Ciph’s Cabinet: Mina the Hollower

Yacht Club Games have already proven themselves with the groundbreaking Shovel Knight in 2014 and its subsequent expansions, reinventing what it meant to be retro-inspired with a genre defining staple I count among my favourite 2D platformers. Nearly 12 years later, I have seen proof that lightning can strike twice. Mina the Hollower has convinced me to burrow headfirst into the top-down adventure genre with its stellar world design, combat, music… basically everything you can think of. 

Puns aside, I stand by that praise. This kind of game is so underexplored in the modern day, even in the indie game space (with only a few notable examples). Mina the Hollower is one of them; far from being just an old school Zelda-like, it takes inspiration from the games of yesteryear while thoroughly establishing its own identity. Key to exploration is Mina’s ability to burrow underground; digging into the earth allows you to find new routes, interact with the environment, and clear larger gaps than your jump by launching out of the ground. Perhaps most crucially, it lets Mina reposition around enemies, who can attack omnidirectionally versus your cardinally-locked strikes. This literal extra dimension of interaction completely overhauls combat encounters and allows the developers to create some intense encounters reminiscent of arcade bullet hells. However, this mechanic would only carry the game so far if the world wasn’t actually interesting to explore. 

Of course it’s interesting, what did I say earlier?

WELCOME TO TENEBROUS ISLE! You will become intimately familiar with every corner of this gothic island as you aim to restore the six spark generators that you, Mina, set up to grant power and technological progress to the people of Ossex, the central town. Every region is immaculately designed, and while there is a suggested order the game implies through the local newspaper you can read after every dungeon, you can tackle those six dungeons in any order. There are secrets and collectibles on just about every screen, and each area is memorable in its own right. I’m a particular fan of the western side of Tenebrous, featuring the autumn-themed Kindlewood and Septemburg—more rural civilisations than the bustling central that is Ossex—and the Backwaters, because I’m a sucker for water levels and sidequests. The soundtrack sells the journey spectacularly as well, especially Septemburg’s somber yet determined ballad and Bone Beach’s spooky rock blend. 

Speaking of sidequests, they crammed a TON in here. A plethora of trinkets to customize your moveset, secret bosses, upgrades to your health and stats, weapons, side-weapons, fish, and so, so many bonestone gems which double as both currency and experience points. I’m an explorative type, so I took notes on pen and paper and ended up with 82 percent completion after my 25 hour playthrough, but you don’t have to do any of this and can just go straight to the main objectives if you want. If you are keen on exploring Tenebrous Isle as thoroughly as possible though, I’m pleased to say that this game offers a challenge even when fully upgraded, and the item hunt for 100 percent completion was quite the joy as you become intimately familiar with the map.

Mina the Hollower doesn’t live in the shadow of its inspirations. It strikes out in its own direction, outdoing my expectations at every turn. I haven’t even mentioned the sheer number of optional modifiers to make the game harder, easier, or sillier! There’s so much to discover for your own here, easily my Game of the Year so far.  

Mina the Hollower is available on PC, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch, including Switch 2. 

Gameplay: 9/10

Writing: 8/10

Aesthetics: 10/10