Mina the Hollower composer on Castlevania, Final Fantasy, and the music behind the hit

Mina the Hollower has become a genuine success story for Yacht Club Games, and Nintendo Life sat down with the game's composer to dig into the inspirations and secrets behind the soundtrack — including some clear nods to Castlevania and Final Fantasy.

The game sold 300,000 copies in its first three days and crossed 500,000 sales in the weeks that followed. It currently holds a Metascore of 90 based on 68 critic reviews, earning a Must Play designation — strong validation for a studio that had a lot riding on this release. Yacht Club founder Sean Velasco had described Mina the Hollower as make or break for the studio late last year, after a lengthy development cycle and a last-minute delay.

Yacht Club built its reputation on Shovel Knight, a love letter to NES-era action platformers that became one of the most acclaimed indie games of the 2010s. Mina the Hollower shifts the formula toward a top-down action style with gothic horror aesthetics, and the soundtrack clearly draws from the same well of 8 and 16-bit classics that shaped the studio's DNA — Castlevania's dramatic orchestral energy and Final Fantasy's melodic depth both surface as touchstones, according to the composer.

The full interview on Nintendo Life goes deeper into specific tracks, compositional choices, and the hidden details baked into the score — worth a read for anyone who's been humming the soundtrack since launch.