[timestamp] is a running journal and reflection on the games I play, news I’ve read, and commentary on hot topics and conversations I have come across. These will be free to read online and printed in a limited monthly edition for $15/mo Patreon supporters!

Game played: Mina the Hollower (PS5)

Okay. Mina’s back. Straight up. I forced myself to boot it up and feel it out. It was a test. Had I been away too long and didn’t have the feel for it to continue? Was the point I was stuck at going to stop me from being able to get back on track? Was this the time to admit that I was done with it, and that’s okay, and move on to something else? Those were the questions I had for the game and myself, and I wasn’t going to know unless I booted back in.

I think it was a good thing my save file was right at the point I was stuck at trying to find Bone Beach (or whatever it’s called), my next major story destination. Previously, I wasn’t sure how I could get through this area I was in with some conveyor belts, sand, and mine carts. There were bombs around, and I knew they had something to do with it. So I went to the internet and found a guide with a single screenshot that helped me figure out how to destroy the mine carts blocking my progress. A single attempt at this led right into progress and success, and suddenly all my questions were answered. I was having instant fun again, I had new paths to go down, and I wasn’t done with Mina.

I don’t fault the game for bad design here at all. This was fully me and user issue. Had Elliot not been released, I easily could have taken another stab at figuring out where I was temporarily stuck, and this would have been a non-issue. Instead, the timing and circumstances are what had me thinking about moving on. My mindset with games these days is to play them as they are fun. If a game starts to lose its luster, and I’m not enjoying myself, then move on. Enjoy it for as long as you can, and know that seeing it through to the end isn’t required. Great games will keep me, and my decision to not buy new games until I know I am done with what’s come before is a great way to be smart with money, and helps me ensure I’ve done all I want with a game. I didn’t think Mina was going to be done, but if it was, I still would have recommended the game and looked back on it as an amazing experience for 2026. For now, that decision doesn’t have to be made, and I am locked back in.

I was able to make my way through the “over world” area on my way to the next dungeon. So far, these are challenges and almost dungeons themselves, just without the boss. You’ll eventually get to a point where you can double back or get to the “entrance” quickly once you find what you’re looking for. What I found here was a giant creature, mouth opened, inviting me inside. This will either be the best or the worst time.

I thought I should stop here, but I had some time on the clock still before work, so I decided to push it a bit and see if I could get to another hollow to rest. This turned into a full exploration and fighting, falling (strategically) through some areas, solving the loop, riding an auto-scrolling platform, and somehow unlocking the rope to double back right at the entrance, ready for the boss. The boss, though, that would really be the end of my day. I took three attempts at it, retooled and even changed my weapon to the mega buster, then even adjusted my trinkets, and tried another three times. All failures, but fun ones!

I’m so happy to be back on the Mina train. I’m going to be thinking about it all day at work and wanting to bash these eyes in all over again to hopefully put an end to my beach trip. I don’t think I’m too far from the end of the game, but I don’t know that I want it to be over now that I’ve got this second wind.