In the landscape of indie games drawing inspiration from 80s and 90s 2D platformers, few stand out as vibrantly as the brilliant Shovel Knight. Yacht Club Games crafted a timeless title, leaving us eager to see their next creation. After more than 12 years, their new work is finally here, and I can confidently say the wait was worthwhile. Mina the Hollower is a sensational game.
At first glance, it’s easy to associate this game with the early The Legend of Zelda titles. Visually, it bears a strong resemblance to Link’s Awakening, with moments reminiscent of A Link to The Past. However, it is far more than just a “clone” of Nintendo’s classics. Mina’s game possesses its own distinct personality, though its primary inspiration isn’t Miyamoto’s work, but rather Miyazaki’s.
I may have started with a misstep. Comparisons to Dark Souls have become so commonplace in video game criticism that they’ve been deemed “overdone” for over a decade. However, it’s best to address it upfront to move forward. I’m not referring to the game’s difficulty, but rather its world structure, the way levels interconnect via shortcuts, the absence of a traditional map, and the resource management where progress can be lost if we die multiple times before recovering it. All of these elements are borrowed from FromSoftware, yet this indie title imbues them with its own unique twist and personality.
Mina the Hollower is a game where losing progress is an inherent part of the experience, much like moments of uncertainty about where to go next. I’m sure some players will complain about the lack of indicators or a detailed map and abandon the game when a boss refuses to fall after a dozen attempts. But all of this is part of the design. It’s a game that demands we pay attention to environmental details, experiment with different ‘builds,’ and embrace the risk of following our curiosity. There are clues that guide us—reading the newspaper in the central town often provides a hint about the next objective—but it’s primarily a title that trusts its players.
Should combat and platforming challenges prove too daunting, the game offers an impressive array of modifiers to make the experience easier or more accessible. These aren’t just typical options like receiving less damage and dealing more to enemies; you can also eliminate entire mechanics, alter jump functions, or gain the ability to literally walk on air. Conversely, modifiers that increase the game’s difficulty are also available for those seeking greater challenges.
The story of Mina the Hollower transports us to a place aptly named Tenebrous Island to repair the spark generators, immense energy sources that the protagonist helped create years ago and have since enriched the region. However, a group of inhabitants has instigated a rebellion against the island’s leader, and a plague is infesting the land with monsters. Similar to Shovel Knight, this game doesn’t place excessive emphasis on its narrative. Everything we learn comes from the very occasional conversations with other characters and from the environmental details.
The narrative carries a clear critical message against consumerist excess and governments that hoard secrets to maintain power, but it’s treated as a secondary element. In contrast, the aesthetic of this world is undoubtedly one of the game’s cornerstones. It draws subtle inspiration from Victorian England, with many gothic touches present even in environments like swamps and farms.
These aesthetic themes are amplified by the spectacular soundtrack from Jake Kauffman (Shantae, Shovel Knight), which also features some melodies composed by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro, known for his iconic SEGA soundtracks like Streets of Rage and Shinobi. It’s been a long time since I’ve found myself humming a game’s melodies even after closing it!
The graphics are, as expected, a masterpiece of pixel art, skillfully representing characters and environments brimming with personality through a limited yet intelligent use of color. Every element on screen is detailed enough to be distinguishable and guide you toward the secrets it holds.
Mina is a ‘hollower,’ granting her the ability to burrow. Traveling underground isn’t just for faster movement; it’s also key to discovering secrets and engaging in combat. This is a mechanic that must be quickly mastered to skillfully evade enemy attacks, position yourself correctly, and leverage the environmental advantages. In addition to various weapons, there’s a wide array of sub-weapons and trinkets offering passive effects that can radically alter gameplay. This ensures encounters—especially against the enormous bosses with their unique mechanics—remain consistently engaging and offer diverse approaches to tackling them, though it also presents some frustrating drawbacks.
The most noticeable issue in Mina the Hollower‘s combat occurs when there are too many enemies and objects on screen, leading to overwhelming situations. While I must once again commend the use of color and the clear differentiation of elements, when three or more enemies are firing, sub-weapons are ricocheting everywhere, and trinkets are unleashing effects, it becomes difficult to read the action, and more than once, I lost sight of Mina amidst the chaos. This situation can also arise against large bosses and enemies, as the reach of their hitboxes isn’t always clear, leading to hits in seemingly safe areas.
Aside from this, I have few negative criticisms of this game. Even if other elements had bothered me, they wouldn’t have prevented Mina the Hollower from becoming one of my favorite games of 2026. It’s not only supremely fun and offered me an interesting challenge, but it also provides one of the things I enjoy most in video games: a world brimming with surprises and discoverable secrets where any corner might hide something intriguing. You can finish it in just 15 hours if you rush through, but if you take the time to explore and let curiosity guide you, you could spend 20 or even 30 hours… not counting ‘New Game+’ playthroughs, which add intriguing elements like an inverted world and more modifiers.
If I may offer one final piece of advice, do not use guides when playing Mina the Hollower. Let the game guide you and share your discoveries with others. The feeling of exploring and discovering as a community is something very few games offer, and this is one of them. Don’t let that be taken away from you.
Review of Mina the Hollower conducted with a digital copy for Steam provided by Yacht Club Games. This game is available for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and for PC, Linux, and macOS via Steam and GOG.
