Mina the Hollower Interview

The pedigree of a well-known developer such as Yacht Club Games leads to a lot of hype behind their newest title Mina the Hollower. This traditional top-down adventure aims to integrate new features into a haunting Victorian Gothic experience blending modern and classic into a unique 8-bit experience. Joining RPGamer today is David D’Angelo of Yacht Club Games to answer some questions about the game before its upcoming release on May 29, 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.

Ryan Costa (RPGamer): It has been a little over four years since the Kickstarter for Mina the Hollower. What has been the most surprisingly difficult part of the game to get ready for full release?

David D’Angelo: The game’s ambition is off the charts! Not only in the immense scope and content in the game, but simply in the ambitious design–you can go anywhere, get any equipment, fight any boss, do anything you want at any time all without an RPG structure. Making sure that all works and nothing can go horribly wrong was quite the trick!

RPGamer: Did it take a lot of effort to make the visual style work with such rapid movement in the action?  For example, the boss fight with the kraken moves so fluidly and quickly for an early game enemy.

DD: Drawing every frame and programming every movement is always a lot of effort! Did you know every sprite has to be drawn 3 times to cover all the angles….sometimes more!! We hope all the effort was worth it!

RPGamer: What came first in the design process, the characters or the setting?

DD: Mina was first, due to figuring out the gameplay. Then we talked about what she could be like and what kind of setting she could be a part of. Those discussions then led to us figuring out more characters and settings in the story.  So it’s a mix of the two!

RPGamer: For the unsuspecting, the action gameplay of Mina the Hollower can feel a little difficult. Any advice for newcomers approaching the title for the first time?

DD: If you’re struggling, don’t be afraid to back away from a challenge and try something else. You can always get more bones and return to Ossex to buy equipment to power yourself up. Or gather bones to level up! The RPG nature of Mina provides a lot of flexibility to strengthen your character. We built it to be difficult but achievable!

RPGamer: What are some of the biggest draws of the title to hook in RPGamers?

DD: Mina was inspired by many classic RPGs: Pokemon, Dragon Quest, Zelda, Final Fantasy Adventure, Ys…the list goes on and on. We wanted to build on the simple rules that generated complexity that you might find in those classic titles. There’s over a billion character builds you can make in Mina! There’s a giant world full of zany or creepy characters to meet alongside a deep and enriching tale.

RPGamer: Does the interconnected level design entail a decent amount of backtracking between areas?

DD: Nope! We focused on the routing of the game immensely so backtracking is kept to the bare minimum–it’s only there to make opening shortcuts and new routes fun to discover!

RPGamer: With so much of the game refined for the modern age, were there any features that were decidedly kept more retro?

DD: We don’t really make a distinction between what’s retro or modern…we more think about what’s the best idea for Mina or what would be most fun! That said, the art style and music are as retro as it gets!

RPGamer: Trailers showcase scaling a tower along the outside using different visuals and gameplay than the top-down action. With that in mind, are there any more gameplay mechanic surprises that have yet to be shown off for players?

DD: Of course! The game is brimming with surprises! Prepare to be delighted….or spooked!

RPGamer: The Victorian Gothic setting lends to a particularly well-done cadence in the game’s soundtrack.  Will further areas in the game feature any alternative musical inspirations?

DD: I’m sure everyone who listens will take away different ideas of what inspired Jake to write each masterful track. It’s a huge soundtrack, more than 90 songs long with tons of alternative takes on each song…get ready for some real earworms!

RPGamer: Will theory crafters find a lot to work with in the story and lore of Mina the Hollower or is the plot more straightforward in progression?

DD: I hope so! We first focused on creating an engaging plot and world, but there’s plenty of story and mysteries to dig into the more you think on it!

RPGamer: What is something that you would love to share about the game not discussed above?

DD: We hope everyone plays with their friends! This is the kind of game where it’s fun to bounce ideas off of one another…seeing what’s the best way to break the game or coolest trinket combination to use as a load out. If you get stuck, don’t be afraid to share with others to try to get ahead!

RPGamer would like to thank David D’Angelo for their time answering these questions as well as Luna Elvira and the Yacht Club Games media team for making it all happen. Anyone interested in following the harrowing and haunting adventures of Mina the Hollower don’t have long to wait as this 8-bit top-down adventure is coming out on May 29, 2026 for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.