Mina the Hollower Reviews
Mina the Hollower's retro world is crammed with mysteries worth finding and lively, clever combat I couldn’t get enough of – it’s a big game in a small package, and an absolute masterpiece of an adventure.
Mina is a gloriously gothic combination of ferocious combat and beautiful scenery, with enough secrets and modifiers to keep the game fresh and fun for a very long time.
Explore every inch of a cursed island in an adventure that takes inspiration from the greats.
Mina the Hollower is an almost faultless game that combines elements of nostalgic classics we know and love with a healthy dose of Yacht Club’s flair and expertise to make it something that truly stands out as a retro-inspired masterpiece.
Mina the Hollower looks like a nostalgic throwback, and it undeniably is, but its thoughtful design and larger sensibilities make it play and feel like a contemporary video game – one that has taken the right lessons from the medium’s history.
Shovel Knight was a well-deserved successful debut for Yacht Club. Mina the Hollower may be its masterpiece.
Somehow, the Dark Souls influences keep Mina from being the best Zelda-style game it could be, while the Zelda mechanics prevent it from reaching the heights of the best Soulslikes.
Mina the Hollower is an incredible action adventure game that manages to offer a lot to explore and significant depth in its combat and exploration mechanics. Every single time you try to see just a little more, and you can open up many new possibilities with new items and game-changing features. The end result is a fantastically crafted experience that should be on the top of the lists of new indie titles to give a try in 2026.
Yacht Club Games has successfully made the leap from Mario-inspired side-on platforming to Zelda-style adventure, delivering another retro-styled masterpiece. Mina the Hollower is an intricate, challenging yet accessible adventure packed with content, set against a gorgeous 8-bit gothic backdrop.
With Mina the Hollower, Yacht Club Games managed to beautifully pay homage to some of the absolute greatest classics in gaming history, all while carving out their own entirely fresh identity with an irresistible experience.
Mina the Hollower is a charming and challenging adventure that never ceased to delight and surprise in music, art, and gameplay.
Mina the Hollower has the weight of expectation upon it, and it's a game that meets many of them. The retro aesthetic is lovely, the world is well made, the boss fights are varied, and there is a lot to find, but it also has its frustrations. Poor navigation is the main factor that sucked some of the enjoyment out, with the game really wanting a better map to aid you. Still, Yacht Club Games has made a good game overall with Mina the Hollower.
The Game Boy Color lives again, via an inventive top-down adventure that’s filled with clever design decisions and surprisingly nuanced combat and gameplay.
This brilliant adventure creates a whole world from one character with a unique ability
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.
Mina the Hollower has the charm of video games that aren't afraid to demand something from the player: attention, memory, curiosity, and a certain tolerance for defeat.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Mina the Hollower is a good game for people who love the idea of mixing Zelda with Dark Souls. Unfortunately, if you don't fully love what that entails, I don't think it will win you over as much as others. For some, they will find the combat challenging in a good way, with a world you can get lost in. Others will see a series of roadblocks thrown in the player's face as they try to navigate those problems. Regardless of if you think the sum of its parts makes a masterpiece or not, Mina the Hollower was clearly crafted with a lot of passion and care.
Having moved from 2D platformer to top-down adventure game, Yacht Club Games has gone from strength to strength to deliver a game that has completely taken over my spare time, and keeps dragging me back to explore more of The Tenebrous Isle. Make no mistake, Mina The Hollower is no hollow victory, it's something truly special.
No mere Link's Awakening homage.
Mina the Hollower is a triumphant return for Yacht Club Games, creating one of the greatest retro throwbacks of all time. With its unique burrowing mechanic and challenging combat, this is nothing short of a grand adventure. Its most glaring flaw is that it ends, but at least I can continue playing with plenty of post-game content.