Twenty-Two Minute Loop

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The Twenty-Two Minute Loop was engineered by the ancient Nomai species, who built the Ash Twin Project—a network of warp towers and a massive energy core—to create a stable time loop. The loop is triggered by the sun's natural death, and the supernova that occurs at the end of each cycle provides the immense energy required for the Ash Twin Project to send information back in time to the start of the loop. The Nomai never activated the project, so the loop only began with the present-day supernova. The player character, a Hearthian astronaut, is the first living being to experience the loop, using it to explore the ruins of Nomai civilization across planets like Brittle Hollow, Giant's Deep, and the Quantum Moon. The loop's purpose is not specifically to allow the player to reach the Eye of the Universe; rather, the Nomai designed the Ash Twin Project to find the Eye, and the player's goal is to reach the Eye and end the loop by completing the Nomai's unfinished work.

In Their Own Story

The season's impact was widespread and catastrophic. Its storms caused an estimated 3,468 deaths and approximately $171.7 billion in damage. It was the costliest season on record at the time, until its record was surpassed 12 years later. It also produced the second-highest accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) in the Atlantic basin, only behind the 1933 season. The season officially began on June 1, 2005, and the first storm – Arlene – developed on June 8. Hurricane Dennis in July inflicted heavy damage to Cuba. Hurricane Stan in October was part of a broader weather system that killed 1,673 people and caused $3.96 billion in damage to eastern Mexico and Central America, with Guatemala hit the hardest. The final storm – Zeta – formed in late December and lasted until January 6, 2006 – the latest of any season, tied with 1954–55.

Reader's Guide

Ahead of the formal start of the season, various groups issued forecasts for the number of named storms, hurricanes, and major hurricanes in the upcoming season, including Colorado State University (CSU), the Cuban Institute of Meteorology (InsMet), Tropical Storm Risk (TSR), and the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Some forecasts predicted how many tropical cyclones would affect a particular country or territory. The first of these forecasts was issued by CSU, which predicted on December 5, 2004 that the season would be above average and feature 11 named storms, 6 hurricanes and 3 intense hurricanes. They also noted that the Caribbean and the entire United States coastline faced an increased risk of a major hurricane making landfall. TSR issued its first forecast a few days later and predicted that the season would feature 9.6 tropical storms, 5.7 hurricanes, 3.3 major hurricanes, and predicted that the accumulated cyclone energy (ACE) rating would be 145. During January 2005, TSR increased its forecast to 13.9 tropical storms, 7.8 hurricanes, 3.6 major hurricanes, and predicted that the ACE rating would be 157. CSU issued its first updated forecast on April 1, increasing their prediction to 13 tropical storms, 7 hurricanes, and 3 major hurricanes, with a continued risk of a major hurricane landfall in the Caribbean or United States. The increase was based on the Atlantic continuing to warm and a strong belief that El Niño conditions would not persist into the hurricane season. On May 2, the Cuban Institute of Meteorology (InsMet) issued their seasonal forecast, which predicted that the season would feature 13 tropical storms and 7 hurricanes. This was followed on May 16 by NOAA, who predicted a 70% chance of above normal activity, with 12–15 tropical storms, 7–9 hurricanes, and 3–5 major hurricanes. The agency cited favorable conditions associated with an active phase of the Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO). CSU issued its second forecast update on May 31, revising its forecast to 15 named storms, 8 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes; by this point, the group believed El Niño conditions were unlikely. In their July forecast update, TSR anticipated that the season would be exceptionally active and well above average; the group increased their forecast to 15.3 tropical storms, 8.8 hurricanes, and 4.1 major hurricanes, with an ACE rating of 190. By the end of July, seven tropical storms and two major hurricanes had developed within the basin, which prompted CSU, InsMet, NOAA and TSR to significantly increase their seasonal forecasts at the start of August. In their August 5 update, CSU predicted that 13 more storms would form, with seven more hurricanes and three more major hurricanes. At the start of September, CSU updated their forecasts and predicted that eight more storms would form, with six more hurricanes and three major hurricanes. By the end of September, 17 named storms had developed, of which nine had developed into hurricanes and four had become major hurricanes. Within their final update for the year, CSU predicted that October would feature three named storms, two hurricanes and one major hurricane.

Did You Know?

• The loop lasts approximately 22 minutes, but the exact timing can vary slightly depending on player actions; the supernova occurs at the end of each cycle, not immediately upon waking.
• The loop is powered by the Ash Twin Project, which uses the energy of the supernova to send data back in time via a black hole/white hole pair.
• The Nomai originally designed the Ash Twin Project to find the Eye of the Universe, but their project was never activated until the present-day supernova.
• The player can break the loop by entering the Eye of the Universe, which triggers the game's ending and permanently ends the time cycle.
• The loop is not infinite—if the player fails to reach the Eye, the universe is destroyed, and the loop continues indefinitely until the player succeeds.