This means that effective fighting requires careful timing and positioning, and consideration for when to best use sub-weapons based on the situation and how many resource vials are available for them. She gets knocked back further than Link when hit, too. Her whip shoots out after a quick wind-up, but the action requires a moment to recover before it can be used again. She has a much longer reach than Link’s sword, but the trade-off is speed. Mina may be quick underground, and she can jump without a special item, but her combat agility is much lower than Link’s. The Castlevania influence informs the game’s action, as well. There are spooky crypts, rotting zombies, and just as many whippable candles as there are smashable pots. Although there's a Zelda-like perspective and game structure, the aesthetics and mechanics are much closer to Castlevania’s (with a hint of Bloodborne thrown in).

Tenebrous Isle is a setting with a distinctly horror-influenced vibe, and that extends to the action. If wielding axes, knives, and a whip sounds more like the tools of a Belmont than Link, that’s intentional.

She also swings a whip in one of four different directions, and can use a variety of secondary weapons like axes and knives for more flexibility when fighting. The action feels a bit unusual at first, but like Shovel Knight’s bouncing, it quickly becomes a natural part of gameplay.īesides burrowing, Mina can jump into the air like Link can with the Roc’s Feather in the Game Boy Zelda games. Since Mina moves faster by burrowing than by walking, exploring Tenebrous Isle involves a lot of diving into the ground, hopping out of it, and diving back down again. Mina still needs to breathe, though, and can only hold her breath for so long before she has to pop out of the ground again. This lets her move very quickly under obstacles and enemies, making it a fundamental part of both combat and solving puzzles. As a Hollower and a cute rodent, Mina can burrow underground. Yacht Club Games gave her a unique mechanic that informs how the dungeons are designed and how you play (just like Shovel Knight and his pogo-stick-like shovel). Mina is a different type of hero than Link. Part Link, Part Belmont (and a Little Bit of Bloodborne) This plays out in an overhead perspective that's similar to the Game Boy Color Legend of Zelda games, complete with destructible pots, pits to jump over, and blocks that need keys to unlock them. Mina traverses the island’s overworld to find dungeons, with each one filled with enemies, puzzles, and a boss protecting the broken Spark generator. It’s a Legend of Zelda-like quest with a matching game structure and visual perspective. The adventure takes Mina to Tenebrous Isle's far corners, delving into dungeon-like settings to repair the Spark generators and save the island. Now, the island is in danger, because the Spark generators that drive so much of it have been sabotaged, and Mina needs to fix them. Mina is a particularly notable Hollower, because her research led her to invent the Spark technology that has enabled Tenebrous Isle’s prosperity. Hollowers are geologist-adventurers who study the earth by burrowing under it. Mina the Hollower follows an adorable mouse named Mina, who is a Hollower. Yacht Club Games sent me a demo build to play on Steam, and I’m very impressed with what I’ve played so far. That project is Mina the Hollower, and it aims to deliver a unique, overhead, action-RPG experience that faithfully evokes The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening and Oracle of Ages/Seasons as much as Shovel Knight’s unique side-scrolling platformer experience faithfully evokes DuckTales and Mega Man. By injecting some soulslike influence into the Legend of Zelda combat and exploration, Mina the Hollower looks like a worthy follow-up to Yacht Club Games' Shovel Knight.So, yes, I’m optimistic about Yacht Club Games’ ability to deliver on another crowdfunded project. Like Shovel Knight before it, the game promises to deliver an innovative indie experience that introduces players to a fun new world. However, the indie title's health regeneration system makes combat the only way to heal Mina if she takes some damage.Ĭombining familiar elements and brand-new mechanics, Mina the Hollower looks like an amazing throwback to old-school adventures like The Legend of Zelda. Burrowing lets the player completely avoid damage, which can facilitate a defensive playstyle for those unwilling to charge into battle. One key mechanic is Mina's burrowing ability, which lets her travel underground for a brief time before leaping back to the surface. While the new Yacht Club Games title may borrow elements from The Legend of Zelda and the soulslike genre, Mina the Hollower looks to be a truly unique experience.

Yacht club games mina the hollower