20 Minutes Till Dawn

20 Minutes Till Dawn (2022) is an action shooting game where you attempt to survive an onslaught of mindlessly encroaching monsters for 20 minutes. The challenge is controlling movement with one stick and shooting with the other, whilst keeping enemies at bay and levelling up your attacks. It stands out for the overhead pixelated visuals and how choosing the right combinations of weapons and upgrades can make the difference between a failed or successful run.

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Over 20 minutes, gradually stronger and more numerous enemies creep towards you from all directions, their threat coming from sheer numbers rather than individual strength. Your attacks are initially basic, for instance, the shotgun only fires four bullets in a narrow spread. By killing enemies, you collect experience and increase your level, enabling you to choose upgrades to enhance your attacks. Upgrades range from increased bullet damage, speed, size and number to eggs that hatch into pet dragons.

As you progress, you encounter strong bosses that perform more complex attacks such as charges or laser beams. At the end of the round, you are rewarded with souls depending on how long you survived. These are used to unlock new characters and weapons - with unique abilities, strengths and weaknesses - and permanent upgrades called runes. Through experimentation, you can find game-breaking combinations of characters, weapons, runes and upgrades that enable you to survive the full 20 minutes.

The result is a game about self-administration as much as firepower. You must constantly manage the encroaching enemies while also giving attention to the right upgrades and weapon choices. Tearing your way through huge crowds of monsters is both satisfying and rewarding, with your ability to do so relying entirely on your upgrade decisions.

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Our examiner, Andy Robertson, first checked 20 Minutes Till Dawn 5 weeks ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 4 weeks ago.