A love letter to the Game Boy Color era that's 8-bit frustrating but a lot of fun.
When I was younger, games on the NES and Game Boy weren’t HD, and none of them were 3D. Even so, they carried a sense of awe and wonder, pulling me into fantastical worlds presented in glorious 8-bit form.
On weekends and during summer holidays, I’d wake up ridiculously early to dive back into those worlds… only to fall off a ledge or get demolished by a boss over and over again. Still, I kept going because I was invested in beating the game and finding out what happened next in the story. I missed those days, even with the countless great games released over the following decades, many of which pushed graphics and realism to incredible heights.
Playing Mina the Hollower brought that feeling back for me many years later, and despite the challenge it threw at me early on, the experience turned into a nostalgic yet deeply satisfying journey.
Mina the Hollower
Release Date: 29 May, 2026
Platform: PC, Mac and Linux (via Steam and GOG), Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S
Developer: Yacht Club Games
What is Mina the Hollower about?
Mina the Hollower is an action-adventure game from Yacht Club Games, the creator of Shovel Knight. The game follows Mina, a renowned Hollower who is “hurtled into a desperate mission to rescue a cursed island” known as Tenebrous Isle after the island’s generators begin malfunctioning. Mina must restore these generators while uncovering the sinister force cursing both the island and its inhabitants.
Mina the Hollower characters and graphics
What’s so good about 8-bit graphics in 2026? They’re not high-tech or hyper-realistic, some would argue. But there’s still plenty to love about them, especially when the design is meticulous, well thought-out, and aesthetically pleasing.
Mina the Hollower absolutely nails that aesthetic. None of its artwork feels lazy, and that becomes clear through the countless little details scattered across its many areas. Yacht Club Games deliberately used the Game Boy Color as inspiration to create an 8-bit style reminiscent of classic pixel-art handheld games from the 90s and early 2000s. Some character designs even evoke older The Legend of Zelda titles, though they are wrapped in a Gothic horror atmosphere that gives the game its own distinct identity.
The character writing is another standout. Mina, several major characters, NPCs, and even bosses all have memorable personalities. For example, one minor character’s obsession may leans into the familiar “lovelorn tenor” trope, but following their side quest alongside Mina somehow makes you root for them regardless of the outcome. Even the children and intentionally irritating NPCs usually have something entertaining or interesting to say, and none of it feels forced. It makes the world feel genuinely alive, which means exploring never becomes tedious.
The map design deserves praise too. The game spans roughly 17 distinct areas, each built around its own visual theme and gameplay mechanics. Some areas focus on burrowing, while others focus on railing, platforming, enemy variety, or entirely different gimmicks that keep exploration fresh throughout the journey.
The locations are packed with small but rewarding details. Even the city alone is filled with secrets and little discoveries tucked away in corners. Reaching a new area often leads to the same thought: “How do I get over there?” which constantly pushes exploration forward.
While the game is not fully open world, it embraces a non-linear structure. Mina gradually unlocks new abilities, trinkets, and upgrades that allow players to revisit earlier areas and uncover paths or secrets that were previously inaccessible. That sense of revisiting familiar places with new tools makes progression satisfying without becoming overwhelming.
The soundtrack is excellent as well. There are more tracks than I could realistically recall by memory, though each one captures that retro handheld-era feel perfectly. The tunes are catchy, varied, and tailored to the atmosphere of each area, sounding as though they were made specifically for the Game Boy era while still feeling fresh today.
What’s the gameplay of Mina the Hollower like?
I won’t mince words here: despite its cute, cosy-looking, retro-inspired 8-bit presentation, Mina the Hollower can be absolutely brutal, especially during the opening hours. Instead of gently easing players in with harmless enemies, most areas immediately throw irritating foes your way, the kind that swarm you like flies and refuse to go down in a single hit.
Without the right modifiers, that can quickly turn into bad news because the platforming takes quite a bit of getting used to, and often demands creativity from the player. Rage quitting may happen at some point, hopefully just to take a breather, but finally clearing a difficult area or beating a boss leaves behind an incredibly satisfying sense of accomplishment.
The game’s defining mechanic is burrowing, or “Hollowing”, which lets Mina tunnel through the ground. It’s used for bypassing enemies, digging up hidden items, uncovering secret passages, activating explosions, solving platforming sections, and much more. What makes the mechanic so enjoyable is how naturally integrated it feels into the entire experience. It never comes across as a gimmick thrown in for novelty. Instead, it becomes such an essential tool that Hollowing eventually feels second nature.
There’s also a lot to enjoy when it comes to boss fights. The game features around 28 bosses between mini-bosses and major encounters, and each one feels distinct. Every boss has patterns that can be learned and mastered, though many fights still require you to properly lock in if you want to survive. When defeated, Mina respawns at an Underlab, usually close to the boss room, although there are times when you’ll need to do a bit of a runback to recover resources for your sidearms. Some of those repeated trips can become slightly tiring after a while.
Thankfully, the game does become more manageable as you progress. If a particular area feels overwhelming, the non-linear structure makes it easy to leave, explore somewhere else, and return later when you’re stronger or better equipped. The in-game Newspaper is especially useful for nudging players in the right direction without outright holding their hand.
As you explore, you’ll collect Bones, the game’s main currency. These can be used to improve Mina’s stats and, eventually, upgrade weapons once enough resources have been gathered.
Speaking of weapons, the game offers five main choices, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. None of them feel outrageously overpowered, which keeps combat balanced throughout. My personal favourite ended up being the Nightstar Mace thanks to its longer reach, while the Blaststrike Maul Hammer became another standout once upgraded, especially because of the sheer damage it can dish out.
Beyond the main weapons, there are around 15 sidearms to discover, all of which consume a resource called Joule. On top of that, the game includes roughly 60 trinkets with different effects and bonuses that can significantly alter how you approach exploration and combat.
If the difficulty ever becomes too overwhelming, or somehow not overwhelming enough, the game also includes a surprisingly generous range of modifiers that allow players to make the experience either easier or more punishing.
Overall, Mina the Hollower refuses to spoon-feed or coddle its players, much like the games many of us grew up with. It happily throws you into the deep end and expects you to figure things out. Yet despite the constant deaths, lost Bones, moments of frustration, and occasional rage quits, the gameplay loop is incredibly addictive. It constantly pushes you to tackle just one more challenge, explore one more area, or attempt one more boss fight, to the point where suddenly an entire weekend can vanish, and being a functioning adult no longer seems quite as important.
How well does Mina the Hollower run on PC?
In terms of performance, we played Mina the Hollower on PC via Steam, and the experience was excellent throughout. During our playthrough, we didn’t encounter any bugs, crashes, or major technical issues.
Loading times were also impressively quick, with transitions between areas taking only a few seconds. It may seem like a small detail, but it makes a huge difference in maintaining immersion, especially in a game where exploration and constant backtracking play such a major role.
Verdict
Overall, Mina the Hollower is a gem of gems that can be easily considered an early game of the year contender. All the effort that the devs at Yacht Club Games poured into the six years of developing it really shone through here, through every pixel, every movement and every note throughout the game. The game is polished through and through, from its design choices to its characters and maps, and even the music and gameplay choices.
The devs succeeded in making a game that showcased and emulated what retro handheld games were like: fun, sometimes gritty and extremely challenging, with a huge payoff at the end of each challenge. For such a low price, players are bound to get a lot more bang for their buck. If you grew up in the era of NES games, Game Boy games and other old handhelds, this is going to be a blast for you.
And if you didn't, playing Mina the Hollower could introduce and deliver that retro experience to you for the very first time.
Mina the Hollower is available to purchase on PC, Linux, and Mac via Steam and GOG, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 for US$19.99. We received a copy of the game for this review.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Mina the Hollower cost?
Mina the Hollower is available to purchase for US$19.99.
Can Mina the Hollower run on Steam Deck?
Yes, Mina the Hollower can run on Steam Deck.
Which platforms can run Mina the Hollower?
Mina the Hollower can run on PC, Mac and Linux (via Steam and GOG). Consoles that can run the game include the Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
How long is a playthrough of Mina the Hollower?
One run of Mina the Hollower is about twenty to thirty plus hours.
Does Mina the Hollower have Post-Game Unlocks or New Game Plus?
Beating the game unlocks additional options, including many new Modifiers and New Game Plus. All of these can also be unlocked at any time with cheat codes, which is helpful if you are switching platforms or starting a fresh file. Starting Modifiers can only be enabled on the Profile Select screen before beginning a new adventure.
New Game Plus changes each time you cycle through it! It is considered "complete" after finishing NG+7, though you can continue beyond that.
Does Mina the Hollower have difficulty and accessibility modifiers?
Yes, the game has difficulty and accessibility modifiers. However, toggling this will disable your ability to record certain accomplishments and feats in the game.
When will Mina the Hollower come out?
Mina the Hollower will release on 29 May, 2026.
Is Mina the Hollower going to have a DLC?
For now, there is no DLC planned for Mina the Hollower. However, some post launch updates will be released in the future.
