Mina the Hollower: Critics Are Calling Yacht Club Games' New Zelda-Like a Masterpiece

Review Roundup: Critics Call It a Masterpiece

Reviews for Mina the Hollower have been overwhelmingly positive. The game has quickly amassed a strong critical consensus, with reviewers emphasizing that its real hook isn't nostalgia—it's ambition.

Aggregate Scores

• OpenCritic: 92 Top Critic Average with 97% of critics recommending the game .
• Metacritic: Platform-specific scores are strong, with the PC version at 93/100, the PS5 version at 92/100, and the Switch 2 version at 85/100 at the time of writing .

Standout Individual Reviews

• IGN gave the game a 10/10, calling it a “Masterpiece” and stating, “Its blocky exterior disguises rich combat systems, some of the best puzzle solving ever put to screen, and a funny, deeply weird world I loved to explore” .
• Other perfect scores came from DualShockers, TechRaptor, and Cubed3, each awarding a 10/10 .
• NintendoWorldReport scored it a 9/10, and GameSpot and Worth Playing gave it a 9/10 .

The praise consistently highlights the game's rewarding exploration, thoughtful screen-by-screen design, and how it transcends mere nostalgic imitation to become a genuinely impressive and thoroughly modern video game .

Release Date, Price, and Platforms

You won't have to wait long to play one of the year's best-reviewed games.

• Release Date: May 29, 2026. Note that the Steam version may unlock slightly earlier on May 28, 2026 .
• Price: $19.99 across all platforms .
• Platforms: The game will be available digitally on a wide range of hardware:
  • Nintendo Switch
  • Nintendo Switch 2
  • PlayStation 5
  • PlayStation 4
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Xbox One
  • PC (via Steam, GOG, and the Humble Store, including Mac and Linux support) .

Switch 2 Version: Performance Features

For fans eager to know what enhancements the Nintendo Switch 2 version might offer, details are currently scarce. While Yacht Club Games has confirmed the Switch 2 as a launch platform, no official specifications regarding specific performance features—such as targeted resolution, frame rate, or unique hardware integrations like updated controllers—have been released .

Given that the game is a 2D pixel-art title designed with a retro Game Boy Color aesthetic, any performance gains from the base Switch are expected to be minor, but this remains unconfirmed until the developer or independent testers provide more information near or after launch.

Development History: A Six-Year Journey

Mina the Hollower’s path to release has been a long, and sometimes “cursed,” passion project for Yacht Club Games.

• 2020: The game is first announced as the studio's second major original IP following the massive success of Shovel Knight .
• Kickstarter Success: Development is supported in part by a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign that raised over $1.2 million, demonstrating immense fan anticipation from the start .
• Original Targets and Delays: The game was initially targeting a 2024 launch. It was later given a firm date of October 31, 2025, which creator Alex Faulkner described as a perfect fit for its spooky “swagger” . However, in a “split-second decision,” Yacht Club Games delayed it once more to apply final polish, pushing the final release to May 29, 2026 .

This extended development cycle, according to Yacht Club, was spent fine-tuning every aspect of the game, a commitment that the initial wave of critical acclaim appears to have fully validated .