Reviews for Mina the Hollower are live, and Yacht Club Games has a hit on its hands. The retro-styled gothic action-adventure is pulling in glowing scores across the board, headlined by a rare 10/10 from IGN.
It’s the studio’s first major new IP since Shovel Knight dropped back in 2014, and critics aren’t holding back.
Mina the Hollower is a top-down action-adventure with a Game Boy Color-inspired pixel art look. Think Link’s Awakening and A Link to the Past, but with Castlevania‘s gothic atmosphere and some soulslike combat pressure layered on top.
The signature trick is Mina’s burrowing ability, which lets her dive underground to dodge enemies, cross obstacles, and solve puzzles. Reviewers highlight dense level design, hidden secrets, weapons, trinkets, sidearms, boss fights, and a deep modifier system that includes New Game Plus, one-hit challenges, item randomizers, max-level starts, and boss rush modes.
It’s not flawless. Even IGN’s perfect score reportedly noted Mina’s movement can clash with certain boss designs. Other reviewers flagged occasional balance issues, punishing boss runbacks, and limited fast travel between safe zones called “burrows.” The game does include a train system and mirrors for traversal, but it’s not free movement between every checkpoint.
It’s been over a decade since Shovel Knight turned Yacht Club into an indie darling, and the studio spent years feeding that game free DLC through Treasure Trove. Mina is their first real swing at something new, and the delay last year, which paused the game indefinitely for an overhaul, looks like it paid off.
