Mina the Hollower resonates more deeply with me than Shovel Knight ever did. Yacht Club Games’ latest retro action offering is reminiscent of Zelda, featuring a mouse protagonist venturing through a fantastical realm that echoes the adventure I experienced with my Game Boy Advance.

In 2022, Yacht Club Games successfully funded Mina the Hollower via Kickstarter, raising over $1.2 million. Players can now try out the demo available on Steam before its official launch on October 31.

The opening sequence introduces a gloomy 8-bit world, with our mouse hero ready to battle the lurking threats. The gameplay evokes elements of Castlevania and Bloodborne, allowing players to collect daggers and navigating through various obstacles while uncovering hidden rooms in the haunted island setting. You can utilize throwing axes and learn to burrow underground for maximizing offense and defense during encounters. The challenge increases with formidable enemies encountered later in the demo.

Gameplay mechanics include healing vials for health restoration, drawing inspiration from Bloodborne’s retaliatory healing system, where you can regain health by striking back after taking damage. The game shares a similar vein of difficulty, keeping players on their toes without a standard dodge roll option. Checkpoints are available, allowing players to exchange bones obtained from monsters for enhancements.

Exploration rewards those brave enough to delve into the depths of the game’s well-crafted environments, filled with secrets to uncover. The experience resonates with nostalgic charm, reflected in the variety of interactive aspects within the environment, leading me to explore rather than rush through the levels.

Ultimately, the Mina the Hollower demo is available for immediate play on Steam. Remarkably, Yacht Club Games will release the complete game on October 31.