Mina the Hollower Review

A follow-up to their platforming sensation Shovel Knight (we’re talking Assist Trophy appearances in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!), Yacht Club Games‘ frightful action-adventure Mina the Hollower is almost here.

See whether this tiny mouse fills these big shoes with our review…

Mina the Hollower Review

Mina the Hollower kicks off with Mina returning to Tenebrous Island after many years.

Before leaving the island, Mina created Spark Generators to help the island thrive and prosper. The island has since gone dark, and Mina sets out to find out why.

Unfortunately, her boat on the way over is attacked by a Kraken, leaving her shipwrecked on the outskirts of the island. Players will then have to fight to the main town of Ossex and figure out the truth behind this disarray.

Upon arrival, Mina finds out the town guard has betrayed the town’s Baron Lional. Making short work of the former guard captain Thorne, Lional sends Mina out to fix the Spark Generators.

Setting players off on a true journey, Mina the Hollower truly begins here.

To repair these Generators, Mina will need to complete dungeons, solve puzzles, and defeat numerous bosses.

While Mina the Hollower’s mission is pretty straightforward, getting there is a completely different story.

From a gameplay perspective, the titular Hollower in Mina the Hollower has the ability to dig underground, tunnel, and burst out, allowing for either a big jump, a dodge, or the chance to pick up throwable items.

While it takes a few hours to get acclimated, but it proved to be my preferred method of travel for the early game. Other lore and story elements around the Hollowers makes an appearance, but it also serves as a crucial gameplay element.

Mina the Hollower draws heavily from The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, also featuring a top-down, action-adventure world filled with characters and style alike.

However, Mina the Hollower is more “Soulslike” than any Zelda game.

For one, Mina has an underground lab akin to a hideout. When she burrows into these checkpoints and pops back out, enemies respawn – sound familiar?

Those that die also lose EXP Bones, forcing players to go get them back to level their three main stats.

While some may consider this a hot take, Mina the Hollower’s Soulslike elements don’t feel necessary.

The title is plenty hard enough, all without the aforementioned respawning enemies and lost Bones. Understandable from a creative perspective, but annoying from a player one.

That being said, Mina the Hollower features multiple gameplay modifiers that allow for variety. Make it harder, make it easier, or even make it so you take zero damage – it is the definition of:

“Play how you want to play.”

Put simply, Mina the Hollower puts most AAA games to shame with its accessibility options.

Despite not caring for its whole “bonfire” brouhaha, Mina the Hollower’s combat is very well-balanced.

Picking the whip to start, it proved to be my bread and butter for 90% of the game. It provided extra range, and hitting the enemy with the edge of my whip ensured I dished out more damage.

Other options in Mina the Hollower include a big, slow hammer, dual blades, and others that can be purchased in the shop – spoilers!

No matter what one chooses, all weaponry in Mina the Hollower can be upgraded with Bones in town – try them all if you can afford it!

Besides weapons, players can also equip trinkets to net certain buffs. A few can be bought in town, but many need to be earned in mini-games, by exploration, or by beating certain bosses.

One allows Mina to do more damage, but taking more in return. Another provides shoes that let players walk over spikes, while another summons stinky flies to help in combat.

Even when not finding trinkets, Mina the Hollower provides S-Tier exploration. With hidden walls, secret dig spots, extra shops and quests, and so much more, Mina the Hollower both encourages and rewards exploration – and I appreciate that.

Mina the Hollower also features what many will no doubt call the most diabolical part of the game: the platforming.

Whether its “Soulslike” is debatable, but it sure feels this way.

One simply does not jump the gap and continue – it’s more like:

“Jump the gap, dodge the arrows, make sure you get enough air to avoid the spikes, and watch that knight upon landing – he’s ready to knock you off.”

I have Hollow Knight: Silksong to thank for increasing my platforming patience.

Still, the greater the challenge, the better the feeling when conquering it.

If you like hard platformers, you’ll LOVE Mina the Hollower.

That being said, Mina the Hollower lets players adjust settings so that one’s jump is insanely high, allowing you to avoid most of this.

Reviewed on the base PlayStation 5, one crash occurred during before its day one patch. That being said, there were no frame drops or any other bugs during our playthrough.

Coming in with high expectations, Mina the Hollower’s tiny mouse masterfully fills some mighty big shoes. Needless to say, Yacht Club Games has another hit on its hands.

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