Mina the Hollower

[h1] Mina the Hollower [/h1] [table] [tr] [th]PROS[/th] [th]CONS[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] Beautiful Pixel Art [/td] [td]Controls (elaborated later) [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Diverse Weapons[/td] [td]Most weapons weren't fun to use[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Great soundtrack[/td] [td]Some enemies felt unfair[/td] [/tr] [tr] [td]Neat New Game+[/td] [td]Taking fall damage stinks[/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [th]Bugs and Issues[/th] [th]Specs[/th] [/tr] [tr] [td] [list] [*] N/A [/list] [/td] [td] [list] [*] [b] PLAYED ON STEAM DECK [/b] [*]AMD Ryzen 9 3900X [*]ASUS TUF RTX 4070Ti [*]32 GB DDR4 3600MHz RAM [*]2TB PCIe 4.0 SSD [*]1440p Settings [/list] [/td] [/tr] [/table] [table] [tr] [td] Content and Replay Value [/td] [td] Mina the Hollower is Yacht Club Games foray into the adventure genre, harking back to The Legend of Zelda. They successfully develop a [b]challenging[/b] 8-bit style game that is nostalgia ridden, for good and bad. Luckily, the game is very generous with its accessibility options. Everything can be attuned to tailor your experience. This comes at the cost of immediately disabling achievements though. Once completed, the game offers an extensive New Game+ with modifiers to vary your subsequent playthroughs all the way up to a NG+7. If the love for the game is there, then you have plenty to satiate you [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td] Should you get it?[/td] [td] To be honest, I didn't find this [i]as[/i] enjoyable as Shovel Knight, but that's fine. This is a specialty and passion for Yacht Club Games who clearly told the audience, “This will feel like a Gameboy game everybody!”. It's important to keep that in mind if you decide to purchase it. I do think it's worth getting if not for the polish and nailing the assignment. But if 8-bit adventure feels too stiff or dated for you maybe pass [/td] [/tr] [tr] [td] Overall Verdict [/td] [td] 8/10. This was a challenging game. But respectfully reminded me that not every game I played as a kid was simple. Super ghost and goblins existed, and the Legend of Zelda wasn't a push over. With the trend of tough video games being as popular as it has ever been, Mina the Hollower sticks the landing on being stylish, challenging and engaging. It comes with a few issues but doesn't completely deter from a rewarding completion. Clocking in at a whopping 37hrs for near 100% completion, the game grew a little long in the tooth. Luckily the story was just compelling enough to keep me engaged and the difficulty drove me to wanting to cross the finish line [/td] [/tr] [/table] [b] Setting and Writting: [/b] Mina the Hollower is about Mina...the hollower. Anyway, Hollowers are members of a group that study the world of Tenbrous. Mina is a genius who developed Spark generators (electricity essentially) and revolutionized living in all Tenebrous. But with advancements in technology comes the adverse effects on the surroundings and those affected by it. Mina is requested to return from a research trip by Lionel, the ruler of Ossex, the capital (?) of the Tenbrous Isle. He informs Mina that someone has destroyed the six Spark Generators. This leads to stunting technological advancement, causing pollution, and affecting the weather. Yacht Club games deliver a dark adventure of the duality of technology. Benefiting those who have access, as opposed to those who don't and receive the runoff of its byproduct. Throughout her journey Mina learns who destroyed her invention, the effect on those in the surrounding area, and a dash of unforeseen mishandling. [b] Gameplay system & Bosses: [/b] As stated earlier, Mina the Hollower leans heavy on playing like a Gameboy Color/Advanced game. This is for the better and for the worse. The better. Controls are simple; you know what you're given and constricted to. There is no diagonal. Up, down, left, right. You attack; you commit. You miss; you’re punished. That simple. And there's something to that simplicity when you go through this game. Mina has a diverse arsenal of 5 main weapons and a bevy of sidearms. Your sidearms are your best friends. Yacht Club Games has even stated, if you're not utilizing them, you’re handicapping yourself. Which would be very dumb of you considering this is a game that warrants the use of your full arsenal. The game is tough and it will start tough. Un-originally compared to Dark Souls in terms of difficulty, when in fact the game reminds you that there were tough adventure games back then. More like dark souls is the progression system and your health regeneration. Defeat enemies, earn currency, and spend currency on various stats and items. Now there is some nuance to it but in the end, it is that. Health is done via flask. Whats slightly unique is that flask can be refilled from killing enemies. The worse. This game feels like it borders unfair with its enemies and bosses. As Mina, you attack in the four-directional plane. Enemies DO NOT adhere to this. They are given 8-directional attacking planes and in some cases 8-directional attack. This becomes frustrating because of the punishment of death. Then there are the flying type enemies. Albeit not many but annoying, nonetheless. Understanding where you are on your plane of being is frustrating when trying to down a flying enemy who, for the most part, has more option on where to punish you from. Then there are pits. The falling and damage taken were annoying. I get that was a choice, but man is it a stinky one. To be killed by a hole during boss fights (Happened numerously) really sucks. More so when this game asks you to commit to your attacks because some weapons have natural pushback. Spacing you away from your opponent's so you cannot spam attacks. Once you're a majority of the way through the game, these difficulties become more like annoyances. Mina becomes powerful enough to take hits but not so much where you disrespect bosses. As for the bosses, they are amazing. Between design and difficulty, they are a true testament of perseverance through pattern recognition and self-control. There were a few bosses towards the end of the game that felt unfair due to the 8-directional attack. But once you learn your timings and learn not to be greedy, it clicks [b] Quest, Mini-games & Challenges: [/b] Mina the Hollower uses a fun newspaper system to point you in the direction it suggests you go. You are free to tackle the repair of the 6 generators in just about any order (sorta kinda). But its strongly suggested that you tackle them in the order the news suggests. In the news you’ll see your [i]heroics[/i] posted and even some curious happenings if you happen upon those areas. Those happenings form out your sidequest which often lead to some form upgrades. Sidequest vary from fetch quest, mini-games, and optional boss fights. These quests are easily missed, so dont go hard on yourself if you want to keep a guide up by you. Even if missed, if you decide to do a NG+, the quest that you missed will reappear, and the ones you’ve completed will act as if they were already completed. [b] Miscellaneous (art, music, etc.): [/b] This is another area where Mina nails the assignment. It's unapologetically 8-bit Gameboy. The sprite art is beautiful, and each areas art is wholly distinct and gorgeous. The work gone into each sprite and specifically boss animations you can tell were treated with a deft touch. The music doesn't skimp either. Personally, the town of Septemburg comes to mind for its eerie fall soundtrack that accentuates with the appearance of a character who feels like they're an ode to a fall time horror legend. But each soundtrack perfectly reflects the area that Mina travels with that nostalgic 8-bit synth. Again ‘A+’. Yacht Club Games nailed it.

2d类塞不可逾越的艾尔登法环，给我带来了难以置信的快乐和惊喜。我要实体版我要实体版！！！WHEN WILL THE PHYSICAL COPY BE RELEASED ? S⁠ H U T UP AND TAKE MY MONEY !!! PLEASE YACHT CLUB GAMES!!!

Mina the Hollower has all the right ingredients, but instead of letting you enjoy them, the game constantly throws unfair diagonal hitboxes, clunky platforming, and artificial frustration your way, making every mistake feel overly punishing.

Man, where do I even begin with Mina the Hollower? Yacht Club Games really took their time after Shovel Knight, and I think it paid off. Visual / Presentation / Style I've always been a huge fan of the classic 2D Zelda games, so Mina the Hollower immediately caught my attention. The Game Boy-inspired art style looks fantastic and really does feel like something that could have existed on that hardware, just with much more detail. The island is colorful and lively, with each area using its own palette to give the different locations some personality. Audio / Sound Design The soundtrack is fantastic. Each area has music that fits its atmosphere perfectly, and there are a few tracks where I genuinely felt like the composer just went off. It has that catchy chiptune sound that fits the game really well. Gameplay / Movement / Combat The Zelda influence is obvious, but Mina the Hollower is much more focused on action. Combat is built around attacking in the four cardinal directions, which can feel a little clunky at first, but the game is clearly designed around it. The real standout is Mina's ability to burrow underground. It lets you move faster, avoid attacks, and use your momentum to reach areas you normally couldn't. It's a simple mechanic, but it gives the game its own identity and adds another layer to both movement and combat. Exploration / Progression Unlike a traditional Zelda, the game isn't heavily focused on puzzle solving. You're spending more time fighting enemies, navigating hazards, crossing gaps, and figuring out how to reach the next area. There are still plenty of secrets, keys, and hidden locations to find, but the overall focus is more action than puzzles. There are also some Soulslike touches, including a currency system that can punish repeated deaths. Enemy and boss attacks are generally well telegraphed, and the amount of content is honestly impressive for a 2D top-down adventure. Story The story is simple. Mina helped create the generators on the island, something has gone wrong, and she's returned to figure out what happened and get them working again. It gives the adventure enough context without getting in the way of the gameplay. For me, the exploration and gameplay are the real stars here. Final Thoughts Mina the Hollower understands what makes classic top-down adventures so enjoyable while still doing enough of its own thing. The visuals are great, the soundtrack is excellent, and the burrowing mechanic gives the game a clear identity. My biggest complaint is that a couple of areas are unnecessarily difficult to figure out how to reach. I spent quite a while searching before realizing I needed to interact with a specific NPC or perform a particular action. It's not a huge issue, but it was one of the few times the game felt more confusing than rewarding. Yacht Club Games clearly knows what they're doing, and Mina the Hollower proves the top-down action-adventure formula still holds up today. That's why I'd give it a 9.5/10!

i want to kiss mina thorne and rhene on the mouth Play this game it's really really fun and i had a blast 100%ing it :)

재미는 있는데, 억지로 난이도 올리려고 조잡하게 만든 부분들이 수두룩해서 일반적으로 추천할 만한 게임은 아님. 그러다 나중 가면 그 의도된 조잡함을 템 껴서 해결하는 부분들이 꽤 있어서 이중으로 병신 같음. 게임이 좋게 말하면 고전겜스럽고 나쁘게 말하면 똥겜스러움

Jogo sensacional com fazia tempo que não ficava andado por um mapa so procurando coisas aleatorias, ele te pegar a parti da musica ate a gameplay mas também tem momentos em que você quer so fechar o jogo