Yacht Club Games explained that the team had been “working tirelessly day and night to finish development for release”, but it’s “just not quite there yet.” It also clarified that this “isn’t a major delay,” but rather “a stretch of time to apply some final polish and balancing to make the game truly shine.”

While it apologized for the sudden delay, it’s committed to delivering quality to its fans while ensuring the development team has “the time and resources to deliver an incredible adventure.” It’s currently working on game balancing, localization, testing across all platforms, finalizing “design, art, and sound,” and, fittingly enough, eating cheese.

Yacht Club will announce a new release date once the title is submitted for certification on all platforms, but it’s currently “so close” to being done. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for updates.

Mina the Hollower will be launching for Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, Xbox One, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC.

Inspired by top-down Game Boy Color classics like The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons/Ages, Mina the Hollower focuses on the titular character as she ventures to a mysteriously cursed island. Tasked with fixing its Spark Generators, she battles through monsters and bosses while tackling environmental obstacles and puzzles.

Of course, she won’t go unarmed, opting for various melee weapons and Sidearms. Mina is also capable of burrowing underground, which helps to navigate the world. Yacht Club promises a massive world to explore, but the gorgeous 8-bit aesthetic and accompanying MSX-esque soundtrack (composed by Jake Kaufman of Shovel Knight fame) will appeal to retro fans.

Set on a cursed island with Gothic Victorian horror vibes, Mina the Hollower involves saving its residents with a variety of weapons and tools at your disposal. Playing from a top-down perspective, its visuals evoke the 8-bit glory days, while Jake Kaufman channels the MSX era to compose the soundtrack.

Given that its scope became “significantly larger” last year, it should be interesting to see how much bigger it is than Shovel Knight. The demo includes the opening stages and the first boss fight, with progress transferring over to the game. It’s only available until June 16th when the Steam Next Fest ends. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

While it doesn’t have a release window, Yacht Club confirmed that it’s “nearing the completion of the initial pass on all level content.” It’s focused on “crafting the final, most treacherous level” at the moment and integrating Mina’s final primary weapons and sidearms. The scope has also grown “significantly larger” than the development team anticipated initially.

There’s now an expansive overworld to explore and additional RPG elements. The next phases of development involve balancing, more polishing and refining the script. However, a “grand trailer” and gameplay reveal in the “near future” were teased (which could go into more detail on the various mechanics). In the meantime, backers will continue receiving regular updates on Kickstarter.

Mina the Hollower is coming to Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One.

Along with the ability to burrow through the ground, Mina is also equipped with her Nightstar whip to battle foes. Multiple weapons can be discovered, each with their own moves, along with different Sidearms. Mina can also equip different Trinkets for bonuses along with leveling up to become stronger.

The story is inspired by Victorian Gothic horror and offers a litany of bosses along with interconnected levels and secrets. A Kickstarter campaign with a $311,503 goal is currently live and should be met at the time of writing. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay in the coming days.