By the time this interview is up, our review for Mina the Hollower will also be up. It is, without a doubt, one of the best indie games released in years. Also one of the greatest games I’ve played over the past few couple of years. Yacht Club Games’ ability to transition from a decade of platform perfection with Shovel Knight (and its many, MANY spinoffs) to a love letter to the Game Boy era of Zelda felt incredibly natural – they’re just this good in their craft.

It’s games like these, with long development periods and clear cases of developers clearly showing their passion and influences throughout the crafting process, that make me want to know more of, direct from their creators. I reached out to Yacht Club Games with a few questions, and Mina the Hollower‘s lead programmer, David D’Angelo, was kind enough to accept the invitation to a quick interview.

The entire game was crafted with the Game Boy Color’s limitations in mind, at least visually-wise.

WTMG: It’s been more than a decade since your (fantastic) debut, Shovel Knight. After many ports, spin-offs, and even the release of a Shovel Knight amiibo, Yacht Club Games has decided to come up with a new IP. What led you guys to this decision?

David D’Angelo: Oh, thank you so much! We always wanted to have another tentpole franchise: if Shovel Knight is our Mario, what would be our Zelda? And there you have it: that answer is Mina the Hollower!

When did development on Mina the Hollower begin? Given the game’s scope, and the sheer amount of side content I’m still discovering, it feels like it must have been in development for quite a while…

DD: We started the project in 2020. It’s been quite a long time…maybe so long it’s not even possible to find all the side content!

Has Mina the Hollower been developed with the same color palette limitations you imposed on Shovel Knight, using only sprites and colors that would have been possible on an older console – this time being the Game Boy Color?

DD: That’s the idea! The Game Boy Color only limits you by having a fixed set of colors… it doesn’t choose them for you. We went through the fun process of looking at lots of Game Boy Color games and trying to pick the colors we felt best represented the system.

How do you view these self-imposed sprite limitations? More as a challenge to test the team’s skills, or as a way to actively encourage creativity?

DD: In one way, it pays respect to the games that inspired us and helps fans know what to expect from the game we’re making. But like you mentioned, restrictions like that also help us be more creative with our ideas… and not go too nuts. And we can go nuts pretty easily – it took us six years to make the game, after all!!

It might be a Gothic horror setting, but this game is far from being dour.

Just like with your previous games, I’ve noticed some clear influences in Mina the Hollower’s design: Link’s Awakening, Castlevania, and even a bit of Bloodborne. Once again, you’re blending ideas from retro games with design sensibilities from more modern titles. Is that something you consciously aim for with your games, making them feel less like simple retro revivals, and more like a bridge between past and present?

DD: Our goal is always to make people love games! Not just our games, but look back at games in the past and see why they were cool and interesting. Something like Final Fantasy Adventure might not be high on people’s list of games they are returning to, but it’s awesome to play a game like that and see how they masterfully brought you right into the action with a crazy scenario and boss fight.

Doing the same idea in our game might make you think about booting up an old game like that, and see what the fuss was all about. Our games can be a window into how gamers and creators tastes changed and what might still be cool if ideas of yore were given space to breathe today.

One of the game’s areas is a poisonous swamp. Did that inspiration come from where I think it did? (Wink Wink)

DD: If you’re winking from Louisiana, then yes. For many of the game’s themes, we looked at real-world folklore and mythology from the Victorian era and tried to cram as much of it into the game as possible.

Jake Kaufman returns as the game’s composer, but the legendary Yuzo Koshiro has also contributed a few tracks. You’re clearly fans of retro gaming, so what was it like working with a composer with that kind of legacy?

DD: It was incredible. He’s masterful in his approach to composition. As soon as we heard his tracks, we all knew the game was being elevated to another level.

How to make a game challenging, but also accessible.

I’ve noticed that, while still being far from a pushover, Mina the Hollower feels a bit more accessible than some of your previous games. Was that an intentional decision?

DD: One of the aspects of creating an RPG that excited us was how the more time you put into them, the more they reward you. So even if you find something challenging, there’s always a way forward – whether that means upgrading your gear, leveling up, or tackling another challenge first. When building out the game, we leaned into that as much as we could.

Just like some of Shovel Knight’s expansions, Mina the Hollower blends gothic horror with cutesy imagery. Could you tell us a bit more about how you approached that tonal balance?

DD: It was tough! We looked at Castlevania a lot for inspiration. Basically, the question was: how do we make a scary game that kids still feel comfortable playing? We had some experience with Specter of Torment, but building an entire world around that concept is much more daunting. It’s also hard for us to avoid slipping in a joke here and there… sometimes that can make things even scarier, because you’re in a good mood and then suddenly get caught off guard with a scare… BOO!

Finally, Yacht Club Games is approaching the release of a brand-new game, but this time, you’re no longer a small, relatively unknown team. You now have the reputation of being the studio behind one of the most beloved platformers of the past decade, along with far more visibility through gaming conventions and even a Nintendo Direct.

Has that made development a more relaxed experience, or has it actually brought more pressure to live up to the sky-high expectations set by your previous games?

DD: Working on the game has felt largely the same! But… interacting with the outside world has been a surprise. In some ways, we thought our ‘clout’ would make it easier to secure visibility than it was the first time around, but it’s still a daily grind to get noticed. Our fans also have much higher expectations; when we made Shovel Knight, no one was asking whether it would live up to our previous work; now, that’s all we hear about. One thing hasn’t changed, though: no one really knows how good this game will be! People think they know what it is, but they’re in for a shock!