Mina the Hollower is excellent on Steam Deck and Switch, but amazing on Switch 2 and PS5
Mina the Hollower from Yacht Club Games will finally launch worldwide later this week. Ahead of the launch, I've been playing Mina the Hollower on Switch 2, Switch, Steam Deck, ROG Ally, PS5, and PS5 Pro to see how the game scales across different platforms. If you are curious about the game itself, read our review here. Since Mina the Hollower is a pixel art game and very well-optimized, there isn't much to compare visually, but there are some notable differences between platforms when it comes to performance, visual features, load times, and more.
Mina the Hollower Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch impressions
Mina the Hollower is a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition on Switch 2. This means those who play on Switch 1 or buy the Switch 1 version can buy the Mina the Hollower Nintendo Switch 2 Edition Upgrade Pack for free on the eShop and access the improved visuals and performance on Switch 2. Save data is also cross generation compatible here since it is a Nintendo Switch 2 Edition. Mina the Hollower on Switch targets 1080p 60fps docked and 720p 60fps handheld. The Switch 2 version lets you target 1080p 60fps or 120fps handheld and 4K 60fps or 1440p 120fps docked. When playing handheld, there's no reason to use the 60fps mode, but when played docked, you can opt for crisp 4K visuals or 1440p at 120fps since that is a Switch 2 limitation.
In my testing, the Switch 2 version holds up well outside very few areas where it drops from 120fps. I mainly played handheld so VRR likely helped, but I noticed it dropped more when playing docked in the 120fps mode in some locations. It is most noticeable during screen transitions since Mina the Hollower properly scrolls at 60 or 120fps. Drops to around 90 or 100 fps will be very noticeable during transitions as I will cover in the PC section of this article. I didn't notice any major drops when using the 60fps mode docked on Switch 2.
Barring those issues, Mina the Hollower on Switch 2 has HDR support unlike the Switch 1 and PC versions. One thing to note is that Mina the Hollower has "Fill" and "Fit" for scale mode. When playing at 1080p handheld, the "Fit" mode has some borders around the gameplay while "Fill" stretches the image a bit to fill up the screen. On Switch 1, both display in full screen. I spent most of my time with Mina the Hollower on Switch 2 using the "Fit" mode at 120fps and the pixel scale set to auto.
While I focused my time on the Switch 2 version, I also loaded up my save to test it on Switch 1 and didn't notice any major issues. The Switch 1 version obviously targets 60fps, but it feels well-optimized. The lack of HD rumble on both Switch 1 and Switch 2 is the only disappointing aspect of this version barring the performance issues in some areas.
Mina the Hollower PS5 and PS5 Pro impressions
Mina the Hollower on PS5 is a 4K 120fps experience on base PS5 and PS5 Pro. There are no PS5 Pro-specific enhancements here since it already targets 4K 120fps on base PS5. In the time I've spent with it, I didn't run into any noticeable performance issues and load times were super fast. I was disappointed with the lack of haptic feedback (same as the lack of HD rumble on Switch 1/2), but I appreciate the HDR support and the light bar support. Mina the Hollower will change the controller light bar color to match the area you are in. It also reacts to the title screen animations.
You normally wouldn't see this on a PS5 controller unless you look down while playing, but I noticed and appreciated it when playing on my PS Portal as you can see in the first photo in this article. Hopefully Yacht Club Games can add proper DualSense haptic feedback in an update.
I used the auto scaling option and played at 4K 120fps on PS5. I ran into no performance issues in the hours I tested it. I have not finished the game on any platform yet, so I cannot comment if later areas drop frames. I have put in about 10 hours into each version though.
Mina the Hollower Steam Deck impressions
Mina the Hollower is Steam Deck Verified already. It supports 16:9 play, but it scales perfectly on the device screen without requiring borders around each side like on Switch 2. I like pixel perfect scaling in games like this, so I played with borders on Switch 2 and ROG Ally instead of using the "Fill" option. Mina the Hollower's demo played great on Valve's handheld, but the full game requires a minor tweak if you play on Steam Deck OLED.
Mina the Hollower currently supports 60fps or 120fps on PC and consoles. If you play above 120fps, it duplicates frames, Yacht Club Games tells me. The Steam Deck OLED's screen is 90hz. If you play with the 120fps target on it, some of the screen transitions and menus don't animate smoothly. The solution is to run the game at 60fps at 60hz on Steam Deck OLED.
Mina the Hollower on PC does not have HDR support like it does on PS5 and Switch 2. This means Mina the Hollower on Steam Deck OLED lacks HDR and has to play at 60fps. I hope both of these can be addressed in patches. Barring that, Mina the Hollower runs flawlessly and it looks incredible on the Steam Deck OLED screen.
The PC version, like the PS5 version, supports up to 4K 120, but it does not have HDR. HDR seems to only be on PS5 or Switch 2 from the platforms I had access to. I assume the Xbox version also has it, but I don't have it pre-release.
Mina the Hollower ROG Ally impressions
Mina the Hollower on ROG Ally can deliver a 1080p 120fps experience, but you need to play with some borders around the gameplay like on Switch 2 if you want pixel perfect scaling. The ROG Ally's VRR screen also hid any minor dips below 120 to the 118 or 119 that I saw a handful of times in the hours I spent with it on ROG Ally. There isn't anything else to report because Mina the Hollower delivers a more stable experience than Switch 2 here.
Which is the best version of Mina the Hollower?
Given how polished Mina the Hollower is on all platforms, there are minor issues and some caveats to keep in mind per platform. Each handheld or portable platform delivers something of note, but is held back in a way. The Switch 2 delivers a solid experience with HDR, but the d-pad is bad. I can't stand using the Joy-Con 2 controller split d-pad. If you play with the left stick and are ok with that, this is not an issue.
On Steam Deck, Mina the Hollower is a 60fps experience without HDR, though the Steam Deck OLED's colors are better than the Switch 2 screen even with the HDR enabled in Mina the Hollower. Mina the Hollower on ROG Ally delivers a more stable experience than Switch 2 with a better d-pad, but the screen is smaller. Mina the Hollower on Switch 1 feels fine and looks amazing on the Switch OLED screen.
If the frame rate was the same between them, I'd play Mina the Hollower on Steam Deck OLED over Switch 2, but the latter is my favorite pure portable version right now. When playing docked, the Switch 2 has a few performance issues with the 120fps that aren't present on PC, but for portable play, it is my favorite version. As you can tell, these differences and issues are likely going to be minor inconveniences or not matter at all depending on your priorities. I want to stress that Mina the Hollower is not a bad experience on any portable I've played it on. You are only going to get a better experience with some tweaks on some handhelds.
If you want to play only on TV or a monitor, Mina the Hollower on PS5 is the best version with no technical issues, 4K 120fps, and with HDR supported. The PC version lacks HDR and doesn't deliver any notable improvement in performance since Mina the Hollower is designed to run at 60fps or 120fps right now. The Switch 2 version can run at 4K 60 or 1440p 120fps and the latter has issues in some areas, but it isn't too bad.
Usually, my platform comparison articles have major differences between versions, but Mina the Hollower delivers at least a great experience on every platform with it being best on Switch 2 and PS5 all things considered.
Mina the Hollower load times compared across PS5, Switch 2, Steam Deck, PS5 Pro, ROG Ally, and Switch
When testing load times, I measured the time taken to load the title screen and then load a save file. I installed Mina the Hollower for PS5 on the internal storage on PS5 and PS5 Pro, the Switch version on the Switch OLED SD card, the Switch 2 Edition on the Switch 2 internal storage, and the Steam version on Steam Deck OLED and ROG Ally internal storage. The results below are all in seconds.
| Platform | Dashboard to title | Loading save |
| Switch 1 | 7-8 | <1 |
| Switch 2 | 2 | <1 |
| PS5 | 2 | Instant |
| PS5 Pro | 1-2 | Instant |
| Steam Deck | 2-3 | <1 |
| ROG Ally | 3-3.5 | <1 |
The Switch 1 version takes longer for the initial load, but this is barely anything compared to how other games are on Switch 1. All versions load into the save very fast with the PS5 version being instant. No version takes too long to load as you can see. Mina the Hollower is exactly the kind of game you want to quickly boot into and resume your save. Yacht Club Games delivers.
What I want to see in Mina the Hollower patches
Aside from support for HD rumble on Nintendo consoles and DualSense haptics on PS5, I hope Yacht Club Games adds proper support for frame rates like 90fps and 144fps. Right now, it doesn't feel smooth when played at 90hz, 100hz, or 144hz. I also hope HDR is added into the PC version.
Mina the Hollower color palettes
I am very impressed with the color palettes available already in Mina the Hollower. I used one of the modifiers to change the palette on jump so I could quickly showcase some of them. They are below:
Which version of Mina the Hollower should you buy today?
Everyone has their own priorities for what they want, so I'm going to list the advantages and disadvantages of every single version of Mina the Hollower that I have played pre-release as a conclusion to this feature below:
- Mina the Hollower on Switch 2 or Switch: I have played Shovel Knight on every platform, but I spent the most time with it on Switch. I'm glad that Mina the Hollower on Switch delivers a competent and well-optimized version of Yacht Club Games' newest, and it looks superb on the Switch OLED screen. Just keep in mind the Joy-Con controller split d-pad is not great for this kind of game. You will need to use the left stick for movement. If you have a Hori Split Pad Pro or Compact like I do or even a Switch Lite, that takes care of the d-pad issue. Load times are a bit long initially, but it isn't too bad.
- Mina the Hollower on Switch 2: On Switch 2, Mina the Hollower feels superb at 120fps handheld with HDR as an option, but the d-pad is again not great. If you are ok with the stick for movement, Mina the Hollower on Switch 2 is amazing and I hope the minor performance issues can be resolved in updates. Mina the Hollower on Switch 2 is a Switch 2 Edition with a free upgrade for Switch 1 owners as well. If you have a third party Joy-Con replacement or play with a Pro Controller, you will not have any issue with the d-pad here. This is my most-played version of the game now alongside the PS5 release.
- Mina the Hollower on Steam: Mina the Hollower on PC is fantastic at 60fps or 120fps, but it has some scrolling issues at other frame rates. The lack of HDR is a bit disappointing as well, but Mina the Hollower plays perfectly on Steam Deck at 60fps, and at 120fps docked or on PC in general. Hopefully it is updated to properly support 144hz, 90hz, and 100hz. If you play on a Steam Deck LCD or ROG Ally, there are no issues here, but keep in mind the scrolling issue at 90fps on Steam Deck OLED. The Steam verison on PC handhelds is also better since all three handhelds I own have better d-pads than the Joy-Con controllers.
- Mina the Hollower on PS5: Mina the Hollower on PS5 loads faster than other versions and has great light bar support on the DualSense controller. It also runs at 4K 120fps without any issues. Hopefully it is patched to add in haptic feedback in the future, but this is a superb version of the game and the one I put the most time into alongside the Switch 2 release. Being able to start with a different weapon helped keep things fresh for both playthroughs.
The wait for Mina the Hollower was very long, but Yacht Club Games has surpassed all my expectations here. As someone who bought Shovel Knight too many times across platforms and adores it, I already like Mina the Hollower more, and I haven't even finished it. I can't wait to play more this week.
Mina the Hollower launches on May 29 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2.