The review embargo for Mina the Hollower, the new game from Yacht Club Games, lifted today and the numbers are not subtle. The studio behind the Shovel Knight series opened on Metacritic with a 93, making it the highest-reviewed game of 2026 by two full points above Forza Horizon 6's 91. For comparison: 007 First Light released yesterday and sits at 88, which briefly tied it for third place before Mina the Hollower landed. Eleven of roughly 33 reviews counted at launch are perfect 10s. The game releases on May 29, 2026.

What Is Mina the Hollower

Mina the Hollower is a pixel-art action-adventure game from Yacht Club Games, published under their own label and built entirely outside the Shovel Knight franchise. You play as Mina, described as "a renowned Hollower hurtled into a desperate mission to rescue a cursed island." The core mechanics center on whip-based combat, burrowing through the ground as a traversal tool, and exploring an open world packed with secrets. Reviews position it closer to a modern open-world design philosophy than a straightforward retro throwback, despite the visual style. IGN compared the experience to Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring in terms of the kind of curious-explorer itch it scratches, which is a specific comparison to make about a pixel-art game but one that apparently holds up in practice.

This is also the first game Yacht Club has released outside of the Shovel Knight universe since the studio was founded in 2011. Everything they have shipped before - Shovel Knight, the multiple character campaigns, Shovel Knight Dig, and the various physical releases - lives in that world. Mina the Hollower is a new IP built from scratch. The original Shovel Knight scored 85 on Metacritic when it launched in 2014 and was considered one of the stronger indie releases of that year. Mina the Hollower just beat that by eight points across a review pool that includes all the major outlets.

What Critics Are Saying

IGN gave Mina the Hollower a 10/10 with a review that leaned into the comparison to larger games: "Even if all you've played is Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring, don't let the retro look fool you: Mina the Hollower will scratch the same itch, with an open world that's crammed with mysteries worth finding and lively, clever combat I couldn't get enough of. It's a big game in a small package, and an absolute masterpiece of an adventure." That line about a big game in a small package tracks with what the rest of the review coverage is saying about scope relative to expectations.

The Gamer also rated it 10/10: "Mina the Hollower is an almost faultless game that combines elements of nostalgic classics we know and love with a healthy dose of Yacht Club's flair and expertise to make it something that truly stands out as a retro-inspired masterpiece. I could honestly play it forever, with Yacht Club proving that it's not just a one game studio with yet another bonafide classic." The phrase "not just a one game studio" is pointed given how tied Yacht Club's reputation has been to a single franchise for over a decade. Game Informer landed at 8.8/10, which represents the more measured end of the spectrum: "Mina the Hollower looks like a nostalgic throwback, and it undeniably is, but its thoughtful design and larger sensibilities make it play and feel like a contemporary video game - one that has taken the right lessons from the medium's history."

The 93 Metacritic puts Mina the Hollower two points above Forza Horizon 6 (91), three points above Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 (90), and five points above 007 First Light (88). Those are all strong scores from large-budget productions with significant marketing. Forbes writer Paul Tassi drew a comparison to Hollow Knight: Silksong, which scored 90 last year and wound up as a serious GOTY contender. Mina the Hollower is three points above that and earlier in the year, which gives it a longer runway to build audience before the end-of-year conversation begins.

The Stakes for Yacht Club Games

Studio founder Sean Velasco has been explicit about what Mina the Hollower means for the business. He described it as "make-or-break for sure," which is a candid framing for a game that had not yet received its reviews at the time he said it. Yacht Club Games built its financial footing on the Shovel Knight franchise - the series sold millions of copies and the studio monetized it across multiple platforms, physical releases, and expansions over more than a decade. Moving to a new IP means losing that brand recognition and testing whether the audience follows the studio rather than the character.

The 93 opening answers the quality question. Whether it translates into the sales needed to justify building a new franchise is a separate problem that review scores alone cannot solve. Yacht Club does not have a publisher's marketing budget behind this. They are relying on critical momentum and word-of-mouth to drive awareness, which is exactly the kind of situation where a 93 and a cluster of 10/10 reviews from major outlets matters most. The Shovel Knight comparison also works in their favor here: that game succeeded partly because critics told people it was worth their time, and the same mechanism is in motion now.

When Can You Play It

Mina the Hollower releases on PC via Steam on May 29, 2026. Yacht Club Games has not announced console versions at launch, though the studio has consistently brought previous games to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox over time. If you have not followed this game's development, the review pool is telling you to pay attention. The retro visual style might put off players who assume it means limited scope, but the consistent message from critics is that the game plays bigger than it looks. The 93 Metacritic with 11 perfect scores out of 33 reviews is not a fluke - it reflects a game that is apparently landing well across the range of critics who cover it, from outlets that favor large-budget productions to those that specialize in indie coverage. Yacht Club needed this one to work. By the looks of it, it does.