Mina the Hollower Review - A Future Retro-Action Classic According to TheGamer

With Mina the Hollower, Yacht Club Games doesn't simply repeat the charming 8-bit score of Shovel Knight: the studio pays a sharp literary tribute to the Zelda and Castlevania games of the Game Boy Color era, while forging its own identity. You play as Mina, an engineer mouse sent to a cursed island to find out what's behind malfunctioning power generators, a pretext for an adventure as expansive as it is vibrant. Let's now look at TheGamer's verdict on this gem!

Beneath the surface of a sharp, top-tier action-adventure gameplay shell, once things get going, Mina has three main weapon types (whip, daggers, hammer) that change the way she approaches fights and bosses, each with a difficulty level scaled according to the chosen weapon. The dodge system, which relies on the ability to burrow into the ground, turns every skirmish into a timed ballet of weaving between projectiles and traps.

Visually, the game dons an "idealized" GBC pixel-art style according to the TheGamer journalist: limited palettes, tiny yet remarkably expressive sprites, subtle modern lighting effects that never disrupt the overall consistency. The environments - ruined villages, haunted manors, crypts teeming with creatures - are packed with small details and secrets to unearth. On the audio side, chiptune themes driven by aggressive basslines and catchy melodies linger long after you've turned off the console, with crisp, punchy sound effects that heighten the feedback of every hit.

Mina the Hollower's length is surprisingly generous for a game of this format: Yacht Club speaks of a main adventure lasting 20 to 30 hours depending on your curiosity, your build, and your endurance, not counting side challenges and New Game + options. Difficult, but never unfair, compact yet dense, Mina the Hollower already has all the hallmarks of a future classic for fans of old-school action-adventure, still according to TheGamer. And we're firmly on board!