Yacht Club Games, known for their Shovel Knight escapades, has a new title, Mina the Hollower, which is holding a top spot on Steam's global charts for its fourth consecutive day. With user reviews singing its praises, anticipation for what comes next is sky-high.

Mina the Hollower plunges players into a 'gloomy island' set in a 1700s gothic horror universe. Our protagonist, Mina, an inventor, embarks on a quest to reignite a dying flame generator, uncovering hidden secrets and the reasons behind its demise. Moving away from the Famicom-esque style of its predecessor, this new venture captures the Game Boy Color's palette and aesthetic, all rendered at a slick 60 frames per second.

The gameplay also sees a significant shift. Unlike the side-scrolling platformer Shovel Knight, Mina the Hollower adopts a quarter-view action-adventure perspective. Players can traverse various regions beyond a linear stage progression, utilising not only jumps but also the 'hollowing' technique – digging through the ground for both traversal and evasion. Furthermore, character progression has been layered in, with RPG-like elements allowing players to level up and combine a diverse array of weapons and accessories.

Mina the Hollower currently boasts a 'Very Positive' user review score on Steam, with 2,036 participants and an 85% positive rating. Many reviews draw comparisons to classic Zelda titles, labelling it a Metroidvania experience. The pixel art and sound design have been particularly lauded. Players appreciate the abundance of exploration elements, such as secrets and puzzles, and the freedom to craft unique playstyles with distinctive weapons and accessories. However, some have pointed out a steep initial difficulty curve, citing enemy attacks that lack directional constraints while the player's are limited. The 'Souls-like' penalty for death, a somewhat cumbersome healing system, and the absence of an in-game map have also been cited as significant barriers to entry.

Elsewhere in the rankings, Path of Exile 2 has climbed to second place, bolstered by its new 'Ancient's Return' content update, a 50% discount, and a free trial period.

In the daily peak concurrent players chart, a new idle game titled 'Taskbar Hero', from the creators of Rusty Retirement, surged to 10th place after its release on the 27th, logging 143,508 players. However, early server issues have resulted in a 'Mixed' user review score. Path of Exile 2 saw a substantial spike to 421,596 players, clearly benefiting from its free-to-play model.