Kickstarter Check-In: Mina the Hollower

Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games began a Kickstarter campaign for its latest project Mina the Hollower. The game is a top-down action adventure with a graphical style inspired by 8-bit Game Boy Color titles.

Mina the Hollower’s story is inspired by gothic horror and follows the eponymous Mina, a whip-wielding inventor responsible for major advances in Spark technology. She travels to Tenebrous Isle at the behest of her patron and the island’s overseer, Baron Lionel, to investigate the malfunction of the island’s Spark generators. Mina is a member of the Hollower guild, whose members use a special Hollowing technique to move quickly underground. The guild is devoted to studying the earth and the resources within, with Mina’s Spark technology being her contribution to the guild’s advancement. She uses a multitude of weapons and trinkets to defeat monsters impeding her investigation.

Gameplay in Mina the Hollower employs a straightforward control system using the directional pad and A and B buttons. Tapping the A button causes Mina to attack by cracking her whip in one of four directions, with a slight delay as she readies the attack. Tapping the B button lets Mina jump over small enemies and gaps, while holding it as she lands lets her dive underneath the surface. While burrowing, Mina moves more quickly and can avoid hazards, but she can only do so for a short amount of time.

In addition to her whip, Mina can pick up numerous other weapons with varying abilities, though only one can be held at a time. For example, the Volt Hatchet will unleash a shock wave that can hit multiple foes, while the Gyro Dagger acts like a boomerang and can be juggled with the whip. Mina also picks up trinkets, permanent items that can be equipped to provide effects. Only a couple of trinkets can be equipped at a time, with examples including a wisp that carries her over pits and a spider-companion that weaves crossable webs over gaps.

Mina the Hollower features a level-up system. As players defeat enemies, they receive Bones, which act as both experience and money. Bones can also be found in treasure chests, but players will be able to lose them. Bones can be spent improving attack, defense, or sidearms attributes, or be transformed into Bonestone currency.

The campaign for Mina the Hollower has already surpassed its funding goal, with the campaign set to run until March 3, 2022. Yacht Club Games is currently planning to release the game in late 2023. Only PC has been confirmed as a platform, though the Kickstarter indicates that PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch releases are at least being considered, with Mac and Linux versions listed as stretch goals. Those who pledge at least $20 will receive a digital copy of the game as part of their backer rewards.

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