repetitive after the first hour. It wastes a lot of your time through expecting you to just do every option until a magic combination works, but there is never really any clues or anything to aid you in your mission.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →This game nails the feeling of a time loop. At first everything seems confusing, but the story keeps twisting in such a cool way that you just can’t stop digging into it. Bit by bit you start unraveling the whole mess through your own actions. Super atmospheric.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →It started quite well, but a few game design decisions and plot twist killed the momentum for me. The fact that you need to solve the puzzle in a very specific way defined by the developers, with little room for alternative ways that make sense, can get frustrating. I tried to play it blindly, yet after realizing the "correct" way to solve certain parts, it just didn't make sense or felt any good. The story was interesting at first, but towards the end they pull (SPOLIER AHEAD) the oldboy…
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →I really love this kind of stories about time manipulation, being books, movies, tv shows. And even games, which are very rare. Don't let the "mixed" review discourage you, I think it's because this can be a challenging game, and also, because of the "spiral" gameplay, instead of being linear, you have to do the same thing over and over again - specially when you get stuck - until you figure it out. (or watch a walkthrough) So if you are not comfortable with frustration, or/and you don't have…
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Twelve Minutes. It's a short game with an interesting premise.. that takes an unexpectedly sharp nosedive into some real toxic territory by the end. I persisted to reach every ending (with a guide), hoping to find something redeeming. I did not. I've never soured on a game so quickly.🗑️🔥
negative · AI labelView post →I recommend this game on sale and for those who don't mind a difficult puzzle where you have to start again and again (as suggested in the trailer as a time loop). It's fun, but does get frustrating after awhile or especially when you hit a wall. If you can't progress in the puzzle, then you're stuck in the same sequence of events per say. I like the concept and I would buy again (for under $10) as I am intrigued and about it all.
positive · reviewer's own thumbsView post →Conceptually interesting time loop game that is ultimately let down but it's obtuse solutions and not saved by its bonkers twists. Wanted to like it more than I did, but there are way better games in the genre.
negative · reviewer's own thumbsView post →
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