Zelda-Like Souls Game Is The Highest Rated Title Of 2026, For Good Reason

2026 has been a great year for new games so far and we’ve only just touched the halfway point.

Resident Evil Requiem, 007 First Light, LEGO Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, all bangers worth your attention.

The Legend of Zelda-inspired soulslike game Mina The Hollower is something else, though. Yacht Club Games is onto a Game of the Year winner with this one.

From A Shovelling Knight To Shovelling Mouse

Mina The Hollower is a callback to the RPGs of the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, whilst flaunting its own unique identity.

Gamers going in expecting a cosy, laid-back adventure like The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening have another thing coming as you’ll quickly feel that FromSoftware influence upon your first showdown with an enemy.

Combat is simple but rewarding. Mina uses her burrowing ability to dodge incoming attacks before following up with her weapon of choice, selected by the player at the start of the game. Unlike the Dark Souls games that inspired this retro throwback, though there are no invincibility frames to protect you. Every dodge must be carefully calculated or you’re going to have a bad time.

Like many soulslikes, the first few hours feel tough as nails but there eventually comes a point where most players will hit their stride.

At the same time, like any good Zelda game, there are plenty of gadgets and gizmos to help you on your quest and with the bones you collect from slaying enemies, you can purchase new gear and upgrades to make life a little easier.

Yacht Club Games

It’s incredible how Yacht Club Games was able to emulate the look and feel of a classic Nintendo Game Boy title whilst still making it feel modern.

What’s more impressive, however, is that while Mina The Hollower is a love-letter to games gone by, it’s still very much its own adventure. The world and its characters feel authentic, and your arsenal always feels unique. The bosses were especially fun and varied, with our favourite so far being a massive, evil moon hiding in a swamp.

It’s also very open-ended. After the opening level, you’re free to explore pretty much any part of the map at any given time, within reason of course.

Some areas are better off left alone until your gear is stronger, or until Mina’s loadout is better equipped for the terrain/enemies. While the game doesn’t explicitly tell you where to go next, it’ll provide you with a couple of hints that point you in the right direction, but ultimately the choice is yours.

All of this has earned Mina The Hollower the highest Metacritic rating of any game to release this year, even beating the aforementioned Resident Evil Requiem and 007 First Light. It’s not an easy feat to topple the likes of Resident Evil and James Bond, which is just a greater testament to how special Mina The Hollower truly is.

If modern-day AAAs have left a hole in your life that’s longing to be filled by a retro-revival, Mina The Hollower is for you. It’s also for those who are craving their next gruelling gaming challenge.

Pros: Pays homage to the GOATs of gaming while staying true to itself at the same time, perfect pixel-art, tough but rewarding gameplay loop, hours of dungeon-crawling goodness

Cons: None

For fans of: The Legend of Zelda, Elden Ring, Shovel Knight

10/10: Perfect

Mina The Hollower is out now for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 (version tested) and PC. Review code was provided by the publisher. Read a guide to our review scores here.

• New Zelda-Like RPG Is A GOTY Contender That Ranks Higher Than 11 Franchise Entries
• Steam's New Free Game Offering Blends The Best of Zelda and Dark Souls
• Free Legend of Zelda Multiplayer Mode Is What Dreams Are Made Of
• Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time Exploit Breaks The Game Over 25 Years Later