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[Chukhopops]

For people who enjoy chiptune style music this is heaven. Banger after banger.

The game demands a lot from you, not just in terms of execution but understanding how you navigate the map, where you are etc. Combined with the healing and death rules this creates a very tight, rewarding experience.

 

[Pimpollo818]

I don't have many complaints, I've been having a great time. I think I'm 3 or 4 generators in.

strengths: level design, secrets, combat difficulty, the minigames
weakness: fiddling with menus to swap out gear (no realtime swaps or loadouts from what I can tell), no map annotation

It scratches that 2D Zelda itch for sure. I'm also enjoying the soundtrack a great deal.

 

[Dynasty8]

Really enjoying it. Polished to perfection.

My one minor gripe - I wish the graphics were a little less brutalist. They've nailed the style. It's just a little *too* ugly on occasion.

Agreed, kinda wish it was more 16bit than 8bit.

 

[mèx]

Of Zero Punctuation (now Fully Ramblomatic) fame. Not sure what reading comprehension has to do with video game moon logic, but you do you.

I thought he closed down shop.

Anyway, it's because it's literally written in the manual in plain English, you don't have to figure out anything. The game nudges you to read the manual due to the absence of tutorials (aside from the very basic stuff at the beginning).

 

[Branded]

How does this compare to Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo?

 

[mèx]

How does this compare to Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo?

They are both GOTY material and it's a shame that Pipistrello didn't get much traction last year.

Anyway, Pipistrello is more puzzle focused with ability-gated exploration. Even the combat encounters can be seen as a puzzle to solve, it's really creative. You have one weapon but it can be upgraded to do a lot of stuff.

Mina is more open ended, you can tackle regions in any order since exploration is not gated by abilities. The combat is more demanding here, you need to understand the burrowing mechanic well to not get hit. You have multiple weapons to choose from, you can upgrade them two times which add some new damage conditions or moves.

Exploration is great in both, it's one of the highlights for me. Both reward searching every nook and cranny and being smart about how to navigate the environment.

Mina, Pipistrello and UNSIGHTED are the GOATed Zelda-like trifecta. Everyone should play them.

 

[tamago84]

Am i supposed to burrow under that guard

 

[Forth]

How does this compare to Pipistrello and the Cursed Yoyo?

Pipistrello is the better game.

 

[Dirk Benedict]

This is some Big Dick Shit. I am going to cop this.

 

[Branded]

They are both GOTY material and it's a shame that Pipistrello didn't get much traction last year.

Anyway, Pipistrello is more puzzle focused with ability-gated exploration. Even the combat encounters can be seen as a puzzle to solve, it's really creative. You have one weapon but it can be upgraded to do a lot of stuff.

Mina is more open ended, you can tackle regions in any order since exploration is not gated by abilities. The combat is more demanding here, you need to understand the burrowing mechanic well to not get hit. You have multiple weapons to choose from, you can upgrade them two times which add some new damage conditions or moves.

Exploration is great in both, it's one of the highlights for me. Both reward searching every nook and cranny and being smart about how to navigate the environment.

Mina, Pipistrello and UNSIGHTED are the GOATed Zelda-like trifecta. Everyone should play them.

Pipistrello is the better game.

Hmmm might just grab Pipistrello first then because it's only a tenner on the eShop right now. Thanks!

 

[poodaddy]

They should have just named this 'The Hollower', would have been an immensely better name, but I think it'll be successful off Yacht Club's pedigree; I mean that's why I'm definitely gonna buy it. Glad to see everyone's diggin it.

 

[L*][*N*K]

This game is so fucking hard, loving it

 

[Zacfoldor]

It's currently the 4th slide on the homepage of my eshop.

Top billing is Yoshi, Starfox, Rebirth, and Mina

They should have just named this 'The Hollower', would have been an immensely better name, but I think it'll be successful off Yacht Club's pedigree; I mean that's why I'm definitely gonna buy it. Glad to see everyone's diggin it.

 

[Little Mac]

Only about an hour into it. Amazing experience so far. Lots of secrets.

 

[Majukun]

finished the second area.
It's a good game, although I wish it would give more intuitive and responsive movement options...fighting enemies in close spaces is a nightmare

 

[touchfuzzy]

They should have just named this 'The Hollower', would have been an immensely better name, but I think it'll be successful off Yacht Club's pedigree; I mean that's why I'm definitely gonna buy it. Glad to see everyone's diggin it.

They could've gone with "The Hollower's Night" just for lols and confusion.

 

[mèx]

Second generator down, with all the power ups, trinkets and OP sidearms the game is becoming easier for sure. There is a sidearm (the green potion) that makes you dash + if you dash through enemies it restores health. Combine that with the trinket that gives you back Joule on heal and you can spam it, giving you insane mobility with integrated healing.

Finally I figured out the mirrors, hint: go back to the manor and see what happens there...

I'm taking tons of screenshots of places/chests I can't reach currently. Without a map it's the best way to keep track of things. The game world is dense enough that it's easy to remember all the routes and shortcuts, but remembering every item left behind can be quite difficult.

 

[touchfuzzy]

Yeah it starts out very difficult but I'm on my way to the second generator now and having an easier / more enjoyable time. Better items, defense, more restarts. The trinket that gives me an extra life will never leave.

I mean I spent my first hour + not even knowing that you could dive into the checkpoints to recover your health and potions, lol. I know there's an in game manual but there's a few more things they probably should explain in the game itself.

 

[mèx]

Not bad, it's far higher than any Shovel Knight game. It should easily reach 500k copies sold, which is the target Yatch Club Games would be happy to reach (200k would still be decent from what they said).

Yeah, I know, the CCU should be 10x that number, but it is what it is.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

GOG DRM free.

Mina the Hollower

Descend into a frightful world of action-adventure in Mina the Ho

www.gog.com

 

[kevboard]

Yahtzee covered this in his review and reading it here doesn't make it any less counterintuitive.

I found it out because the game has multiple instances where it very clearly nudges you to jump into water.

like every mechanic in the game it's explained through level design, and if you're a yellow-paint enjoyer you can always look in the manual lol

 

[Spukc]

Don't pick the hammer.

Stop

HAMMER-TIME

 

[Dice]

I'm really glad this game has detailed tuning of different mechanics in assists. Not everyone wants a Zelda 1 meets Bloodborne. It seems tastes in gaming go one way or the other and it is best to just allow for it across all audiences. Let the "feats" be the testament of your "creative intention" not the sole path of access to content or development of mastery. It is a wise decision. If your goal is to get people to experience that specific vision, many who would have been quickly turned off will likely come around to the default over time. If it is simply to let people have fun with your product, more people now can. It is especially good for those with actual motor disabilities, whether the condition they experience is developmental, degenerative, or from injury.

 

[undeadhero]

At Spark 3, I'm enjoying it, but it is tedious in places.

 

[kevboard]

Don't pick the hammer.

I picked the hammer. I since got the whip, but I'm sticking with the hammer and upgraded it as well

 

[Blackage]

I'm back and forth about how I feel about this game. I destroyed Silksong but I'm struggling here and there a bit here with this game, and it's not just the difficulty in general, some things are janky and or feel cheap, flying enemies in particular work my fucking nerves.

 

[VGA-Games]

I finally bought the Mina the Hollower - Nintendo Switch 2 Edition

 

[TropicanaTwista]

I generally like the game but probably my biggest issues are the difficulty. My first hour or two was extremely tough but now it almost seems like a breeze. It's the main problem I have with these type of game where you can go to any area you want first. You go to an area and beat it, get stronger and better weapons/ trinkets, so now when going to other areas, I feel kind of OP. I'm not sure if the enemies are suppose to scale or what, but so far it doesn't seem like it. Could also be in just getting better at the controls and what not, but I'd rather the game be a little more linear and force you to certain areas first.


Also, I wish the map was better. It's really not all that helpful and kind of lame you can over view it in your safe room (can't remember what that area is called). I get the game wants you to explore and I do appreciate that, but there's so many hidden secrets, that I feel like them giving you a lame map is kind of pointless and could have probably gave you something that shows off the main paths.

 

[mèx]

Third generator down, I'm finding navigating the zones more challenging than the area bosses, most of the times I clear them on my first try.

Managed to clear the long gap located in the gardens just outside the manor. Man, that boss was tough, took me a while to bring her down.. The trinket that delays the damage by speading it over few seconds is quite useful against bosses that deal massive damage.

To keep things fresh I'm swapping weapons after clearing the generators, I played with the whip in the first two main zones and the hammer in the third (Septemburg). The whip is great for maintaining distance between you and the enemies, so they can't deal contact damage and it's easier to dodge since you are away from the enemies. The problem is that dealing with flying enemies is tough, since the whip is on the slower side. The hammer is fantastic, the fact that you can sidestep/dodge while charging is huge. It has a good reach and the swing hits in a large area.

I'm trying the knives now, liking them so far.

Could also be in just getting better at the controls and what not, but I'd rather the game be a little more linear and force you to certain areas first.

I think it's both, by playing the game you get better at handling burrowing during combat, which makes a huge difference. Add all upgrades and trinkets to that and the difficulty cannot keep up, at least compared to the beginning. The game is still decently challenging, just not unforgiving as the beginning. Some of the optional content is still kicking my ass though.

 

[Ozzie666]

I was alittle worried at the start, but the game really starts to click and become 'easier/fun'. So many secrets, great level design, puzzles. Just take your time and investigate every screen.

I do wonder how people's brains would have handled this on the NES or SNES era. Would it receive more or less praise than today.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Two towers lit up. Having a freaking blast so far with the game. So many secrets and thing I still don't know how to solve.

 

[Dacvak]

This game can become fucking brutal. I'm still early on.

I thought I'd be able to drink and fumble my way through the game, like most 2D Zeldas, but it's been handing me my ass if I'm not paying attention.

 

[touchfuzzy]

I do wonder how people's brains would have handled this on the NES or SNES era. Would it receive more or less praise than today.

If this exact game came out back then it would be unequivocally recognized as one of, if not the absolute the greatest games ever made.

 

[WhiteWaterM00se]

For those that are playing it. What are you all thinking about this game so far?

 

[Chukhopops]

Damn the bayou is kicking my ass hard between the giant enemies and all the platforming. But I love it.

Only criticisms so far:
- the Z-axis is a bit wonky especially with stairs and flying enemies;
- bosses are interesting design wise but not that amazing to fight. A lot of them are just "be big and rush at you";
- you lose your sidearm when you die.

 

[NeoIkaruGAF]

Started this yesterday, beat one area.

I'm not fond of a lot of decisions they made.
No map from the start is certainly a choice, considering the scope of the game.
And Souls mechanics in a 2026 2D game is… eh. One would hope we'd have left that era behind, but nope.
And it's not only about losing currency on dying. It's about the game being quite a cheap bastard with enemy patterns and positioning. A lot of very quick fuckers and convenient collisions. I beat a certain optional boss only because he basically got himself stuck. Otherwise, his health bar and pattern are absolutely ridiculous. I haven't seen something like this since Elden Ring.

Controlling Mina isn't exactly fun. She's stiff as hell, can only attack in 4 directions, and using the same button for jumping and burrowing wasn't the smartest idea when some battles can get pretty heated.
The graphics are decent. Not exactly charming, and it can be difficult to judge depth.

And seriously, Jake Kaufman has to tone down the noise in his chiptunes. A real Game Boy sounds less grating than this game and Shovel Knight. Most tracks aren't that good in and of themselves, and all that noise only makes them worse.

So far, the game is solid, but not great.

 

[Avid Reading Horse]

Congrats to the Mina thread for getting me to pull the trigger on the Pipistrello deal. I would have bought Mina but I can have the same thing for half the price, why not be a cheap horse?!? (Yes yes I'm sure they're different but to me they are both just acclaimed retro 2D Zelda-alikes with questionable character designs so what the heck).

 

[Soodanim]

Dude, this game is so fucking good.

You ever play a game where you're like "wow, the dev team and QA explored literally every single possible aspect of this game, from the map layouts, to the input frame timing, all the way to the QoL of the menus"

That's this game. This feels like a game that was 100% finished two years ago, and then they were like "okay, now let's find every little tiny aspect that isn't perfect yet and fix it".

I believe this game is a 10/10. Not because it's the greatest game I've ever played, but because I think it's the greatest game it can be.

This is an endorsement that resonates with me to the point that I'm probably going to buy it from this review alone.

 

[Ogbert]

Started this yesterday, beat one area.

I'm not fond of a lot of decisions they made.
No map from the start is certainly a choice, considering the scope of the game.
And Souls mechanics in a 2026 2D game is… eh. One would hope we'd have left that era behind, but nope.
And it's not only about losing currency on dying. It's about the game being quite a cheap bastard with enemy patterns and positioning. A lot of very quick fuckers and convenient collisions. I beat a certain optional boss only because he basically got himself stuck. Otherwise, his health bar and pattern are absolutely ridiculous. I haven't seen something like this since Elden Ring.

Controlling Mina isn't exactly fun. She's stiff as hell, can only attack in 4 directions, and using the same button for jumping and burrowing wasn't the smartest idea when some battles can get pretty heated.
The graphics are decent. Not exactly charming, and it can be difficult to judge depth.

And seriously, Jake Kaufman has to tone down the noise in his chiptunes. A real Game Boy sounds less grating than this game and Shovel Knight. Most tracks aren't that good in and of themselves, and all that noise only makes them worse.

So far, the game is solid, but not great.

It gets better.

I broadly agree with your points, but the gameplay does open up.

 

[Dice]

I find the world and style charming overall. A bit of a Secret of Nimh thing going on. The music is good enough but I can't say I got any tunes in my head. I like the idea of the weapons and items and the enemies can be fun. However, I think overall it isn't really my style of game, as I certainly wouldn't like it if it weren't for the assists.

-4 way instead of 8 way seems like caveman shit. It is so completely antithetical to everything games have been for the majority of my life, and I am not young.
-Not into the souls aspect, completely disabled it.
-Why does she jump up before burrowing? Why does fire on the top of the ground hurt her underground? Various things seem like needless added vulnerability as part of the core kit and as unintuitive as it can be, it simply introduces a lot of trial and error. When a substantial part of the challenge comes down to pure trial and error to learn the unintuitive rules of circumstances, that is not my thing.
-On that topic, there are times I turned off damage altogether and it was still a substantial challenge just by platforming and obstruction alone. A ton of trial and error. This is not simply because of timing with moving platforms and such, but enemies that spawn when deep into a platform challenge with a lot of annoying movements and projectiles, and (surprisingly to me) a many of them employing heavy vision obstruction so you can barely see what is involved. I simply do not understand this decision. Falling down the pit 500 times with nearly full cheating enabled seems a bit crazy. I don't think I am terrible at games, they just went really really hard at times. If this were combined with runbacks from the few save points… yeah I'd nope out. I did, technically.
-Navigating through the areas is a constant puzzle and working through them is a large part of the fun, yet they seem so convoluted in overall design that I feel I never have a grasp of an area even when I have fully cleared it and opened up the shortcuts. I am rarely fully sure of where I am going. This is the opposite of Zelda and Souls/Elden Ring, where I feel the worlds are rather coherent and my mind maps them out to a comforting familiarity that makes the game like home to me.

Overall, I am surprised at the sort of game they made it to be. I was really expecting something more old school. If not like a Zelda then maybe like an Alundra. If making it hard, maybe more in a Ys sort of way. Yet this design is fully within the new school of hyper hard indie games where it feels like everything is made to just stack on layer after layer of obstruction and balls to juggle and run them all at once in various blends, requiring inventive total mastery of tools that you can maybe discover somewhere in there if you went down the right path. That is something not even Dark Souls is new school enough to be doing. I can't say I understand the appeal, so I am glad they allowed the ability to edit in moderation to let a player maybe get a nice concept of what is all involved before committing to their vision.

 

[mèx]

Congrats to the Mina thread for getting me to pull the trigger on the Pipistrello deal. I would have bought Mina but I can have the same thing for half the price, why not be a cheap horse?!? (Yes yes I'm sure they're different but to me they are both just acclaimed retro 2D Zelda-alikes with questionable character designs so what the heck).

Both are the best in the genre for sure, but they are quite different. They are like different evolutions of the 2D Zelda formula. Check out UNSIGHTED too, it leans open ended like Mina but has proper dungeons like Pipistrello. The map design is fantastic.

For those that are playing it. What are you all thinking about this game so far?

I'm thinking that it's

The craft and care put into this game is insane. They had a vision and stuck to it, no compromises (accessibility settings aside). Mina is the game that makes you go "that's why I fucking love videogames".