Mina The Hollower Review

If Mina were in my house, I’d call pest control to come and kill the little rat. But as they’re wheeling out the tiny rodent carcass, I’d lean into the bodybag and whisper, “Thank you.”

All of that’s to say this game can go f!@k itself, but it’s also outstanding. Let’s dig in (like that stupid mouse likes to do.)

The latest release from Shovel Knight developers Yacht Club Games, Mina the Hollower, puts you in control of Mina, a mouse that’s good at digging, or hollowing, if you will.

From the get-go, the game is a pure nostalgia blitz. It feels like booting up a Game Boy in all the best ways. Some cursory scene setting plops you in a fantasy mouse world, and then you’re pretty quickly thrown into the action. And the action is hard. Sometimes too hard for my liking. But some of you freaks will froth this.

At your disposal are a series of weapons, side arms, and potions. Traversing the world is similar to classic Zelda titles, with four-directional movement, grass to cut, items to break, and secrets to uncover. However, Mina has modernised the classic formulas that those who remember a pre-9/11 world will be familiar with. Menus are sharp, animations are so smooth and artistically stunning, and unique touches (like tunnelling to move) feel fresh.

The repetition cycle when things don’t line up is absolutely brutal. To make the most of your time in the game, you really need to be combing over every inch of the map for resources. When you die, you are sent back a punishing distance, with the threat of losing your precious, precious bones if you die twice in a row (yes, bones really are your currency).

Levelling up and the soft save system took some time to get my head around, but it’s where the game sets itself apart from its inspirations and enters into the unique territory. It’s unlike other games in as many ways as it wears clear inspirations on its sleeve.

Aside from the combat, traversal is another challenge, with platforming to master and different tools at your disposal for speedrunning an enemy-dense section. If we’re going all-in on naming influences, there’s a sprinkle of Super Mario platforming in with the Zeldvania exploration and combat.

Did it feel Soulslike as well? Yes. Do I like comparing every challenging game to Dark Souls? No. But you know what? It’s deserved for this one. It’s Game Boy Mouse Souls. And that’s great.

Where Mina the Hollower really shines is in the design and attention to detail. Exploring the city of Ossex, the wider world, and dimensions of madness is a delight, as are the anthropomorphic characters who call it home and occasionally beat the whiskers off of you. Lines of dialogue made me chuckle out loud more than once.

In a way Mina the Hollower reminds me of a China Miéville book, with its magic Victorian charm brushing against steampunk and weird fiction themes. I very much didn’t expect I’d be saying that coming into it, but it was a pleasant surprise.

There’s a lot to be said for longevity with Mina the Hollower, too. Speed runners and completionists will have an absolute blast for years to come. In fact, I’d wager Mina will be popping up in discussions about the action-adventure genre as an all-time great from now on. Absolutely incredible work all round to everyone who made this game come to life. Even if you made me want to frisbee my Steam Deck into a river more than once.

Final Thoughts

If you’re into mice, digging, and screaming into a pillow in frustration, this should be an instant buy. It’s lovingly crafted by a studio who are masters at what they do, and it’s a love letter to the action-adventure genre of yesteryear in ways that give the nostalgia centre of the brain a little kiss on the head. That being said, I’d add a caveat that if you’re not into difficult games and punishing repetition, it might not be for you.

Reviewed on Steam Deck. Review code supplied by the publisher.

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