Shovel Knight Developer’s Mina the Hollower Gets a Release Date and Demo

Mina the Hollower now has a release date, October 31, as well as its first-ever playable demo. Both were announced with a new trailer that premiered during Summer Game Fest 2025.

Made by Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games, Mina the Hollower is a 2D action adventure that looks like a love letter to Game Boy Color classics, ranging from The Legend of Zelda to Castlevania. The title started as a side project by YCG designer Alec Faulkner and raised over $1.4 million on Kickstarter in 2022.

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Shovel Knight Developer Unveils New Game Mina the Hollower

Shovel Knight developer Yacht Club Games announces a new action-adventure IP called Mina the Hollower coming to the Switch and other platforms.

Three and a half years following Mina the Hollower‘s successful crowdfunding campaign, the retro action adventure has locked down a firm release date: October 31. Yacht Club Games announced it with a new gameplay trailer, which premiered during Summer Game Fest 2025. The promo video offers another look at Mina the Hollower‘s combat-heavy gameplay and serves as an introduction to the titular Mina, who’s on a mission to lift a mysterious island curse.

Mina the Hollower Limited-Time Demo Now Available

Alongside the new trailer, Yacht Club Games launched Mina the Hollower‘s first playable demo, which is now available via Steam. The trial version of the game features the entirety of Mina the Hollower‘s opening stage, complete with its first boss fight. The demo arrives just ahead of the June 2025 edition of Steam Next Fest and is set to participate in the event. It will be removed from Valve’s storefront once the showcase ends on June 16. It remains unclear whether the demo will return ahead of the game’s fall 2025 launch. What is confirmed, however, is that progress made in the demo will carry over to the full version of Mina the Hollower, with Yacht Club Games saying as much in a prepared statement.

The SGF 2025 trailer highlights Mina the Hollower‘s gothic aesthetic, a clear nod to its Castlevania influences. Eerie themes have been central to the project from the beginning, so much so that the game was originally titled Gothic before YGC opted for a name change. Apart from retro 8-bit visuals, Mina the Hollower will feature a soundtrack by legendary composer Yuzo Koshiro, known for his work on classic chiptune scores for the Streets of Rage, The Revenge of Shinobi, and Ys series, among dozens of others.

Mina the Hollower has so far only been confirmed to be coming to Steam, with Yacht Club Games planning to release it day-one for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Based on the developer-publisher’s track record, the retro action adventure is likely to eventually make its way to consoles as well.