The September Silksong wave has come and gone, yet indie games are still maneuvering through an overloaded October – this time, however, the delay appears to stem from other factors outside of the congested release schedule. Yacht Club Games has decided to push back the launch of its upcoming game, Mina the Hollower, which pays homage to Castlevania and Game Boy-era Zelda games, for an unspecified period to finish up some last-minute adjustments.
“This week, our team faced a challenging decision: we decided to postpone Mina the Hollower,” the developers state in their announcement aptly named Delay Extravaganza II: The Tail Continues. “Our entire team has been working around the clock to deliver the game by October 31st, but we just can’t quite meet that deadline. This isn’t a significant delay; it’s merely an opportunity for us to apply some final touches and balance the gameplay to ensure it truly shines.”
“We won’t announce a new release date until we have submitted it to platforms, so please bear with us as we approach the finish line,” Yacht Club reassures fans. While the studio expresses its apologies, they emphasize that “our commitment to quality is unwavering.” To that end, they’re focused on “finalizing design, art, and sound,” ensuring “overall game balance,” “implementing localization,” and, amusingly enough, “eating cheese.” At least the studio maintains its sense of humor.
You might also enjoy:
- ‘Hide from Silksong’ delays challenge indie roguelike and Metroidvania developers, who state, “we like a gamble, but this one is too risky,” while another developer worries about “competing with a phenomenon of that scale.”
- “Dropping the GTA of indie games with two weeks’ notice sends everyone into a panic”: Developers aimed to “challenge Silksong,” but now it adds another casualty to its list with the delay of the Persona-inspired tactical RPG.
- Hollow Knight: Silksong has now caused the delay of at least eight indie games within five days since its release date was announced: “I feel like a little krill trying to avoid being consumed by a blue whale.”
Yacht Club is widely recognized for the Shovel Knight series, and Mina the Hollower serves as another nostalgic tribute to classic gaming. However, this game presents itself as a top-down action-adventure title, closely resembling beloved Game Boy Zelda experiences like Link’s Awakening. Combine in some elements of Castlevania’s Gothic horror and diverse weapon options, and Mina has been positioned as an exciting follow-up from the beginning.
The acclaim surrounding the impressive Steam Next Fest demo of Mina the Hollower surely contributes to the anticipation, especially for someone whose fond gaming memories are tied to its inspirations. It’s certainly my most awaited indie title for quite some time. “The game is nearing completion,” say the developers. “We play it from beginning to end daily.” Soon enough, everyone else will get their chance, too.
Here are the indie games to keep an eye on in the near future: