One 2D Platformer Deserves as Much Hype as Hollow Knight Silksong, and It Drops This Halloween

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Over the years, numerous outstanding indie games have emerged and vanished, yet scarcely any have sparked as much enthusiasm as Hollow Knight: Silksong. In essence, Team Cherry’s long-awaited follow-up to their 2017 Metroidvania title Hollow Knight can be likened to the equivalent of GTA 6 among indie games. Strikingly, despite lacking a substantial marketing budget and backing from a major company, this game has held sway over gaming conversations for an astounding five years. The live chats of almost every significant gaming showcase were flooded with gamers craving more Hollow Knight: Silksong updates to the extent that it spawned a popular meme.

Despite the release of “Hollow Knight: Silksong” on multiple platforms, its popularity continues to soar unabated. Notably, within a few days of launching, the game boasted over half a million concurrent players on Steam alone, and surpassed the sale of 3 million copies on that platform in less than a week. The game’s launch was so impactful that it triggered crashes across PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, and PC stores due to an overwhelming surge of players eager to download it simultaneously. The acclaim for Team Cherry’s newest creation is certainly warranted, yet it’s regrettable that another highly-regarded indie game from a similar developer isn’t receiving the same level of attention.

Mina the Hollower Should Be Getting as Much Attention as Silksong

Located in sunny Los Angeles, California, the independent game studio known as Yacht Club Games is working on a completely fresh title named “Mina the Hollower“. This exciting new game is set to drop this Halloween and, while it shares the “hollow” moniker with the popular game “Hollow Knight: Silksong“, it offers a unique gaming experience and storyline that sets it apart. Given that Yacht Club Games’ last original IP launch has been a while, the release of “Mina the Hollower” is almost as eagerly anticipated as that of “Silksong“.

Yacht Club Games, the Studio Behind Shovel Knight, is the Maker of Mina the Hollower

If you’re unfamiliar, Yacht Club Games is the team responsible for creating Shovel Knight, a popular retro-styled 2D platformer that made its debut on Wii U, Nintendo 3DS, and PC in June 2014. Before games like Hollow Knight, Shovel Knight was essentially the flagship indie game, being one of the early pioneers of the indie game movement during the early 2010s. It has sold millions of copies, received numerous expansions, and is often praised by critics as one of the greatest games ever made.

Mina the Hollower Takes a Lot of Inspiration from Early Game Boy Color Games

For over a decade, Yacht Club Games had only produced spin-off games of the initial Shovel Knight, in collaboration with other studios, following its launch. However, Mina the Hollower marks their first independent creation since then, being a standalone game developed entirely by them alone.

Instead of Hollow Knight: Silksong or Shovel Knight, Mina the Hollower is a different type of game – an isometric action-adventure title. It draws influence from old Game Boy Color games, such as The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. In this game, you control an anthropomorphic mouse and inventor named Mina, who sets out on a journey to revive power in a haunted island. Key elements include rapid-fire battles, a 1700s Victorian gothic atmosphere, music reminiscent of MSX tunes, and interconnected stages to delve into.

Initially conceived as a solo endeavor by an individual from Yacht Club Games, Mina the Hollower evolved from a side project into a full-fledged commercial game due to its captivating concept that resonated strongly with the studio’s executives.

A Demo for Mina the Hollower is Available Right Now

Initially, in 2022, Yacht Club Games launched a Kickstarter campaign for the game titled “Mina the Hollower.” For quite some time, news and updates about the game were scarce. However, with its impending release, there’s a good chance that it could be a strong contender for Game of the Year alongside “Hollow Knight: Silksong.” If you’re unsure about giving “Mina the Hollower” a try, you can test it out by downloading a free demo from all current platforms.

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2025-09-13 19:06