The year is 2014, often considered to be one of the weakest in the history of gaming. One of the shining beacons of hope in an otherwise dull year was the release of a little Kickstarter-backed title called Shovel Knight, by a then-unknown team called Yacht Club Games. I won’t sugarcoat it: I think that Shovel Knight is an absolute 10/10 game, one of the greatest games ever made, and arguably the best indie title in history. This led to the beginning of an immense franchise, one that spawned multiple DLC expansions and spinoffs.

But that was the only game franchise Yacht Club Games became known for (well, with the exception of the publishing of a platformer called Cyber Shadow). While we’re (hopefully) waiting for an actual Shovel Knight sequel, the development team has decided to come up with a brand new IP, completely different from what they had done in the past. Instead of a platformer, we are now venturing into Zelda-esque territory. Instead of a knight, we control a mouse. Said game is Mina the Hollower, and it’s safe to say that Yacht Club has now proven, once more, that they’re not a one-trick pony. They have, yet again, hit the jackpot with another masterpiece.

You can choose between four weapons at the start of the game, but I went with the whip. I’ll always pick a whip if I can.

In this game, you play as the titular Mina, an inventor and pseudo-mage who has been sponsored by a wealthy nobleman named Lionel (who’s also a lion, mind you) to create Spark-generating towers throughout the land of Tenebrous, bringing technological progress to an otherwise bleak land. Some time after the creation of such towers, Mina is summoned back to the island, only to be attacked a rebelious group dead set on destroying her inventions. Tenebrous is also plagued with monsters, so Mina’s new goal, with Lionel’s backing, is to venturing through the island, defeat tons of enemies, restore each tower to its original state, and understand why they have been attacked in the first place.

I’ll say: the story in Mina the Hollower isn’t the most complex, and you can see some of its twists from about two parsecs away. But that doesn’t matter, to be honest. This is a perfect case in which the journey is a lot more interesting than the destination. I didn’t care realizing each twist and issue happening hours before they eventually occurred; it was the way the story was told, the dialogue exchanges were written, and the smart nods to how some classic games tackled their storytelling that made this plot so enjoyable. The game’s lore is rich, Tenebrous is populated with really interesting characters, and your actions actually have an impact on the overworld, depending how you tackle them. And to be fair, the plot and world building aren’t even the best things this game has to offer.

Believe it or not, this hulking mass of rodent meat is one of the game’s first enemies, and becomes a common mob foe after a while.

Gameplay-wise, Mina the Hollower follows a very similar premise to the one set by Shovel Knight. If that game was Yacht Club Games basically perfecting the NES 2D formula, Mina the Hollower is their attempt at making the best 8-bit Zelda ever conceived. In particular, their goal was to make something akin to the Game Boy Color-era Zelda games: Link’s Awakening, Oracle of Ages, and Oracle of Seasons. This can be seen by the game’s overall perspective, character design, and most important, color pallette. Every single sprite was drawn according the hardware limitations of the Game Boy Color, just like how Shovel Knight was designed with the NES’ hardware limitations in mind. And boy, were they successful at that. The game looks absolutely gorgeous under said constraints, with creative level and character designs.

The same can be said about the sound department. Shovel Knight‘s soundtrack is one of my favorite video game soundtracks of all time, and I’d go as far as to say that the theme song to the first level, “Strike the Earth“, might be in the top three gaming compositions ever made. So I was expecting a lot from yet another collection of tunes from returning composer Jake Kaufman. And yep, he’s still got it. It might not be as iconic as the soundtrack from Yacht Club’s previous game (then again, that would have been absolutely impossible to topple), but boy oh boy, is it fantastic. We even have some guest compositions by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro included in the package.

Are you supposed to be the Meta Knight to Mina’s Kirby?

Back to the gameplay: so if we’re talking about an homage to Link’s Awakening, are we talking about a simplistic, top-down action adventure with RPG elements? Yes, but far from simplistic. You see, Game Boy-era Zelda is ONE of Mina the Hollower‘s influences; it’s not the game’s entire identity. For as much as I love these games, we gotta be honest about their shallow combat, for instance. So the game is akin to these Zelda titles in terms of its presentation and retro charm, but we need to talk about two other major influences: Castlevania and Bloodborne. Let’s start with the former.

From Castlevania, comes a good chunk of the combat. Mina’s main weapon is a whip, though you have access to other primary weapons, if you prefer to tackle a different combat style. You might want to use a pair of daggers if you want to be fast and active, or a gigantic tombstone that acts like a shield, one with a shockingly competent parrying mechanic to boot. Yep, they were able to make parrying viable in a goddamn 8-bit adventure game. You also have access to secondary weapons which work exactly like the ones from old Castlevania, including a flying dagger, axe, and some new inventions, such as a drill that lets you dash over pits, and portal generator, and much more. In true Castlevania fashion, they require ammo, in the shape of small potions called “Joules”.

You are definitely not a sus dude, and I totally trust you.

Then there’s Bloodborne. I’ll be honest, I think that Mina the Hollower drinks as much from Bloodborne’s red-tinged fountain than from Link’s Awakening‘s. From that game, comes the Gothic horror setting (albeit much cuter and, uh, “furrier”), main hub, and huge emphasis on aggressive battles. For instance, you cannot find health pickups anywhere throughout the overworld. You have a limited amount of flasks, and the amount of health they recover is based on how much damage you’ve dealt towards enemies. In essence, if you want to restore your life, you cannot be passive or defensive; Mina the Hollower wants you to aggro the hell up.

Combat is also really aggressive in the sense you have to constantly avoid enemy attacks by briefly digging underground. Think of it as a dodge roll: Mina can not only avoid enemy attacks this way, but also encounter small holes that lead to secret areas, or burrow underneath, say, an explosive barrel, and use it as a weapon. Finally, one last influence from Bloodborne’s combat comes in how you can recover your experience points / currency. In Bloodborne, they were Blood Echoes; in Mina the Hollower, they are Bones. Yep, literal bones. If an enemy defeats you, and you are brought back to a checkpoint (they also work like a Bonfire, restoring your vials and all overworld enemies), you can recover your loot by killing whoever had previously killed you. Once again, an emphasis on being aggressive and proactive.

Who the hell came up with this design…

Then again, just calling Mina the Hollower a collection of previously released gameplay elements thrown in a blender is a disservice to its creativity. I really liked some of its other elements, such as Trinkets – passive buffs which can either grant you additional stats or completely new abilities, such as conjuring a web platform when falling onto a pit, being able to crawl inside walls, or getting a continuous burrowing mechanic which can also be used as a diving tool.

You can combine these trinkets together in order to pretty much play a version of “the floor is lava” inside Mina the Hollower. And when you think you’re the first person who has come up with a strategy that would otherwise sequence break a puzzle… well, Yacht Club had already thought of that beforehands, putting treasure and hidden secrets in these places you have just discovered. There is just so much to do and see, it’s ridiculous. The map might not be immense, but it is DENSE. Every single screen has something to unveil. Every single area is plastered with collectibles, powerups, additional trinkets, and shortcuts to other areas.

Did into these small burrows to access your Underlab. They act like this game’s Bonfires,

Indeed, the map can be a bit daunting to explore at times. The reason is the overall lack of a map feature you can access with the press of a button. You only have access to a very rudimentary map at your hideouts, so you basically need to memorize each area’s layout. It can be a bit overwhelming at times. I get that Mina the Hollower wants you to get lost in its world and experiment with trinkets and accessories. Figuring out puzzle solutions on your own is really rewarding, that I have to admit. But I wish this small accessibility option had been available in a more detailed way, even as a post-game or New Game Plus offering.

Between the main campaign, dying a few times against bosses, grinding a bit on experience, and doing a TON of sidequests for the sake of never wanting the game to end, I beat Mina the Hollower in about 20-ish hours. It is a packed game, but I know I cruised through it at a very relaxed pace. I simply wanted to explore every nook and cranny, whenever I had received a new item or unlocked a new shortcut. There is an achievement for completing it in less than four hours, and I honestly think it is a bit of a disservice to everything this little gem has to offer. This is the kind of game you have to savor like a fine wine.

This game’s dialogue is a thing of beauty at times.

I knew this was going to be a good game, considering its dev team’s track record, but even then, Mina the Hollower surpassed my expectations. It is a bonafide masterpiece of a game. Not only does it pay homage to the Game Boy era of Zelda, I’d go as far as to say that it surpasses its main source of inspiration. It’s colorful, it’s charming, it’s incredibly well-written, well-designed, with a great combat system and a dense world that just begs for you to explore every single corner. I wish nothing but the best for it and Yacht Club Games; I want this game to sell millions, and for everyone to experience this masterpiece of a retro-tinged adventure.

Mina the Hollower is available now on PS5, Xbox Series S/X, PC, Switch and Switch 2.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB and Asus ROG Ally.

A copy of Mina the Hollower was provided by the publisher.