You're stuck. That tiny apartment, the same rainy evening, and that cop kicking down the door over and over again. It’s frustrating. 12 Minutes isn't your typical point-and-click adventure because it doesn't care about your feelings or your sense of progression. It wants you to feel trapped. Most people playing the 12 Minutes game walkthrough experience the same cycle: curiosity, confusion, and eventually, genuine annoyance at the repetition.
Luis Antonio, the developer, designed this game to be a friction-heavy loop. You’ve got James McAvoy, Daisy Ridley, and Willem Dafoe providing the voices, which makes the stakes feel high, but the mechanics are old-school. You have to poke at the world until it breaks. If you're looking for a way out of the loop without spending six hours watching your character get tackled by a guy who sounds like he’s in a noir film, you’re in the right place.
Why most players fail the first hour
The biggest mistake is trying to be a hero right away. You can’t stop the cop by hitting him with a mug. He's bigger than you. He's better trained. He’s going to zip-tie your hands every single time until you learn how to use the loop to your advantage.
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In the beginning, just watch. Seriously. Sit at the table. Eat the dessert with your wife. Listen to the dialogue. You need to understand the timing of the door knock. It happens at roughly the same time every loop. Use these early runs to find where things are hidden. There’s a knife on the counter. There’s a phone in the closet. There’s a hidden vent in the bathroom under the medicine cabinet.
Don't panic when the "policeman" arrives. Let him do his thing. Listen to what he says to your wife. He's looking for a pocket watch. He thinks she killed her father. This is the core of the mystery, and you won't solve it by being aggressive. You solve it by being a fly on the wall.
Breaking the first major wall
Once you realize the cop is after the watch, you need to find it. It's in the bathroom. Use the spoon or the knife to open the ventilation grid under the medicine cabinet. There it is. But wait—don't just grab it and hand it over. That doesn't end the loop; it just ends that specific run.
To actually progress, you have to prove to your wife that you're in a time loop. This is the "Groundhog Day" moment. You have to tell her exactly what’s going to happen. Tell her about the thunder. Tell her about the gift in the drawer. Once she believes you, you can actually start working together, or at least, you can stop her from fighting you when you try to change things.
Navigating the mid-game: Dealing with the cop
This is where the 12 Minutes game walkthrough gets dark. To get the truth, you have to incapacitate the cop.
- Grab the sleeping pills from the medicine cabinet.
- Put them in the water or the tea.
- Make sure your wife drinks it (or put it in her mug when she isn't looking).
- When she passes out on the bed, hide in the closet.
Now you wait. When the cop enters, he’ll check the bedroom. He’ll see her passed out. This is your chance. But don't just run out. Wait for him to get hit by the light switch. Did you notice the light switch in the bedroom gives a little shock? If you flip it once, it's fine. Flip it twice, and it shorts out.
If you can time it so he touches that switch while he's distracted, he’ll drop. That’s your window.
The interrogation phase
Once the cop is down, take his handcuffs. Zip-tie him. Take his gun and his phone. Now you’re the one in control. You can talk to him. You can look through his messages. You’ll find out he has a daughter who is sick. This is a crucial piece of leverage.
The game wants you to be uncomfortable here. It’s a claustrophobic thriller. You have to ask him about the watch, about the father, and about the "Monster." You'll find out that the story your wife told you isn't the whole truth. Honestly, none of them are telling the whole truth.
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The "Monster" and the big twist
As you dig deeper, you’ll realize the pocket watch is a key to a memory, not just a piece of jewelry. You’ll eventually reach a point where you can talk to the cop peacefully. This requires you to have the watch ready and to prove you know about his daughter.
If you manage to get them both to sit down and talk, you find out the "Monster" who killed the father... well, the game takes a very controversial turn here. I won't spoil the exact nature of the relationship if you're still playing, but let’s just say the father wasn't the man your wife thought he was.
Reaching the endings
There are several ways this can wrap up, but most aren't "true" endings.
- The Coward Ending: Just leave the apartment. Take your bag and go. The loop resets, but you get a sense of "ending."
- The Confession: Tell your wife everything once you know the truth. It usually ends in tragedy.
- The Bliss Ending: This involves the book your wife is reading (Meditations). If you can get to a point where you talk to the Father in the "memory" world and choose to stay in the moment, you get a reset that feels... different.
The game is heavily inspired by Hitchcock and Kubrick. Notice the carpet? It’s a direct nod to The Shining. The camera angle? Pure Rear Window. The game isn't just a puzzle; it's a mood piece. If you’re getting frustrated, take a break. The solution is usually right in front of you, but you're too busy overthinking the "game" part of it to see the "story" part.
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Practical steps for your next loop
If you’re currently staring at the pause menu, here is exactly what you should do next to move the needle:
- Check the Fridge: There are polaroids there. They change based on what you’ve discovered.
- Use the Phone: Once you have the cop's phone, look at the messages. Call his daughter. This changes his behavior entirely in the next loop if you mention her.
- The Vent is King: Almost every successful run involves that bathroom vent. Get used to opening it quickly.
- Don't Forget the Knife: You need it to cut the cord on the blinds or the zip-ties. It’s the most versatile tool in the room.
The loop only ends when you find a way to reconcile the past. It’s not about winning a fight; it’s about winning a conversation. Good luck. You're going to need it when the clock hits 12:00 again.