One minute, then up to thirteen
A loop begins near one minute. Picking up time crystals extends it. The ceiling described across the Nintendo listing and launch reviews is 13 minutes, not 13 hours. Some collectibles raise the amount you start with, so a late loop can open longer than your first. You still hit the same cap.
You spend that bar on heals, on trades, on doors and routes, and on kneeling at a shrine. When the bar empties, or you die, the loop resets. Knowledge stays. The filled map stays. Shortcuts you have opened stay. That is the whole design: the publisher calls it a metroidbrainia, and says it is not a roguelike because nothing is random.
The bell is the NPC clock
A hand-bell rings once a minute. NPC events are written against that ring. Bell 4 is the fourth minute. Bell 9 and bell 12 matter for Verrik. If you are trying to “get more time” for a conversation, you need a longer loop, not a pause menu. Ending the loop by hand, once you have banked a shortcut, is a legal move. The opening teaches it.
You can finish the game on loop one. The developer said so. Most players will not, because the statue prices and the bell scenes assume you have learned where the crystals are. That is knowledge, not a level requirement.
Questions this page answers
How do you get more time in Echo Weaver?
Pick up time crystals to extend the current loop, up to about 13 minutes. Some collectibles raise the starting length. The cap is minutes, not hours.