Games Like Mina the Hollower - 12 Best Top-Down Action and Zelda-Like Picks

Quick Answer: If you want more games like Mina the Hollower, start with Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove for the same creative DNA, Death's Door for tight top-down combat wrapped in a somber world, and TUNIC for cryptic Zelda-style exploration with souls-like bite.

Why These Games #

Mina the Hollower lives at the crossroads of three things, and so does this list. The first pillar is tight, tough top-down and 2D action combat — the kind that punishes sloppiness but rewards mastery. The second is classic Zelda-like or metroidvania exploration, the non-linear, ability-gated kind where a new tool unlocks an old door. The third is retro-inflected presentation soaked in a gothic or otherwise heavy atmosphere. Every pick here hits at least two.

GameGeeker's angle starts with bloodline. Mina comes from Yacht Club Games — the studio behind Shovel Knight — so we lead with that lineage before fanning out across sub-genres: modern souls-flavored top-down action, faithful Zelda-likes, gothic Castlevania-style adventures, and demanding metroidvanias. The goal is a curated spread, not a pile of lookalikes, so you can pick by the exact itch Mina left behind.

Top Picks #

1. Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove #

GOG$11.18-35%Steam $11.18View price →

From Yacht Club Games (2014), this is the studio's breakout and the closest thing to Mina's pedigree. A retro action-platformer with razor-tight controls, witty writing, and a Jake Kaufman chiptune score — the same composer who scored Mina. The Treasure Trove bundle gathers the base campaign with its expansions, so you get a generous slate of campaigns starring different knights, each remixing the same crisp moveset. If Mina sold you on Yacht Club's feel for tactile, responsive action, this is where that sensibility was first proven.

• Similar because: same studio, same Jake Kaufman musical fingerprint, same precise retro combat and charm.
• Different because: side-scrolling platformer, not top-down; lighter, sunnier tone than Mina's gothic gloom.
• Best for: fans who want the purest dose of Yacht Club Games craftsmanship.

2. Death's Door #

GAMIVO$1.73Steam $1.73View price →

Acid Nerve's 2021 gem casts you as a tiny crow working for a reaping bureaucracy. The isometric top-down combat is tight and demanding, the dungeons are pure Zelda, and the elegant, somber tone rhymes with Mina's melancholy. Boss fights are the highlight — dramatic, pattern-driven duels that ask you to read tells and punish openings cleanly. It is also a tightly paced adventure that never overstays its welcome, making it an easy first recommendation for anyone fresh off Mina.

• Similar because: tight tough top-down combat plus Zelda-like dungeon design and a heavy, mournful mood.
• Different because: isometric perspective, no whip or burrowing; more measured pacing than Mina's souls-sting.
• Best for: players chasing combat and atmosphere in equal measure.

3. TUNIC #

Kinguin$4.14-87%Steam $4.14View price →

Andrew Shouldice's 2022 isometric adventure stars a little fox in a world that hands you its secrets through scattered pages of a fake instruction manual. It marries Zelda structure to souls-like difficulty and stamina-driven combat. Much of the manual is written in an invented language, so progress comes from piecing together hints, recognizing patterns, and the occasional eureka moment. The result feels like rediscovering childhood adventure games without a guide — generous with secrets and confident enough to let you stay lost for a while.

• Similar because: top-down action-adventure, ability-gated exploration, and a souls-like edge to its fights.
• Different because: built around cryptic discovery and its manual gimmick; isometric, not Mina's GBC-style view.
• Best for: explorers who love decoding a game's hidden language.

4. Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince #

Kinguin$2.49-86%Steam $2.49View price →

Castle Pixel's 2022 sequel is an unapologetically faithful SNES-era Zelda-like, framed as a grandparent's bedtime story. Top-down dungeons, item-gated progress, and a warm, accessible difficulty curve.

• Similar because: classic top-down Zelda-like exploration with ability gates and retro pixel presentation.
• Different because: lighter and far more accessible than Mina; no gothic horror, no souls-like punishment.
• Best for: players who want the Zelda-like comfort food without the bite.

5. Hyper Light Drifter #

Steam$4.99$19.99-75%View price →

Heart Machine's 2016 cult classic is a top-down dash-and-slash through a beautiful, dying world. Combat is fast and demanding, the story is told almost wordlessly, and the melancholy hangs thick over every screen. The dash is everything here — chaining dashes to weave between attacks is the core skill, and the game expects precision rather than patience. Its neon-soaked, decaying landscapes and wordless storytelling make the mood do the heavy lifting, much as Mina leans on atmosphere to sell its world.

• Similar because: demanding top-down combat plus ability-gated exploration and a heavy, atmospheric mood.
• Different because: minimal-story and abstract where Mina is character-driven; dash-focused rather than whip-and-Sidearm.
• Best for: players who want mood and mechanical bite over hand-holding.

6. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night #

Eneba$1.40Steam $1.40View price →

Koji Igarashi — the producer who defined the "Igavania" template at Castlevania — returned in 2019 with his ArtPlay spiritual successor. A gothic 2D metroidvania dense with shards, gear, and a sprawling castle to unlock.

• Similar because: gothic Castlevania atmosphere and ability-gated metroidvania exploration, the genre Mina nods to.
• Different because: side-scrolling and RPG-heavy with loot systems; not top-down.
• Best for: anyone who wants Mina's Castlevania influence at full strength.

7. Lunacid #

Kinguin$2.57-84%Steam $2.57View price →

KIRA's 2023 dungeon crawler is a love letter to FromSoftware's King's Field — a first-person, lo-fi descent through a drowned, moonlit underworld. The atmosphere is pure gothic dread, and exploration is gated by spells and keys. The deliberately rough, retro visuals heighten the unease rather than undercut it, and a wide spread of weapons and spells lets you build your own descent. It is the outlier on this list in form, but in mood it may sit closest to Mina's gothic-horror heart.

• Similar because: dense gothic atmosphere and ability-gated, secret-laden exploration that echoes Mina's mood.
• Different because: first-person, not top-down; slow methodical crawling rather than fast action combat.
• Best for: players here for the dark-fantasy vibe above all else.

8. Hollow Knight #

Kinguin$8.17-53%Steam $8.17View price →

Team Cherry's 2017 landmark is the modern metroidvania benchmark: a vast, interconnected ruin explored through hard-won abilities, with precise, punishing combat and a quiet, melancholic beauty throughout. Death drops your currency on the spot and tasks you with reclaiming it — a souls-like wrinkle Mina players will recognize immediately. The world is enormous and densely layered, hiding charms, sub-areas, and optional bosses behind every new movement skill, rewarding the kind of thorough, gated exploration Mina encourages.

• Similar because: tough precise 2D combat, ability-gated exploration, and a deeply melancholic atmosphere.
• Different because: side-scrolling metroidvania with a huge open world; hand-drawn rather than retro pixel art.
• Best for: players who want Mina's exploration scaled up to an epic.

9. The Messenger #

GOG$2.24-79%Steam $2.24View price →

Sabotage's 2018 debut starts as a strict 8-bit ninja action-platformer, then transforms — visually and structurally — into a 16-bit time-hopping metroidvania. The Ninja Gaiden and Castlevania DNA is loud, and the writing is sharp.

• Similar because: razor-tight retro action and ability-gated exploration with strong Castlevania heritage.
• Different because: side-scrolling ninja platformer with a comedic voice; far from Mina's gothic seriousness.
• Best for: players who want retro precision platforming with a clever twist.

10. Minishoot' Adventures #

Steam$14.99View price →

SoulGame's 2024 surprise hit fuses a Zelda-like overworld and dungeon structure with twin-stick shooter combat. You pilot a little ship, gunning through bullet-hell rooms and unlocking the map with new powers.

• Similar because: top-down Zelda-like overworld and dungeon structure with ability-gated progression.
• Different because: twin-stick shoot-'em-up combat instead of melee; bright and breezy rather than gothic.
• Best for: players who want Mina's exploration loop with shmup-flavored action.

11. Souldiers #

GAMIVO$0.81Steam $0.81View price →

Retro Forge's 2022 action-adventure is a gorgeous pixel-art metroidvania with three playable classes and a long, demanding campaign. Combat is tough and exploration is densely gated behind new abilities.

• Similar because: tough action combat, ability-gated metroidvania exploration, and lush retro pixel presentation.
• Different because: side-scrolling with class-based RPG systems; lengthier and crunchier than Mina.
• Best for: players who want a big, hard pixel-art metroidvania to sink into.

12. Nine Sols #

Kinguin$16.66-50%Steam $16.66View price →

Red Candle Games' 2024 "Sekiro-like" builds its 2D action around precise deflection, set in a striking "Taopunk" world that blends Eastern mythology with science fiction. It is story-rich and demanding, rewarding patient, rhythm-perfect defense over button-mashing. Mastering the parry timing transforms fights from frantic to almost musical, and the narrative gives that grind real emotional weight. It is the most combat-forward pick on this list, and the one that will most reshape how you think about defense.

• Similar because: demanding, precise 2D action combat paired with ability-gated exploration and heavy atmosphere.
• Different because: side-scrolling, deflection-focused combat; sci-fantasy "Taopunk" rather than gothic horror.
• Best for: players who want the toughest, most deliberate combat on this list.

Comparison Table #

Game	Similar Because	Different Because	Best For
Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove	Same studio, same composer, precise retro combat	Side-scrolling platformer, lighter tone	Purest Yacht Club Games craft
Death's Door	Tight top-down combat, Zelda dungeons, somber mood	Isometric, no whip or burrowing	Combat plus atmosphere
TUNIC	Top-down action, gated exploration, souls-like edge	Cryptic manual gimmick, isometric	Decoding hidden systems
Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince	Faithful top-down Zelda-like with ability gates	Lighter, accessible, no gothic horror	Zelda-like comfort food
Hyper Light Drifter	Demanding top-down combat, gated map, heavy mood	Minimal-story, dash-focused	Mood plus mechanical bite
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night	Gothic Castlevania atmosphere, metroidvania gates	Side-scrolling, RPG-heavy loot	Full-strength Castlevania influence
Lunacid	Dense gothic mood, gated secret exploration	First-person, slow crawling	Dark-fantasy vibe above all
Hollow Knight	Tough precise combat, gated exploration, melancholy	Side-scrolling, huge open world	Exploration scaled to epic
The Messenger	Tight retro action, gated exploration, Castlevania DNA	Side-scrolling ninja, comedic voice	Retro precision with a twist
Minishoot' Adventures	Top-down Zelda-like overworld and dungeon gates	Twin-stick shooter combat, breezy tone	Exploration with shmup action
Souldiers	Tough combat, gated metroidvania, lush pixel art	Side-scrolling, class-based RPG	Big hard pixel-art metroidvania
Nine Sols	Demanding precise 2D combat, gated exploration	Side-scrolling deflection, Taopunk setting	Toughest, most deliberate combat

Filters #

• Same-studio lineage: Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove — the Yacht Club Games starting point.
• Faithful Zelda-likes: Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince, Death's Door, TUNIC, Minishoot' Adventures.
• Gothic / Castlevania mood: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, Lunacid, Hollow Knight.
• Toughest combat: Nine Sols, Hollow Knight, Hyper Light Drifter, Souldiers.
• Retro-platformer detour: The Messenger, Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove.

FAQ #

What should I play right after Mina the Hollower? #

If you want the most direct continuation of Mina's top-down combat and dungeon rhythm, Death's Door is the cleanest match — tight fights, Zelda-style dungeons, and a somber mood that lands close to Mina's gothic gloom. From there, TUNIC keeps the ability-gated exploration and souls-like sting while leaning harder into mystery. Both are isometric rather than GBC-style, but they scratch the same combat-and-discovery itch more closely than anything else on this list.

Is there a true sequel or another game from the same studio? #

There is no direct sequel to Mina the Hollower, but the same-studio pick is unmistakable: Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove is the flagship from Yacht Club Games — the studio behind Mina — and even shares composer Jake Kaufman. It is a side-scrolling action-platformer rather than a top-down adventure, and its tone is sunnier, but the precision, charm, and chiptune craft are the closest thing to Mina's family resemblance you will find right now.

Which of these run well on Steam Deck? #

Most picks here are 2D or top-down and tend to run comfortably on Steam Deck. Lightweight pixel titles like Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince and Shovel Knight: Treasure Trove are especially undemanding, while Hollow Knight is a well-known Deck favorite. Always check the current Verified status on the Steam store page before buying, since ratings can change with updates — but as a category, this style of retro-inflected action is among the most Deck-friendly around.

Why is Lunacid, a first-person game, on a list about a top-down game? #

Fair question — Lunacid is first-person, which breaks the top-down mold of most picks here. It earns its place on atmosphere and exploration. Mina's gothic-horror mood is one of its defining traits, and Lunacid delivers that dread better than almost anything: a lo-fi, moonlit underworld gated by spells and keys. We include it as the pure mood-and-gothic pick, for players who care more about Mina's dark-fantasy feel than its exact camera angle or combat style.

What is the best starting pick for newcomers? #

If you found Mina's souls-like sting intimidating, start with Blossom Tales II: The Minotaur Prince — a warm, accessible top-down Zelda-like with no harsh penalties. For a gentle step up that still feels modern, Minishoot' Adventures keeps the Zelda-like structure while making combat approachable and fun. Save the punishing picks like Nine Sols for once you have your footing; they reward patience but assume you already enjoy a stiff challenge.