This year has seen a number of rather successful and well-received games that center around time loops. From Arkane Studios' narrative strong Deathloop, to the roguelike PS5 exclusive Returnal, to the adventure indie title 12 Minutes, starring James McAvoy and Willem Defoe, it seems that 2021 has been a fine year for exploring the concept of looping time frames. However, despite the popularity of this concept, it seems that not everyone has been finding the time to complete some of the stories, no matter how highly praised the game is.
According to a recent tweet from HowLongToBeat.com, a community-based site where players can catalog their games and look at how long it will take to complete them, Luís António's 12 Minutes is the "most retired" game of the year. This means that it's the one release that players simply didn't complete the most. The tweet doesn't specify why many gave up before getting to the end, which is quite surprising given that, according to the website, it should only take around four hours to do the main story, and around seven and half hours for those doing a "completionist" run.
Funnily enough, Returnal was also on the list, which may point to themes of time loop perhaps being some of the reason behind not finishing a game. Also on the list is Bloober Team's The Medium and People Can Fly's Outriders, as well as Left 4 Dead spiritual successor Back 4 Blood which could be down to the game's notable difficulty. From the list curated by HowLongToBeat.com, it seems that a game can be popular, even though many are abandoning it partway through for one reason or another.
Many are probably already aware of the point-and-click adventure game's short-lived success. The fact that Hideo Kojima praised 12 Minutes may have helped it become more noteworthy among the community, and for good reason as well. With an all-star cast, an interesting thriller premise, and an aesthetic that really made it stand out, it was an award-winning title that earned it some positive feedback.
12 Minutes was also nominated at this year's Game Awards for best indie game, losing out to Kena: Bridge of Spirits. The former was praised for its dark and twisted endings, though some have criticized its depiction of domestic violence.
12 Minutes is available now on PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, with PS4, PS5, and Switch versions having come out earlier this month.
