Mina the Hollower has the best sidequests of any game in 2026

The writer was halfway through six games but dropped them all to play Mina the Hollower. They had adored Shovel Knight and backed Mina on Kickstarter years ago; by the time it arrived it felt like they'd gotten it for free. Kerry Brunskill gave the game a 90% review, calling it "pure joy." Mina's look and feel avoid obvious modern trappings.

Its install size is counted in "bytes mega, not giga," and there’s a degree of "as you remember it" magic similar to Shovel Knight — a light touch that often reads like a compliment to a ROMhack of Link's Awakening. The level design shows a bleeding-edge sensibility, folding back on itself with a FromSoft-like density; the frequent "Elden Ring GameBoy Demake" meme is something Yacht Club actually pulled off as a feature-length game.

Yacht Club needed Mina to be a hit after a long gestation, and early signs are promising: the game sold 300,000 copies in three days.

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