Video games have been featuring post-apocalyptic environments and prologues for decades, but very few let you live out the final moments before the end of the world in such a silly manner as 60 Seconds. Tasked with gathering as much supplies as you can in, you guessed it, 60 seconds, the game takes a dark, humorous twist on conventional apocalyptic tropes.
The minute prior to the apocalypse is intentionally garish and difficult to control. After all, you’re trying to gather the essentials to take with you into this scary, new world. You can throw anything and everything in there, from guns to radios to your family. Once you’ve thrown whatever you can down into your shelter, you have to make it to the shelter before time runs out. From there, the game will completely shift into something more calculated.
The transition from the first 60 seconds of the game to the post-apocalypse is intentionally jarring, and amusing all at the same time. I hadn’t personally seen that my protagonist and his wife had children, so I didn’t bother putting them in the shelter. Imagine my surprise when my son, Timmy, finds his way to the shelter, anyway. It was one of the most surprising bits of the game, and really showcased how random the events in the game can feel.
The real meat of the game comes from day to day duties like splitting up rations, keeping yourselves from getting maddeningly bored, or going out for supply runs in this radiation-infested world. A big thing Robot Gentlemen Studios was keen to focus on was the consequence of your actions, and this rings true for every part of the game.
There’s lots of reading and exposition to get through at the beginning of each day, and this is the “gameplay loop” the game pushes forward. Based on what you’ve read, decide how to split everything up. The inherent randomness of the world may just decide to kick you in the face one day, but it’s just as likely to find more food and water, too. With proper playing, the game can last up to about an hour, with multiple playthroughs being the obvious reason to keep going – the replayability is key in this game.
60 Seconds is already out on Steam, but there is a mobile port coming to tablets and phones within the coming weeks.