Mina the Hollower Review – Digging Into Greatness

Mina the Hollower Review

Shovel Knight was an astronomical success, spawning various expansions and spin-offs while cementing itself as one of the greatest indie games of all time. Transcending that sphere, its iconic protagonist guest-starred in numerous titles, even making its way into Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. After a successful Kickstarter campaign in 2022, Yacht Club Games has finally released the follow-up to the famed title, ditching the influences of Mega Man and other iconic platformers in favor of classic adventure games like Zelda with Mina the Hollower. Will the studio’s latest release reach the same heights as its debut, perfectly capturing the era while instilling modern sensibilities, or will it remain buried in the shadow of the Knight?

You play as Mina, an adorable mouse who lives in the stunning, interconnected Victorian‑Gothic world of Tenebrous Isle. Leader, Baron Lionel, informs you that the Spark Generators for each of its regions have suddenly stopped working, creating panic among civilians. Soon, you discover that this is the work of the evil Thorne and must venture on a dangerous quest to repair the generators and stop a world-altering threat. Although it’s a simple premise, it leads to an enthralling adventure that places discovery and exploration at the forefront, perfectly capturing the notion of adventure.

Choose a Path

The world is split into distinct biomes, each with a particular colour palette that helps communicate your location and signpost progress, which is vital given the absence of a room-to-room map. It’s here where the level design shines. Paths have multiple exits and hide items and secrets that beckon you to thoroughly explore. The environment bakes puzzles into its design, requiring you to experiment to figure out your path toward the towering generators. While it’s easy to get lost and loop around its maze-like regions, working out your route forward is exhilarating, leading to numerous satisfying lightbulb moments where the world suddenly clicks into place.

Mina has the unique ability to burrow into the ground and reappear in a different spot. The game implements this simple mechanic perfectly, making it fundamental to traversal, combat, and puzzles. While you can wander the terrain above the ground and jump a square’s distance, delving into the earth allows you to speed through areas and leap further. However, as you must pop up to breathe, you can not simply stay underground and need to plan when and where you initiate this skill. With barriers and hazards stopping your progress, you must bob in and out of the muck to get past blockades. This adds a wonderful rhythm to the game, allowing you to explore the environment to collect items and continue toward your destination.

Prepare For a Fight

Enemies stalk areas, attacking on sight to end your journey. With a choice of five main weapons, you can decide how you want to tackle encounters. The Nightstar whip is a versatile option that provides a strong mid-range attack, whereas the Whisper and Vesper daggers allow you to get up close and personal for more aggressive play. Throw in the brutal Blaststrike Maul hammer, Guardian Casket shield, and Battery Buster gun, and you get a plethora of options to suit a variety of playstyles. With the ability to use side arms such as throwing axes and more, you have plenty of options to attack, but defence is also key.

Creatures vary, with some spitting out projectiles while others hone in on your location. As a result, you need to avoid strikes, especially against large bosses that culminate in each area. When you die, the game zaps you back to your last checkpoint and drops your bones, which you use to level up Mina, leading to a dangerous trip back to regain the precious currency. You can use your Plasma to regain health, but you only have a limited number, which only replenishes at checkpoints. This also carries a risk/reward ethos, as the red indicates your health, and the orange is how much will be recovered. Attacking enemies raises this, which requires you to assess your options to opt for more health or to play it safe.

Due to this, you must rely on your ability to burrow to aid you in survival. Digging down and leaping up behind an enemy to give them a quick whack before scurrying away is an absolute joy. While it definitely gets tough as you must read and respond to the variety of attacks, it’s a great system that makes many memorable fights.

Keep Collecting

Not only are bones littered throughout, but enemies also drop these, allowing you to constantly build your collection. Like the Souls series, these are a precious commodity at the beginning, as it can be quite punishing; however, as you progress, your confidence grows with the mechanics and you earn more. You can spend these on different trinkets, which grant boosts that let you tweak your build, upgrade your gear, and level up your character. It adds a satisfying sense of progression, offering meaningful choices without bogging you down with too many options.

If you are finding the adventure a little tough, Yacht Club Games has implemented a whole host of assist options for you to tailor the experience. From pre-built selections that alter a range of factors to specific changes for you to tweak smaller elements, the possibilities are there so that you can fine-tune the game to make it easier, harder or just different for additional playthroughs. Speaking of which, after the credits roll, the game unlocks new modifiers and New Game Plus, giving you even more reason to revisit this stunning world.

Taking You Back

The presentation is wonderful, with its chunky pixel-art and Game Boy Colour-style palette, which captures the era perfectly. Each area is brimming with personality and manages to communicate its narrative through the strong art direction. Backed by a stunning score, these elements combine to deliver a remarkable aesthetic that feels both nostalgically familiar and refreshingly distinctive.

Mina the Hollower is a truly magnificent adventure. Burrowing isn’t just a gimmick; it’s embedded into the experience, creating a synergy between movement, combat and puzzling. Its open design encourages exploration, allowing you to discover at your own pace, which ultimately leads to many surprises within the world. The strong presentation helps to give the game further character, reinforcing its sense of identity. Celebrating classic design while carving out its own legacy, this confident adventure stands shoulder to shoulder with Shovel Knight.

***PC code provided by the publisher for review***