Yacht Club Games has established itself as a titan of independent game development, and with Mina the Hollower, the studio may have surpassed its breakout hit, Shovel Knight. While Shovel Knight was a retro-inspired platformer that updated classic 8-bit action with modern touches, Mina the Hollower offers a similar retro aesthetic, paying homage to the Game Boy Color Zelda titles like Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. However, its fusion with modern souls-like design elements elevates it beyond a simple throwback.
The visual presentation of Mina the Hollower, with its familiar color palette and overhead camera, clearly evokes the Game Boy Color era. Yet, the game’s gameplay is far darker, denser, and more challenging than its inspirations. It incorporates elements of gothic horror and body horror, expressed through its pixelated animal characters, and features a difficulty that can be brutal and unforgiving. The narrative begins with Mina, a skilled structural engineer and earth scientist known as a Hollower, receiving a summons from Baron Lionel of Tenebrous Isle. The island's power generators, which Mina herself helped develop, are failing, and she is requested to investigate.
A Shift in Combat Philosophy
Upon arriving at Tenebrous Isle, Mina is attacked by a monster. The game immediately presents a choice of three starting weapons: the twin daggers Whisper and Vesper, the whip-like morningstar Nightstar, or the heavy Blaststrike Maul. This initial choice signals the game’s emphasis on combat and player agency. Once Mina reaches the city of Ossex, she learns that the generators have been sabotaged by an eco-terrorist named Thorne. Baron Lionel tasks Mina with repairing the six main generators surrounding the city, with vague directions provided.