Mina the Hollower Review Roundup — Yacht Club's New IP Scores 93 on Metacritic

Yacht Club Games Launches Their First New IP in Over a Decade

Mina the Hollower is out today, May 28, 2026, on PC via Steam — and the reviews say it's a masterpiece. Console players on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 1 & 2 get access tomorrow, May 29.

Yacht Club Games, the studio behind the legendary Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove, has spent years building this gothic pixel action-adventure. Funded through Kickstarter in 2022 with over $1.2 million in backing, the game endured multiple delays — including a missed Halloween 2025 window — before landing today to near-universal acclaim.

The review embargo lifted yesterday, and the scores are extraordinary. Metacritic sits at 93/100 on PC, 92 on PS5, and 85 on Nintendo Switch 2. IGN handed out a perfect 10/10. Screen Rant called it "retro action-adventure perfection."

Game Info at a Glance

Story — Rescuing a Cursed Island

You play as Mina, a genius inventor mouse and member of the Hollower guild on Tenebrous Isle. She built six massive Spark Generators that power the entire island, bringing about a technological renaissance. But when she returns after her adventures abroad, the generators are broken, monsters flood the island, and a fellow Hollower has gone rogue.

The premise is clean and classic — light up six generators across six regions, save the world. But reviewers note the story runs much deeper once you get into it, wrapping a heartfelt tale around gothic Victorian horror themes.

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"The premise looks shallow at first glance, but once you step closer, it's way deeper than it seems." — DualShockers review

Core Mechanics — Hollowing, Whip, and Build Freedom

The game's defining mechanic is Hollowing — Mina can burrow underground to traverse terrain, dodge attacks, and surprise enemies from below. It gives movement a rhythmic, kinetic flow unlike anything else in the genre.

Key Systems

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"Combat is fast, vicious, and remarkably expressive. The game demands attention without ever feeling punishing for punishment's sake." — Steam Deck HQ

Review Scores — Instant Classic Status

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"It's bigger, darker, stranger, more ambitious than Shovel Knight ever was. Where that game perfected side-scrolling platformers, Mina the Hollower turns its attention toward top-down adventures with almost terrifying confidence." — Steam Deck HQ

Soundtrack — Jake Kaufman Outdoes Himself

Jake Kaufman, the chiptune virtuoso behind Shovel Knight's legendary soundtrack, is back. Reviewers are calling this OST his best work yet — richer, moodier, and more textured than Shovel Knight, capable of both explosive triumph and oppressive dread.

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"Every area possesses a distinct musical identity, with tracks that burrow into your brain long after the console is switched off." — Steam Deck HQ

Community Reaction & Buying Guide

The Steam community has exploded since launch. Speedrun communities are already timing completions, and the r/indiegaming subreddit has lit up with first impressions.

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"I played the demo four times waiting for this. I'm already 10+ hours in and I cannot stop." — Steam user review

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"Yacht Club proved they can build entirely new mechanical loops from scratch without losing their core fanbase. Other indie studios should take note." — Blazetrends analysis

Mina the Hollower is shaping up to be one of the best games of 2026 — indie or otherwise. It's not just nostalgia bait. It's a meticulously crafted game that respects its retro roots while building something genuinely new on top of them.