Mina the Hollower is the most recent outing from Yacht Membership Video games. In the event you’re not aware of that title, you’ll possible recognise the title of their massively widespread sport: Shovel Knight. This NES-style platformer shortly grew to become an indie darling, setting a excessive benchmark for retro video games on trendy consoles. The crew’s long-awaited follow-up journey, Mina the Hollower, continues this pattern, this time with a top-down type coupled with that very same retro appeal.
The story follows a courageous mouse named Mina. As a member of the Hollower’s Guild, Mina travels to satisfy her pal, Baron Lionel, to analyze a problem with the island’s spark turbines. When her ship is attacked by an enormous sea monster, Mina’s vessel crashes. That is the place her journey actually begins.
This setup was all a part of the demo, initially launched in 2025. In the event you performed by means of it on the time, I extremely suggest restarting the sport. Whereas the total model neatly picks up the place you left off, I used to be utterly misplaced by way of the story and how you can play.
First issues first: Mina wants to decide on her weapon. There are three on provide, every with a really cool title: Whisper and Vesper (a pair of nimble daggers), Mightstar (a crushing mace, affixed to a versatile chain), and Blastrike Maul (a hammer with explosive drive). You’ll be able to check all of them out earlier than making your selection. Whereas it looks as if a definitive choice, you’ll ultimately unlock all three. There are others to find, too.
From right here, it’s time to roam the world, slaying enemies and fixing puzzles. This preliminary journey (once more, a part of the demo) is comparatively linear till you attain Lionel and the security of a city. This serves as your hub from which you’ll be able to discover six “ranges” in any order you want. There are locations like Japanese Heath, Western Wilds, and Backwaters to find, every stuffed with enemies, quirky NPCs, and hidden secrets and techniques. These inventive areas present loads of selection to maintain exploration feeling enjoyable and contemporary regardless of the place you select to go subsequent.
Gameplay is from a top-down perspective akin to basic Zelda titles. You’ll hear that comparability being thrown round rather a lot, and it’s apt for probably the most half. Mina strikes and assaults in 4 instructions. The battles are action-based. You also have a secondary weapon. However there are a number of distinct variations.
To start out with, Mina additionally has a particular skill up her sleeve. You may need been questioning what a “hollower” is from the title? Put merely, it’s the power to tunnel. Mina can carry out this transfer on most surfaces, digging a gap and shifting underground for a number of seconds earlier than popping again out. It’s a enjoyable mechanic that opens new methods to play. You’ll be able to tunnel beneath sure obstacles that will usually be uncrossable. You’ll be able to duck underground to keep away from enemies. You too can use this transfer to gather objects buried beneath the floor.
The principle objects you’ll search are bones. These function in-game foreign money, permitting you to buy upgrades and objects. Leveling up this fashion is important, permitting you to push additional into the sport and tackle tougher enemies. You’ll be able to “save” your collected bones at sure factors, which is beneficial as a result of dying sometimes means shedding all collected bones at that time.
One of many downsides to Mina is the dearth of an in-game map—not less than, by default. You can uncover a map by finishing a selected quest, but it surely’s not apparent or simple. Plus, with an open-world type that means that you can full a lot of the sport in any order, you might not uncover it till nearer to the top. Even then, finishing this quest solely unlocks the power to buy a map. That map could be very easy, with one other model purchasable for much more bones. You gained’t all the time want a map, and I’m certain it was a deliberate omission, but it surely does really feel like an odd option to maintain it so hidden.
The opposite destructive (although that is going to be extra of a private desire) is the sport’s excessive issue. Mina the Hollower is a tricky sport. In the event you fondly bear in mind your time with the unique Legend of Zelda sport, be warned that, regardless of the visible similarities and apparent inspiration, it’s a unique outing. That’s not a foul factor in itself, however simply be ready for a tricky trip, particularly originally. When you don’t have any trinkets and also you haven’t levelled up but, even early enemies are fairly arduous. I’m taking a look at you, flying-and-diving owl.
If you begin enjoying, there aren’t any issue modes to select from. To compensate for this, there are many modifiers to fiddle with. You’ll be able to toggle 30 such settings, from growing or reducing Mina’s defence to creating save factors earlier than every boss struggle. This can be a welcome addition that helps gamers address among the sport’s toughness. You too can change how therapeutic works.
I’m going to say therapeutic as a part of the problem issue as a result of it’s not apparent the way it works. Nicely, not except you’re aware of the likes of Darkish Souls (which I’m not). In Mina the Hollower, it pays to be aggressive. You’re taking harm from enemies; that’s clearly positive. Your purple well being meter depletes. However each hit you make earns you plasma, build up a yellow meter the place your well being was beforehand misplaced. As soon as your plasma is constructed up, you may devour a therapeutic vial to show it into usable purple well being.
As somebody who isn’t aware of this technique, it was utterly overseas to me. This doesn’t make it unhealthy, but it surely wasn’t clearly defined. Personally, I favor the simplicity of regaining well being by consuming hearts or purple potions. And because of this it’s arduous to fault as a destructive; as soon as you recognize, you recognize. But it will have been nice to have that defined. Additionally, there are occasions when this technique fails. In the event you repeatedly fall off cliffs or perilous platforms and there aren’t any enemies round, you may’t rebuild your well being. I discovered this to be a irritating expertise.
None of that makes me dislike the sport, although. There’s an apparent consideration to element and a powerful dedication to creating one thing prime quality. That is evident within the sheer variety of screens on provide. Mina traverses the world display screen by display screen, identical to the unique Zelda outing. There are over 1,200 handcrafted screens to find. Let that quantity sink in, and also you’ll have an thought of how large this sport is and why it takes an excellent 20-30 hours to work by means of.
One other good contact is Mina’s skill to equip a trinket to enhance her possibilities of surviving this treacherous world. There are over 60 to gather; some purchasable from distributors, others found by serving to NPCs, and a few from defeating particular enemies. You’ll be able to initially solely equip one trinket, although a trinket bag will grant the power to equip extra. Helpful!
I’ve saved the very best facet for final, although: the design. Graphically, Mina the Hollower seems merely unbelievable. It sports activities an apparent retro type that’s charming in itself. It additionally provides a lot element and coloration that it’s like an NES or Gameboy Shade sport if these programs have been made in 2026. Yacht Membership Video games is aware of how you can make an journey that appears each outdated and new on the identical time, and I adore it. Nicely achieved, crew.
