![]() On the other, there needs to be a solid thread of logic to pull on. On one hand, you want there to be big twists and reveals. I’m a big fan of mysteries, and it takes a very skilled hand to tread the right balance. But hey, feel free to skip a few paragraphs if so inclined. Now, as this is a mystery story, I will do my best to avoid anything that borders on spoiling the twists. There are some parts of the story that don’t quite hit the mark. The point I want to make is simply that there is a rather well-portioned narrative put in place, albeit one that doesn’t always hit me in the sweet spot. Not to sound ostentatious, but I’m reminded of “No Exit” by Jean-Paul Sartre. A lot of Twelve Minutes comes across this way: simple, but not so simple as to be confusing. This may sound like a backhand, but trust me it isn’t. I mean there is economic storytelling, and then there is a narrative focused on the drama between “Man”, “Wife” and “Cop”. That’s part of the charm of a lot of what indie games as a whole have on offer. Twelve Minutes is a fascinating case study in doing a lot with a little. ![]() Minute Detail – The Simple Design of Twelve Minutes Unless he can figure out how to break the cycle, that is. If he leaves the apartment, dies, or reaches the end of 10 minutes, he re-emerges just inside the apartment’s front door. He has been reset for the first time in this time loop. ![]() He is not dead, and neither the cop nor the wife is in the room anymore. The wife relents, but halfway through her disclosure, the man, who is the player character, collapses just inside the apartment’s front door. Upon refusing, the cop raises the stakes, strangling you. The officer places the couple in handcuffs and demands the wife give him a key piece of evidence: a pocket watch. The wife has been accused of murdering her father, but the cop is not just here to arrest her. The levity and joyful atmosphere are temporary, broken by a pounding on the front door. It’s a onesie, she’s pregnant with his child. His wife has made dessert and hands him a present. Your first turn of the wheel starts innocently enough. It is more a game of pulling scraps of information from various runs, and the revelations that come from talking to other characters. ![]() Viewing Twelve Minutes as a roguelike obscures what this game more closely resembles, which is that of a branching narrative. Part of my difficulty with the game may even come from that very misconception. After all, what is a time loop but a roguelike narrative? As it will become clear though, Twelve Minutes does not map cleanly onto this mindset. I imagine that the popularity and prevalence of roguelikes plays a large part in the sudden time loop influx. Twelve Minutes falls into the increasingly popular theme of time loops in games. “Viewing Twelve Minutes as a roguelike obscures what this game more closely resembles, which is that of a branching narrative” ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |